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Alex8330
04-11-2012, 08:04 PM
First off let me start by saying, WOW, you guys have some awesome collections! I am personally wondering myself, how in the world you can get started in collecting? I'm literally clueless, but I started wondering if people collected this kind of memorabilia, when I saw fans getting batting gloves and a bat at a baseball game I was at! I felt like a little kid being left out of the kickball game, I wanted my own bat and batting gloves! So what do I do to get started? Thanks guys!

cliffjmp33
04-11-2012, 09:09 PM
Hi Alex and welcome!

I think it depends on what you collect and where to be honest. Everyone can give you their own tips or stories, and many are great and unbelievable.

I can only talk about myself, but for my own collection (mostly baseball), I have purchased many of my items. You'll find out, if you haven't, that items that you want may cost an arm and a leg.

But the best advice that I got early on from fellow members is to collect things that you love and make sure you are informed about items. The more your educated (and a lot of people on here will help), the better you'll be at acquiring items.

Best of luck and again welcome.

Rob L
04-11-2012, 09:19 PM
Welcome Alex. It's a great hobby but you must be careful. Like Jack said, there are many knowledgeable people here that can assist you from making a huge mistake (which most of us have done). Feel free to ask questions, look at peoples websites and see what direction you want to go. You'll have a blast and learn quite a bit.

spartanservitto
04-11-2012, 10:52 PM
Welcome , before a purchase of something I was curious or unsure , I would always search this site and 90 percent I had an answer or at least visuals.


-Tony

gingi79
04-11-2012, 10:53 PM
My advice is to not hesitate in asking questions. If there is an item you want to aquire, post it in the want ads or in this section as a "How would I go about obaining a...." This site has been wonderful to me, every time a jersey from either of my 2 guys pop up for sale in any auction, considerate fellow collectors email or PM me about them.

Welcome to the hobby. It's a werewolf in sheep's clothing some times but overall I can't think of a better way to connect to your favorite team.

sox83cubs84
04-12-2012, 03:02 PM
Alex:

Welcome aboard and the advice previously offered is all solid. Do not be afraid to research potential purchases for photo or at least style-matching. This is often difficult on older item but for stuff from the last 10-15 years it often isn't too difficult. LOAs are (usually) good (depending on who the person is signing off on it), but a photo of your item being used is unbeatable.

Dave Miedema

Alex8330
04-12-2012, 03:30 PM
Thank you guys so much for the input and information! I would really like to start collecting Cleveland Indians equipment... I would like to also know, what are my chances of getting equipment from theplayers at the games I go to? Any info or help is appreciated thank you again!

frikativ54
04-12-2012, 04:06 PM
Hi Alex,

Welcome to the site. My biggest piece of advice is to be patient and check your sources. Don't fall for the line that a particular item is the only one out there, because it likely isn't. You will have multiple opportunities to own the majority of game used collectibles, so make sure that you really like what you buy, before making a commitment. And don't just buy something because it is out there; we've all made purchases we regret, because we had some cash and bought something that only marginally appealed to us.

The other thing is to check your sources. There will be a lot of dealers out there who will tell you that they are the best and only source of legitimate items. However, I approach all sources with a healthy bit of skepticism. I either buy directly from the team, or when buying something on the open market, I photomatch my items before I purchase them. Don't just take a dealer's word that he has what's real. Definitively match the item to a game or at bat. Even teams make mistakes, so research players' use characteristics and proper tagging. You can never have too much information.

Good luck! :)

project 4
04-12-2012, 07:00 PM
Welcome. I'm still kind of new to the hobby myself but agree with most everyone here about doing your due diligence. You definitely don't want to make the mistake of purchasing a fake. This place is great at finding your answers for the hobby. I began collecting football cards first and have slowly made the transition to gamers. It's obviously more expensive but I think it's well worth it.

One of the things i'm learning is that you don't want to go overboard at first. There are a lot of game used stuff out there and just b/c you may miss out on 1, usually there's another one out there so don't get your hopes up. Start with some sort of wish list too. There's a lot of auctions or websites out there that has good stuff.

camarokids
04-12-2012, 07:14 PM
Welcome!

Don't fall into the gotta have it now crowd or buying the latest great new player to come along. A lot of people over charge for the hot new prospect, which is just insane. I do not go crazy on an item at auction, unless it is something very rare that very seldom is seen on the market. Most of the current stuff will be for sale multiple times. This is plenty to go around. Patience is a great virtue, this is a good saying in this hobby!

I see collectors on here buying stuff then turning around and selling for a loss. It makes zero sense. Buy what you like, but buy what you plan to keep.

eBay is a great place to buy stuff on the cheap. I collect mainly bats, bats are easy to authenticate. www.birdbats.com has a great bat reference page on his site.

Feel free to email with any questions.