‘Mostly90s’ rewrites the rules
It’s been four days since Brett from @StackingSlabs released his interview with @mostly90sbasketballcards (David) on his Friday, April 7 episode. I’m still thinking about it.
Brett and David’s conversation resonated. It was a helpful, important interview, one that I paused and backed up throughout to immediately re-listen, whether it was about forging your own path, valuing your tastes above the preferences of others, or—something close to my heart—run and set collecting.
Here are the highlights:
David, on blocking out the noise and collecting what he connects with …
“I think what I like most about collecting, it’s like this creative expression. You get to do whatever you want. It’s totally my PC. Nobody else can tell me what to do. And I get to make all of my own rules.”
David, on the role of design …
“That’s almost a prerequisite for me to get into a set. I have to like the design. It kind of goes back to my mindless, foolish collecting as a kid. Everything was a base card. There was no rarity. There was no value. So you just were only picking the cards that looked best to you. That was pretty much the only thing I was looking at.”
David, on going beyond collecting only players …
“I have nostalgia for the cards themselves, but I also just have so much nostalgia for those ‘90s players, and the uniforms, the colors, and the team logos—just to see the ‘90s artwork and the team logos. … I kind of enjoy having all of those players in my collection. When I flip through my box of cards, I don’t want it to just be Michael Finley. As much as I love him and Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, I really enjoy flipping through and seeing all the players from the ‘90s. Everybody from video games I played. So, I really focused more on sets. I feel like I’m a set collector at heart. Especially with the ‘90s stuff. I try to stay away from player collecting. I feel more drawn to set collecting.”
David, on avoiding the collecting herd …
“It’s so easy to like the cards that are expensive, and I think it’s hard, because it’s so prevalent, especially when you’re buying and selling—you know what they’re worth; you have an idea what they’re worth, at least. If you can try to step away from that as much as possible as often as possible, I feel like you can find cards that are more valuable to you than they are to the market. That’s where you can kind of grow your collection into something that you really cherish.”
David, on being patient with your collecting journey …
“It took me a year or two to really find these lanes I really feel happy with now and the direction that I’m collecting. It takes time. You’re going to have some stops and starts with projects or sets you think you want to do, and then find it. Just make your own rules. There are so many different things that go into selecting a card.”
What an interview between Brett and David. What perspective. Inspiration. Motivation. Pick a word. If you’re in a moment when you find yourself a little lost, in need of direction, hit play on this one.