Latest news with #collecting
Times
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Confessions of obsessive collectors — the history of a mania
In the spirit of writing a good, honest review: Beanie Babies, striped stones and exhibition postcards. These are a few of the things I've collected since I was a child. What, if anything, do they say about me? That I was born in the Nineties. That I've probably seen the carefully positioned pebbles at Kettle's Yard. That I fancy myself as an amateur curator maybe — several of the postcards are tacked on a pinboard in my office. So I have an eye for beauty and a desire for order. But am I mad? In his book the historian James Delbourgo wonders whether collecting is a sign of madness — it's an idea, he writes, that 'has exercised an enduring hold on the imagination'. Is there something unsettling, something creepy, about people who love things more than … well, people? A Noble Madness, as richly detailed as it is researched, charts the changing image of the collector from antiquity to the present. Across centuries and continents, it presents a 'grand portrait gallery' of writers, artists, naturalists, neurologists, bibliomaniacs and hoarders, as well as pop culture's best obsessives and bogeymen (often one and the same). People who love things too much have been around since the start of recorded history. In the 1st century BC Cicero prosecuted the Sicilian magistrate Gaius Verres for plundering art and sculpture from Greek temples, denouncing him for having not only a 'singular and furious madness' but also 'perverted desires'. In the Metamorphoses, Ovid tells the tale of the sculptor Pygmalion, who falls in love with a statue, a woman he had carved out of ivory. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, the emperor Caligula, besotted with art and sculpture, commanded Greek statues to be decapitated and their heads replaced with models of his own head. Supposedly he also ordered his troops to gather up seashells — 'spoils of the ocean' –— and fill their helmets and the folds of their dresses with them. From ancient Rome to medieval Europe, coveting physical objects has, Delbourgo writes, 'raised the spectre of sacrilege'. Collecting relics was a way for the Church to control their use and meaning as part of a regulated system of worship until the Reformation erupted. Swinging like a pendulum between different places and perspectives, Delbourgo whisks us to Ming China, where collecting was seen as 'a desirable form of personal sophistication', and Choson Korea, where it was a means of obtaining social status. A comprehensive exploration of Renaissance Europe tracks the rise of collecting alongside global trade and colonisation and the contrast between those gathering goods for aesthetic pleasure and scientific knowledge. 'The figure of Eve continued to bedevil the image of the female collector with her aura of carnal seductiveness and lusting after forbidden fruit,' Delbourgo says before turning his attention to Marie Antoinette, who collected clothes, jewels, snuffboxes, porcelain, furnishings, books and, reportedly, 348,000 earrings. In the eyes of her enemies the 'trinket queen' came to epitomise 'frivolity, greed and indifference to the suffering of the French people'. After her execution her clothes were donated anonymously to a hospital except for the shoe that slipped off when she was ascending the gallows and can now be seen in a museum in Caen. 'Every wave of iconoclasm produces its own relics,' Delbourgo says. • How to collect rare books — a beginner's guide In the 19th century the line between collecting and personal identity became tracing-paper thin. Romanticism, according to Delbourgo, changed everything 'by shifting the meaning of collecting from convention to compulsion'. Romantic artists, philosophers and poets led a 'bold new journey of individual self-discovery' and collectors joined them, crystallising the notion that their treasures were 'expressions of an essential inner identity'. Charles Darwin, who started accumulating specimens, shells and coins at the age of eight, became one of the first scientists to reflect on the damage collecting can do to the self. Sorting information, he believed, had produced a 'curious and lamentable loss of the higher aesthetic tastes'. • The 21 best history books of the past year to read next Enter Sigmund Freud. By the end of the century the founder of psychoanalysis (himself an antiquities collector) had arrived at the question that has preoccupied us ever since: why do people do it? Post Freud, Delbourgo writes, 'the act of collecting was always about something else and never entirely about the thing collected'. Hans Sloane was the subject of Delbourgo's previous book, Collecting the World, and his vast collection of specimens, artefacts and oddities formed the backbone of the