5+1 Q&A With Matt (@timmy_d_21_pc)
Matt (@timmy_d_21_pc) PC’s Tim Duncan and … that’s it. The greatest power forward in NBA history is more than enough to fuel his collecting interest. What really sets Matt apart, however—and the reason I was so eager to talk with him—are the hobby soliloquies he occasionally drops into his IG stories. They don’t drop often, but when they do, they’re packed with doses of wisdom and insight that have helped me become a more patient, focused collector.
We discussed his connection to Duncan, a dream BIN that magically appeared one morning, and more:
Q1: You once wrote in an IG story, "Stop the impulse buys and make a list of 10-30 cards you can't live without and start to tackle it." How well would you say you live by your own advice? Do you have a list? How fluid is it? Are you ever tempted by impulse, and if so, how do you address it?
@timmy_d_21_pc: I do have a list of about 30 cards that I want based on either seeing them at shows or of other players or pictures from other peoples’ Instagram. Sometimes I get the card and immediately don’t like it, which is fine. I hold every card for at least a few weeks to give me time to change my mind. I have gotten to know what I really like to collect, which is shiny, unique, mostly serial numbered 90's cards of Tim Duncan. To keep myself from straying too far with my purchases I keep it between 1997-2000 cards. That’s pretty specific to collect only one player during a 3-year span, but for me it works and it gives me clear boundaries. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any money left to live. I tried collecting everyone and everything many years ago, and I always lost interest or ran out of money, or both.
I stick to my list 99 percent of the time, and the only time I don’t is if I find a card within those parameters that i didn’t know existed (which isn’t many). My list doesn’t change much since I have spent a lot of time constructing it exactly how I want it. The only times I want to impulse buy are late at night and when there are no cards from my list currently for sale anywhere. I spend a lot of time in the evenings just educating myself on ‘90s cards and searching for hidden gems. To keep from impulse buying, I just have to remind myself that I have a list and if I buy something that moment, I might not be able to buy a bigger card from my list, if one gets listed. Which always happens when I least expect it.
Q2: You collect Tim Duncan and only Tim Duncan. What is your connection to him? What do you value most about being a Duncan collector? What are the opportunities, challenges, etc.?
@timmy_d_21_pc: I collect only Duncan for the reasons above, but I chose Tim Duncan for a few reasons. I’m 37, so I was 12 during his rookie year, which was when I was getting into cards. For my good report card I would get to go to the card shop and buy a couple packs of cards. This particular time I bought one Topps Chrome pack from 97/98 and pulled a Tim Duncan base card. It was always my favorite card and all my friends knew it. It was my only Tim Duncan card for a long time since eBay didn’t come around til many years later.
The second reason is his personality and play on the court. Most consider him boring and quiet. I think I have similar qualities as well. Duncan won five championships but had great teams every year. Most people discredit Duncan’s efforts because of how good those teams were. What people forget is a team is only as great as its leader, and it doesn’t matter how good your team is if you don’t have any chemistry. Duncan learned from [David] Robinson and everybody else came after that. I like Duncan because he was able to manage a team, the same team, for 18 years and be a champion while doing it, and remain incredibly humble. I like how under the radar he is. I don’t think most people understand how dominant he was.
The thing i like most about being a Duncan collector is the interactions with other Duncan fans or collectors. There aren’t many of us, but we make up for it with our passion to collect. We all have our different stories about how we got specific cards and which ones are our favorites. We even have stories about helping fellow Timmy collectors acquire cards they’ve been looking for for years. The Tim Duncan collecting community is really fun to be a part of.
The hardest part about collecting Duncan is people not wanting to part with the good ones. Most of the time people won’t even make their Duncans available. I learned early on that if I see a card I’ve not seen before, I should probably buy it and hold on to it. I know that three-year segment of Duncan cards so well now that I know which ones are really special. It’s the patience and organization that’s really needed to build a collection you can be proud of. I’d say I try and collect Timmy the same way he played the game: Fundamentally sound.
Q3: Say a little more about the last time a card popped up when you least expected it. Do you remember what the card was, and were you able to get it? Also, just curious: about how many Duncan cards do you think you have?
