Tonight, I’m going to share a #WhyICollect story from Wes. This will be told in two different parts. The first will be be in Wes’ own words from an email he sent me a couple of weeks back. But since he sent that email, he and I have talked, and there is more to the story. Much more. The second part of his story will be told via a recap of our conversations. He has granted me permission to do this, and for that, I thank him.

Part 1:

“So for me, I’ve always enjoyed telling stories. The difference with me is, I’m a poor story teller, ask any of my friends. Joe Friday would destroy me because I like to paint a picture, and “just the facts ma’am” doesn’t work for me. Sometimes that is ok, when I am making up a bedtime story for my kids, but not for casual conversation. I think that is why sports cards and baseball cards specifically are such a passion of mine. If there was ever a sport where painting a picture is appreciated, it’s baseball. I’ve said it ad nauseum enough but I enjoy Topps Heritage over any other cards, and it’s because the cards I grew up seeing with my dad and friends are “reborn” but with the players I follow now. I am a flat out sucker for nostalgia and again, baseball is a synonym for nostalgia to me. I love the feeling of opening a pack of cards, the physical feeling of tearing the wrapper, taking the cardboard out and taking my time looking over the stats, the setting, guessing the field if it’s not apparent, and thinking back to a moment I recall seeing (xyz team/player). Even as I babble on here mindlessly, I wish I was opening a fresh pack! I have my local guys I love to PC as well, but nothing compares to the feeling I have of reminiscing going through cards as a kid and now going through them and putting myself right back there again. The hobby community (or family as I like to call them) on Twitter has been nothing short of incredible. There are dozens of people who are doing great things for others and regardless of what or who you collect, I think we all have this similar feeling that I do, but while I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, I’d sure like to put my fingers on a pack of cards right now!” 

Part 2: (These are a compilation of Wes’s thoughts shared with me through DM)

For those of you who don’t know Wes (@PTwesD), his absolute favorite set of each and every year is Topps Heritage, it truly is his #WhyICollect. Heritage is an annual set release by Topps that pays homage to sets from 50 years ago, and replicates the design elements of those past sets. It is not a coveted set by most in the hobby and is considered low end.

Wes shared a story with me about his “dad”, he wanted to make sure I knew he was not talking about his biological father, but about his “dad”, the man who raised him. The man who took him in as his own and raised him.

“My dad had a very rough upbringing. He once told me a story about how his mom was angry at him when he was a kid and she threw away his entire card collection in front of him, ‘to teach him a lesson’.”

Wes’ dad loved those cards and was devastated when his mother tossed them out like they were garbage. That lost collection remained important to him, and as he grew into the man he would become, the relationship with his mother never mended and only got worse through the years. He never forgot those cards that his mom had tossed out with the garbage. As he raised Wes, he imparted the love of collecting cards upon the young man he’d taken in to raise as his own.

“This is why Heritage holds a special place in my heart, because it reminds me of my dad and the collection he had thrown out. It serves as a reminder to me of how he took me in like I was his own from DAY 1, and has been the greatest dad anyone could ever have.”

This hobby of ours means something different to each of us. We all have a reason for why we are passionate about it. We all have a #WhyICollect story.

I want to thank Wes for sharing his very personal story of why Topps Heritage is his favorite set of the year with me. His love for Heritage is his way of honoring the man who was his “Dad”.

This hobby is so much more to so many of us than our “portfolio” or “flipping’ or “how much money can we make?” This hobby serves as a connection to our past, where we came from and the series of events that made us into who we are today.

Thank you Wes for sharing your story, happy collecting my friend.