world's first national public museum, the British Museum. Sloane claimed that the purpose of natural history collecting was 'to figure out what species were good for, what they cost, and how to make money off them'. Between 1850 and 1914 the number of museums in the US ballooned from 50 to 2,500 as American industrialists, financiers and heiresses used their new fortunes to collect art from round the world in what became known as 'the great art drain'. Chief among the 'picture pirates' was the New York banker JP Morgan, who became a great collector of art and books, creating the Morgan Library and acting as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some saw him as a hero, others a villain (one cartoon shows him seizing the Colosseum). 'It's because collectors seek to turn a chaotic world into an ordered one that they make for particularly unsettling figures,' Delbourgo says. 'Madness is never so disconcerting as when it appears in the guise of reason.' Chief among his fictional players is Norman Bates, the protagonist of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film Psycho. He is shy, polite, a bit of a loner and also a taxidermy enthusiast and serial killer. Plus, Oscar Wilde's character Dorian Gray hops from one kind of collecting to another in a desperate attempt to escape grief and guilt, while Orhan Pamuk's protagonist in his 2008 novel The Museum of Innocence, compulsively amasses objects that chronicle his romantic pursuit of a shop girl. • Read more book reviews and interviews — and see what's top of the Sunday Times Bestsellers List If that all sounds like a lot to pack into one book, it is, but Delbourgo has a deft touch, interweaving heavy passages on Nazi collecting and the dilemma of the private collector under communism with light bursts of cinematic and literary criticism. The collector-creep factor increases with the page numbers: a gruesome tangent into trophism and cannibalism features the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who between 1978 and 1991 killed 17 boys and men, stored parts of their bodies in a freezer and sketched out plans to curate them in what he called a temple. The story comes to a close by suggesting that the question one might ask in the 2020s isn't 'Why do people do it?' but rather: 'How much is their stuff worth?' 'Today's collectors aren't crazy,' Delbourgo says, 'they're savvy.' If I look up my 1996 Peace Bear in the Beanie Baby database I find out that it's now worth several thousand pounds (with the Ty tag intact, that is). Too bad I ripped the tags off to make the cuddly critters look more lifelike. A Noble Madness: The Dark Side of Collecting from Antiquity to Now by James Delbourgo (Riverrun £25 pp320). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Replay Sports Cards Aims to Donate 1 Million Cards to 40,000+ Kids in Chicago Area
Nation's first national sports card shop franchise calls on attendees of 2025 National Sports Card Convention to support its "Replay Gives Back" campaign Donations to support local Chicagoland youth charitable organizations Attendees can also experience live sports card breaks at the Replay booth CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Replay Sports Cards ("Replay") – America's first national franchise dedicated exclusively to the hobby – is going all-out at the 2025 National Sports Card Convention (July 30-Aug. 3) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., to spread the joy of collecting. Supporting Chicagoland Youth Throughout the convention, attendees can visit the Collectors Lounge to support the company's bold goal: collecting 1 million sports cards to donate to over 40,000 children, ensuring the magic of card collecting reaches those who may otherwise be left out. Replay will donate all cards collected to local youth-focused organizations, such as Boys & Girls Club of Chicago and Noah's Arc Foundation, among others. "The excitement of opening a pack of cards is timeless, and Replay Gives Back is our way of sharing that joy with kids who've never had the chance," said Brent Schepel, co-founder of Replay. "It's about inclusion, generosity, and building the future of the hobby, one card – and one child – at a time. We built Replay Sports Cards to be a place where collectors feel like family. At The National Sports Card Convention, we're excited to welcome everyone – from diehard collectors to curious first-timers – and leverage the opportunity with this incredible audience to help us do something meaningful." Spreading Joy Through Cards Founded with a mission to cultivate community and inclusion in the hobby, Replay's leadership sees the Gives Back initiative as more than a charity drive. "Sparking that sense of wonder in a kid opening their first pack – there's nothing like it," said Mike Martin, co-founder of Replay. "We're passionate about growing the