Team Building Exercise - Common or Uncommon?

[sox83cubs84]

Tim:

I like the article, and it's so true: the commons aren't really so common, in many instances.

Working for a previous authentication business, one of the bat authenticators (also a dealer) asked me to notify him when an obscure player on a championsip or popular team (like the '69 Cubs) showed up on eBay so he could pursue it if he didn't see it yet.

Dave Miedema

[metsbats]

Tim:

I like the article, and it's so true: the commons aren't really so common, in many instances.

Working for a previous authentication business, one of the bat authenticators (also a dealer) asked me to notify him when an obscure player on a championsip or popular team (like the '69 Cubs) showed up on eBay so he could pursue it if he didn't see it yet.

Dave Miedema

Especially true if they are pitchers Dave. All the bats I need to complete my team sets are pitchers.

[seanbaseball]

I've really enjoyed collecting my 2011 Cardinal jerseys ( team was not on your list!). It is interesting that the oddball players are the tough ones although I haven't found a 2011 Pujols that is for sale

[CampWest]

Great article Tim.

As I think about possibly working on a 2015 Royals Team Set, I am daunted by the likes of completing it with the likes of Raul Mondesi Jr, who made his career debut with a single at bat in the World Series. May have to settle for a minor league bat...

[ndevlin]

Excellent work, Tim. Thanks for taking time out of your day to write these.

[Juicyfruit66]

The 1994 Montreal Expos is the team set I've been collecting

[soxbats]

Tim, great article! I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment on collecting teams, it can be very rewarding regardless of budget. Indeed, some of the best finds are those incredibly scarce gamers that no one bothered to keep. It is super what you did for mike! and I am sure he is thrilled with the new finds.

I collect Red Sox bats and have been trying to get a bat from each player who played from 1960 to the present. I never sought the pitchers bats because that would have been an impossible task. Dave, I totally agree that some of those "commons" are terribly uncommon. I have been locked in a few heated battles for some obscure bats, surely to the surprise of the lucky eBay seller or auction house. In many ways tracking down the obscure bat is even more rewarding than finding the "common" star bats. I started 25 years ago and have kept many of the original want lists that I would send snail mail to dealers and collectors looking for bats. It is fun to see how far the collection has come. Fast forward to today, and I need 5 bats to complete the collection: Felix Mantilla, Carmen Fanzone, George Smith, Ken Poulsen and Jeff Bianchi.

So if you come across any of those in your travels, drop me a line.

Best, Jeff

Soxbats at aol dot com

[gorilla777]

Great first article, Tim! I hope to see more of this material here on the site, versus some of the other "stuff" you usually see..

[soxbats]

Hey Tim, thanks so much for the posts, it is great to build the overall knowledge of bat collecting "old school" style, without the photo match or MLB authentication. I have been a team collector for about 25 years (ouch I feel old) and I think it is a very satisfying way to collect game used bats with limited means. In fact, over the years some of my most thrilling finds were the most uncommon of common player bats. Sometimes the stars and HOFers are the easiest to find and collect. The common bats are the ones found at yard sales, flea markets and the occasional storage locker. I still need a few uncommon common bats to complete my collection and they are probably right now propping a door, laying on the floor of a wet basement and the favorite toy of the neighbor's dog.

soxbats at aol dot com