@timmy_d_21_pc: I have almost 200 different Duncan cards in my collection, most of which are in a binder, and less than 20 are in slabs or mags. A card that showed up when I least expected it has to be the 99/00 Bowman’s Best Best Performers Atomic Refractor serial numbered to /100. Short story time: I was up at 6 a.m. on a random weekday when I didn’t have work. I check eBay newly listed Tim Duncans when I wake up every day, and it had just been listed at 5:59 … for $22.50 BIN. That’s the fastest I’ve ever hit BIN in my life. I had never seen the card before and I love the atomics.
Matt’s 1999-2000 Bowman’s Best Best Performers Atomic Refractor #’d /100.
After I chilled out a little bit, I went back and took a closer look at the card and realized it was jersey serial numbered 21/100—something I didn’t even notice when I smashed the BIN. It was a great card before, but now it was a one of a kind. I got the card in the mail a few days later and it was one of the few cards that well-exceeded my expectations. Something about the gold etching and the way that card glows rainbow gold makes it so unique and special. I just never thought I’d be buying it at 6 a.m. for $23 AND have it be jersey numbered. I’ve not since come across anything remotely close to that cool that early in the morning.
Q4: Your knowledge-base of late-90s basketball cards must run pretty deep, and that era of cards seems pretty popular in the market right now. What is it about that period that makes it so attractive? I feel like I could pick nearly any five-year stretch from 1985-present and there'd be some incredible cards and players available, so what is it about that 1996-2000 range, in your opinion, that strikes a note with so many people?
@timmy_d_21_pc: I chose that four-year gap because it is Duncan’s rookie year up through the new millennium. Cards seemed to start getting more watered down starting in 00/01 and the designs were noticeably worse. Arena Design is responsible for some of the greatest and most iconic insert sets of the 90s, and that four-year span is right in their sweet spot. Precious Metal Gems and Jambalayas are just a couple of examples of their work. I think the late 90s is finding a resurgence of collectors because it’s nostalgic to a lot of collectors who now have some disposable income. I also think the designs are just way better than any other era and other collectors are catching on. I remember seeing a lot of these cards in Beckett magazine as a kid and now I finally have the money to pick up cards I could only dream about as a 13 year old mowing lawns for $10 each.
Q5: When you said you might see some of Duncan's qualities in your own personality, my mind instantly went to how you from time to time share insights on the hobby in your IG stories. The ideas, which are always thoughtful without being too in-your-face, address everything from being patient when building a collection to how to block out all the noise. I'm curious what moves you to share that insight, because you might do it once or twice a week and then not again for a month. I guess what I'm asking is, what calls you to action?
@timmy_d_21_pc: This is one of the most thoughtful questions I’ve ever been asked and I’ve asked myself this question in my own head multiple times. First, I just want to say that I take my time when I do decide to post something “insightful” because I want it to be well thought out and helpful without having an agenda or ulterior motive. I want to be unbiased and observant of my own hobby experience and try and help other people who might be having the same questions and thoughts I have. I want to be approachable and human with everything I say. I go on rants like most people tend to do when thoughts just keep coming to them. Then sometimes I will just sit back and observe the hobby for a few weeks. A lot of “content” and “hobby wisdom” gets stale and repetitive. I don’t want to be known as a guy who has something to say every day and sometimes it’s worthwhile. I want people to stop and absorb what I have to say because they’ve found me helpful before.
People will remember real wisdom and insight from someone regardless of whether it was posted yesterday or months ago. Less is more in my opinion. Quality over quantity. Some days I’m definitely more creative than others.
+1 Question: If some higher power came down and ordered you to start collecting a second player, who would it be and why?
@timmy_d_21_pc: I had to think hard about this one because I’m not even tempted to collect another single player. I’m drawn more to wanting to collect specific sets rather than start a whole other player collection. I’ll give two answers. One player and one set. 99/00 Fleer Focus Soar Subjects Vivid set /50 is my favorite set and card design of all time. I’ve definitely contemplated trying to piece that set together. It’s a 15-card set and would probably take me the rest of my life to find each player.
As for player I’ll go Kobe, only because he and Timmy kind of go hand in hand for late 90s cards and they competed in the playoffs almost every year. Kobe is in all of my favorite sets from the 90s, and his career, like Timmy’s, is etched in stone forever as a top 10 greatest player ever. I’ll just take my 70 percent Duncan discount.