hobby and making it more accessible. Too many children are priced out of collecting today, and we want to change that." Since launching the program in November 2024, Replay Sports Cards has taken in more than 1.5 million donated trading cards. The sports cards franchise sorts and packages all donations into 25-card packs, including 1-2 chase cards – making each pack brimming with the excitement that makes collecting sports cards so special. These card packs are then delivered to children nationwide through local and national community partnerships. Replay encourages all attendees, collectors, and industry partners to support the campaign by bringing extra or unwanted cards to the National and helping spread the word. The Replay Gives Back card packs include everything from legendary brands like Upper Deck, Leaf, Topps and Panini to Pokémon. Donations are also accepted year-round at any Replay Sports Cards shop or by mail. The Replay Experience In addition to helping reach the goal of donating 1 million cards to kids across the Chicagoland area, visitors will also get to experience live sports card breaks. "We're seeing a tidal wave of new interest in sports cards, and we built Replay to meet that wave with the infrastructure and innovation today's collectors expect," said Mike Weinberger, co-founder and president of franchising for Replay. "But none of it matters if we don't bring new generations into the hobby. At its core, Replay Gives Back is about expanding access – so that no kid has to just watch from the sidelines. This moment at The National is a chance for the whole industry to come together and make a bigger impact." For more information about Replay Gives Back, visit For those interested in making their mark in the growing trading card community, visit for more information. ABOUT REPLAY SPORTS CARDSReplay Sports Cards is the first-ever sports card shop franchise, offering a full-service experience that includes buying, selling, trading and grading. With three shops across the Southeastern U.S. and a strong presence at major card shows nationwide, Replay delivers an approachable, trustworthy environment for collectors of all ages and experience levels. The franchise is designed to make card collecting accessible, exciting, and meaningful, blending modern retail with a deep love for the hobby. Originally founded as One Stop Sports, Replay Sports Cards combines deep industry knowledge with a community-first mindset, both in-shop and through weekly livestreams on Whatnot (@ReplaySportsCards) and TikTok, (@ReplaySportsCards). To learn more, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Replay Sports Cards Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Why some UAE residents hunt for old banknotes at groceries, supermarkets
Not long ago, Aisha Matar stood at the checkout counter of a bustling Dubai supermarket and asked the cashier a question they weren't expecting: 'Do you have the old Dh20 note?' From fading one-dirham paper notes to discontinued old-style Dh5, Dh10, and early Dh20 bills, a growing community in the UAE is preserving old currency that is slowly disappearing from everyday circulation. Some collect for nostalgia or cultural pride, others see investment value, and many trade within a niche network. It's not the first time Aisha has asked. Over the past few months, Dubai residents have been visiting smaller groceries and cash-heavy stores around the city, hoping to spot the paper version of the UAE's green Dh20 note that was phased out in the early 2000s. 'It's not impossible to find, but it's getting harder,' she said. For Aisha, it's not just a banknote, it's a link to the past. 'This was the note we grew up with. The colour, the feel of the paper... It's different from the new ones,' she said. She's part of a small but growing group of residents collecting discontinued UAE currency, preserving paper notes that are quietly disappearing from circulation. She recently added another rare item to her collection, a full roll of 10 fils coins. 'I found it by chance. It was still sealed. That denomination barely shows up anymore,' she said. 'To me, this is part of preserving what's vanishing.' More than just money From the original red-and-blue Dh5 and Dh10 to the short-lived orange Dh200, collectors across the country are tracking down old notes that were once part of daily life. While some do it for sentimental reasons, others see it as a financial investment or a way to preserve a slice of national history. 'People don't realise how many of these notes have vanished. They think the old ones aren't special, but the designs have changed, and some were discontinued altogether,' said Ahmed R., a Dubai-based resident who's been collecting for five years. Ahmed's most prized find is a paper Dh1 note from the 1970s. 'It's completely faded now, but I keep it in a protective sleeve,' he said. 