Awesome card and picture. Looks like a great father/son collecting team!

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It Gets You Closer to the Game

Most card collectors you find will also be sports fans. If you’re a big fan of a team or a player, sports cards give you a great way to expand on that. Whether it’s a piece of a game worn jersey, an autograph, or a rare insert commemorating a big game or moment for your favorite player, cards provide a further connection to the teams and players that fans love. Collecting also keeps you involved in sports and furthers your knowledge of the players in the game.

It’s Something You Can Share with Others

Many collectors get started from a family member passing cards down to them or simply sharing the hobby with them, which made their start that much more meaningful. Today, there are tons of ways to share the hobby with others. You can hang out with like minded collectors at the hobby shop, or join the collecting community online. The internet has given collectors a great way to share the hobby with others – group box breaks, trades, product discussions, showing off your collection, and video box breaks are just a few ways to connect. You can also return the favor that got you started and help someone else be informed about the hobby by sharing your knowledge or cards with them.

You Can Build Your Collection in Any Way You See Fit

Collecting sports cards provides a great freedom to build your collection however you see fit. Some of the basics include collecting your favorite player or team, but everyone seems to collect something different. Want to build a complete insert set of autograph cards? Go ahead. Build a vintage set from your birth year? Get started. Only want to collect cards of basketball players over seven feet tall? No one is stopping you. Personal collections and accomplishments can also bring great pride and fun when showing them off. You can use photobucket, forums, facebook, and youtube to show the world what you put together.

There’s Always a Chase

Whether it’s opening boxes to pull a big hit or scouring the internet to add to your personal collection, there is always a chase. It can be the thrill of a big hit or the thrill of finding that last card you’ve been searching for to complete a set. There’s always that next thing to work on.

It Can be Lucrative

There are plenty of ways that collectors make money in the hobby. You can speculate on unopened product and wait for it to go up. You can collect a rookie or player you think is going to increase in value with on field performance. You can even pull an extremely valuable card out of an unopened box.

It’s a Distraction

Spending some time looking for cards or enjoying opening some boxes can be a nice distraction from daily worries. Clearing your mind and flipping through your collection or going through cards can be a very positive thing.

It Brings Back Memories

Cards can bring back all kinds of memories. It could be memories from your childhood, your favorite player, a sports memory, or even the joy of a big hit you pulled from a box of cards. Perhaps a family member got you started with a certain set of cards. Chances are you’ll always have fond memories when you see those cards.

It’s Fun

Out of all the reasons that people collect, the most important one might be that it’s just plain fun.

Everyone has different reasons for collecting, what are yours?

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Years ago I would frequently visit a card shop in Niagara Falls to “get my fix” of cards. I liked this store because it carried a lot of oddball items and there was always something new to see.

Back in the late 1980′s there wasn’t a basketball price guide. Why would there be? Everyone collected just baseball cards, right? I walk in one day and they had just opened a case of 1986/87 Fleer basketball to make sets. Why would they waste their time on a product that nobody cared about? Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend the money that they paid for the case to fill the store with Gregg Jefferies rookies?

I remember the store owner telling me I should buy a set because this Jordan card will be worth a lot of money some day. How could a basketball card be of any interest to anyone? This shop had a stack of Gretzky rookies for $25.00 each and no one was buying those, I figured they would be stuck with the Jordan cards too. I passed on the set because the $12.00 (with the stickers) just seemed ridiculous to me. Where did he come up with this price?

The following week I went back to the store and the store owner was again trying to convince me that this is a set I should buy. There had to be around 40 of them sealed in plastic, stacked on the counter in a huge pyramid display. Obviously I was right, nobody wanted these sets.

Another week passed. I returned again and saw the display exactly as it was the last time I was there. It didn’t look like a single set sold. For some reason that day, I decided to waste $12.00 on one of the sets. I picked one up and said “I’ll take it. The store owner replied with “The sets are $20.00, now I get $12.00 for the Jordan alone.”

“Well that’s just ridiculous I said. “That card will NEVER be worth $12.00. I put the set back & bought another box of 1989 Topps baseball.

I have bought and sold many Jordan rookies and 1986 Fleer sets since that day but I have never had one in my personal collection.  Anyone interested in some Steve Avery rookies?

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But most importantly, we brought in some of the biggest names in hockey. On four consecutive days we had Gordie Howe, Tony Esposito, Steven Stamkos, and Gilbert Perreault each signing at one of our four Buffalo area stores.  These hockey legends were outstanding as they posed for pictures and interacted with fans.

Mr. Hockey posing with some young fans and having some fun with a Blackhawks hat.

Like all of the athletes, Tony Esposito was very cordial with fans.

NHL Superstar Steven Stamkos with a young fan.

Gilbert Perreault with a life long fan and his son.

Overall it was an awesome event as we’ve had many fans let us know what a thrill it was to meet these players. It was also a great time to celebrate hockey card collecting. We look forward to bringing more collecting focused events like this to our customers in the future. Thanks to all the companies who participated in the event and to everyone who came out to our stores!

If you’d like to purchase autographed memorabilia from the signings check out our Hockey Memorabilia section.

For more information on our four stores check out our Dave and Adam’s Store Facebook Page.

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(Click on the images for a bigger version)

Our new building is home to tens of thousands of boxes and cases. We will continue to bring our customers the most varied selection of trading cards you will find anywhere!

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