Because every card is a story....
Introducing the Every Card a Story newsletter.
Like a lot of kids, I grew up collecting sports cards. My Dad collected, and that’s what got me and my siblings started. I can remember saving up my allowance so that I could go to the store and grab a couple of packs to rip open, in hopes of finding my favorite players and teams. I didn’t have a big budget, so it was a lot of the cheap stuff, but it didn’t matter. It was the joy of the chase for me and pulling a David Robinson or Michael Jordan was awesome no matter whether it was valuable or not.
I remember sitting on the floor in our house with my cards spread out. My brother would have his spread out and while my sister’s collection was a little smaller, she’d usually join in too. The three of us would then wheel and deal, trading for our favorites.
Later, we went to card shows and it was much the same. I have so many fond memories of making my way through shows in search of my favorites.
I got out of the hobby for a long time, and only just started getting back into it this year when my Dad needed some help going through his expansive collection to try to sell some off. My love for the hobby was quickly rekindled.
So if you’re reading this, wondering what you’re getting into by subscribing and following along, here’s a few answers to questions you might have.
What’s the story (heh) behind the name?
My favorite cards of all-time have a story to tell. Sometimes it’s the way you got the card. Sometimes it’s something the year the card was produced. Sometimes it’s the photography involved. It might be a bit on the nose but when I decided I needed a name for this whole endeavor, “Every Card a Story” just felt right.
Are you gonna write about collecting, selling, or both?
I’m a collector. At the same time, it’s also really nice to be able to be able to pay the bills. I think if you’re going to collect, and have it be a hobby you can enjoy in a sustainable way, you need to be able to do it economically—whether that means finding good values on cards for your pc or being able to sell cards at a profit.
So you an expect a little bit of a mix of content here. Some posts will be more about collecting—the story of a set or card I enjoy, discussing some of my personal collection (pc) favorites. Others will be about the business side of things—how to make profit, targets, etc.
Why are you writing about this in the first place?
I’ve really enjoyed learning from other resources as I’ve gotten back into this—it turns out a lot has changed in the decade plus that I was away—and I figured as I learn and dig in, it makes sense to share that in case others will benefit.