'You don't see these anymore. Most people didn't even know there used to be a paper version of the Dh1.' The orange Dhs 200 note: 'Most forged, quickly pulled' Among the rarest bills is the original orange Dh200 note issued in 1989. Its unique colour and design made it stand out, but also made it a target for counterfeiters. 'It was one of the most forged notes at the time. That's why the central bank stopped distributing it fairly quickly,' said Omar A., another collector in Abu Dhabi who's spent years trying to track down an original orange Dh200 in good condition. 'If you find one now, especially unmarked, it's a big deal in the community.' What began as a quiet hobby has become a small community. Some collectors trade notes through online forums and social media groups, where they share images, discuss condition, and negotiate prices. 'There's a whole trading scene,' said Ahmed. 'I didn't even know this community existed until I found an online post about UAE currency. Since then, I've met collectors from all over the country,' he said. The appeal of old notes also runs deeper for some Emiratis and long-time residents. It's about identity. 'Each note tells a story,' said Aisha. 'It reminds you of how the country used to look, of what was considered important enough to print: forts, dhows, falcons, markets.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Repack SCAMS – How We're FIXING This Big Problem!
Geoff Wilson announces a big change to address repack scams in the sports card hobby, making collecting safer and better for everyone.
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The keys to making smart buys at a sports card show from someone who learned the hard way
Card shows are exciting because you can make a purchase in an instant, and often on a card you had no prior interest in buying. But this is also why they're dangerous. So with the National Sports Collectors Convention coming up at the end of the month in Chicago, here are some tips from someone who has made every mistake that can be made as a buyer at a show over decades. I've learned these lessons the hard way so you don't have to. Advertisement Being impulsive is fun. Planning is boring. But you need to have a plan before you walk in the door. It's hard to have a precise plan because we don't know what's going to be available to buy. But you can at least determine whether you want to buy ultra modern (current players), modern (non-vintage, let's call it Junk Wax Era circa 1986 to non-active players) or vintage (technically 1973 or earlier, when cards were issued in series, but basically everything else). That narrows your focus considerably. From there, you pick players to target. In ultra modern, maybe a player you think is about to be called up. In modern, maybe a rookie card of your dad's favorite player. A vintage plan could focus on lower-grade cards of inner-circle Hall of Famers from the 1960s or graded cards of post-WWII Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The bottom line: You can't be in the market for everything. The next step is setting a budget and sticking to it. And that's a ceiling and not a floor. Don't let your money burn a hole in your pocket. Window shopping is information gathering on prices and inventory, which is never a waste of time. And watching dealers make sales to buyers and listening to that negotiation process is free yet valuable experience. Be a fly on the wall. Don't buy anything until you've seen everything at the show. There's nothing worse than blowing up your show budget and then seeing a better deal or a better card at another table. This doesn't mean you're inspecting every table. If you're in the market for vintage, you just quickly walk by all the non-vintage tables with just a glance. Vice versa if you're buying newer cards. So casing out a normal show takes very little time. Obviously, something as massive as The National is a different beast. Once you've narrowed your potential purchases, you need to know what those cards are worth. So you need an app on your phone (and a decent cell phone connection, which is tougher to get the bigger the show). I use CardLadder but you could use Vintage Card Pricing or MarketMovers. They're all good. Make sure whatever you use has easily searchable sales data by card/year/grade. These apps can be expensive – nearly $200 per year though you can also purchase for less by the month. If you want to do this at no cost, use eBay advanced search and filter for 'sold items' only. Advertisement Now you need to know which sold prices to look at. Use auction only; Buy It Now prices are typically 20 percent to 30 percent more than auction prices. Pricing apps typically average it all; but I only average the auction prices. You can't pick the lowest sale any more than the dealer can pick the highest sale. Be