Collecting 101 Getting Started
Set Collector
Player Collector
Team Collector
Chase the Rainbow
Prospecting
Vintage Collecting
Completist
New to The Hobby?
Longtime or Lapsed Collector?
There’s never been a better time to collect!
A collector who seeks out every card in a given set.
Find a set that interests you
Every subset.
Every insert.
Every parallel.
Everything.
Subsets are part of the main set — they follow the same numbering
Subsets will have a slightly different design or theme.
Inserts cards refer to any non-base and non-parallel cards in a set.
These cards typically have their own themes, designs, and numbering
Superfly insert from 2024 Topps Chrome Basketball
Cards that “run parallel” to the base set with
Unique border color, texture, pattern, card material, image variation, or card tech.
Collecting all the card varieties in the set
Further refines your collecting identity
Maybe you decide you’ll become a player collector…
A collector who seeks out cards of a specific player.
Do you chase a bonafide superstar like Mike Trout?
Or longtime fan favorite like Brandon Inge?
So what player cards do you collect?
During their career?
Post-retirement?
Cards from a particular set?
The fun of becoming a Player Collector
You develop a deeply personal relationship with the player
From the beginning of their career and beyond
Collector who seeks out cards of a specific team
Allows for a historical study of a specific team
Discover how a team has developed through the seasons
Track the top RCs and most prominent players
Long-tenured fan favorites and team accomplishments
You could be looking at tens of thousands of cards.
Or chase one million like this collector and his passion for the Cubs
Before choosing a team, consider Chasing the Rainbow
Collect different color parallel cards of a specific player
Depending on the player
Potentially Including Autos
A complete Rainbow Collection could be a lot of cards
Some collectors chase only the paper cards
Some focus only on Chrome Rainbows
Whatever your rainbow chase of choice, this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing ways to collect cards
Collecting cards of young players who have yet to reach the MLB
collecting the first cards of potential future superstars
Imaging the first-ever cards of Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, or Aaron Judge.
Focuses on two sets: Bowman Draft and Bowman Chrome
Bowman Draft focuses on US-based draftees
Bowman Chrome includes the top international signees
Bowman Draft and Chrome are the home of 1st Bowmans: the first card of a prospect in a professional MLB uniform.
Not to be confused with an RC: a player’s first card released after their pro debut
Whether you’re collecting Bowman Draft or Bowman Chrome (or both)
Prospecting help deepen your relationship with a player as their career progresses
Collectors who only focus on cards dating from around 1979 or earlier.
Is the opposite of the modern hobby’s Chasing the Rainbow
This is a cool way to collect because it combines
Set collecting
Player Collecting
Team collecting
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Set Collecting
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Player Collecting
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Team Collecting
Is all about finding the card you’re chasing in the best condition for the best price
Perhaps the most dedicated and ambitious collector type.
Collects every card of a particular set, year, team, player, or category
Let’s say you’re a completist collecting 2024 Topps Baseball Series 1
A completist hunts down every card on the checklist
That includes every base card in 2024 Topps Series 1 Baseball
Every parallel
Every Auto
Every card
Common cards—overlooked by many collector types—become very valuable because a completist cannot complete the set without them!