reasonable. With most modern and ultra modern, the simple grade-to-grade comparison is sufficient. Vintage is more of an art with eye appeal/centering being king. Perfect centering means perfectly even borders in all directions. So a centered version of a card will be worth 30 percent to 50 percent more than one with more typical 70/30 centering in the same grade. And if the corners also look good for the grade, the total premium over the average price for the same grade could be 100 percent. Note that dealers will sometimes exaggerate how well centered a card is. What if you're buying raw/ungraded cards? Well you better have a jeweler's loupe to look at corners and edges closely. You can also take a picture with your phone and zoom in on all the corners. Never pay for the grade the dealer is saying or that you hope for — pay at least one grade less – so if you think the card is near mint (7), pay only the average for an excellent-mint (6). You need to give yourself a margin for error. I'm not accusing dealers of duplicity in their statements of what a raw card will grade. It's just REALLY hard to know if a card is getting a 5 or a 6, or an 8 or a 9. 10? Forget it. NEVER pay a 10 price for a raw ultra-modern card. Now that you have narrowed your general search and picked a handful of cards you're interested in buying, pursue them in order of your preference. Dealers who display their prices on the front of the card with a sticker are the best. A price on the back of the card once you've asked and the dealer turns it over is fine. Not having any price on the card is bad. Never let a dealer with no price on a card ask you what you want to pay. You can't both buy and sell the card. Insist the dealer gives you a price. If the price of the card is 50 percent or more over your research, just walk away. There is nothing to negotiate. You're not going to convince the dealer to be reasonable. You'll get the old, 'I have more into this card than that!' (That's the dealer's problem, not yours — the card isn't worth more because the dealer claims to have paid a bad price; if the dealer robbed some widow of the card at a yard sale, are you going to be given a massive discount? Of course not.) You should probably walk away even at 30 percent over comps. If the dealer is 15 percent to 25 percent over your researched price, you're probably going to be able to make a deal. Short your counter offer by the same amount the dealer is over in hopes of meeting smack dab in the middle. Advertisement Cash is king at a show. If you have it, always say you'll pay cash. Some people flip a coin for a small difference in negotiation. That always draws a small crowd to the dealer's table. If you lose, you're paying that premium though. I've never done it but you'll get your price 50 percent of the time. At a show, you should want the card for 5-to-10 percent under the online auction value. That's because the dealer isn't paying at least 15 percent commissions on the sale. That savings should be at least evenly shared by both of you. So 7.5 percent under comps is a perfectly reasonable offer because the dealer saves the other half of the commission. You don't even have to say this. You know it. The dealer knows it. Yes, the dealer has the small expense of a table at the show – maybe $100 at an average show on the thousands of sales they'll make. But you've paid a similar percentage of that sale to get into the show. A lot of people try to expand a deal by including other cards in it. Expanding deals to bring down the overall price is fine if you're a dealer and are just reselling. But if you're collecting, you're probably buying too many cards. Bundling is a step on the way to hoarding and having boxes of cards you don't even remember buying. Stay focused. Do not rush. Do not feel pressured. Do not hesitate to walk away from a sale that you're ready to say yes to because you feel you need to research the card more. Do all your due diligence so you can buy with confidence. The 10 percent of purchases you lose out on by being deliberate are nothing compared to the post-purchase anxiety or regret you risk by rushing to buy. There are so many cards at a show. Having someone swoop in almost immediately on a card you're pursuing while you gather more data is very unlikely. And even if it does happen, there are always other cards to pursue. Remember, about 95% of cards are easier to buy than to sell. It's almost always a buyer's market at a show. Figuratively, you hold the cards, not the dealer. If you plan to attend The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago on July 31 and you want The Athletic to help you track down a special card you'll be looking for on the show floor as part of an upcoming video project, email us at collectibles@ with the cards you're targeting. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
