I recall years ago a West coast Doctor who was a customer of mine and who performed major surgery on athletes saying to me, “without a hobby, I would go insane”. I can surely say with confidence that if you love sports and handle sports artifacts that take you back in time, no doubt this activity can create a sense of mental enjoyment, escape and relaxation for that brief period as well as produce feel-good chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin. Many are familiar with these endorphins simply because of the enjoyable hobby they are engaged in.
For me and other collectors in this business of a hobby, when gazing your eyes at say a colorful baseball card from the year 1965, mixing that in with a Beatles song from that same year, one is immediately recollected back to that decade. To verbalize how it feels for me being involved in this business of “memory-bilia”, when staring at a Spider Man comic from 1966 or an oldie but goodie baseball card, the feeling that passes through my soul goes something like this:
A sudden feeling of sensations in the body and brain. Mental sensations from the texture of the baseball card, the smell of the old cardboard or paper stock from a card or comic created & issued back in 1969 in which you are presently holding or observing — one that a youth held back then combining that with a song from James Taylor released in ’69 “wow”. One can instantly be in their very own time capsule which can remove that individual out of their current mental and environmental states for that brief period. For me, in handling so many vintage cards during my lifetime, so many cards and items that have passed through my hands, I consider it like an out-of-body experience in a present moment time machine.
The life of pop culture collectibles all can create that sense of present moment enjoyment with that fond memory. But there is something special with sports cards being that a particular card will show you that close-up face image of Roger Maris in a Yankees uniform or a Sandy Koufax in a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, which will leave an impression in your mind by remembering those days and times when you were that kid who flipped cards or placed them on your bike spokes without a worry of a bill collector calling you.
This leads me to my point in writing this article. If one is looking to start a home-based business which can be soothing, relaxing and lucrative, why not begin a sports card business? In my next article I will share my thoughts and insights on how to begin a home-based sports card business and what steps are needed to take in order for that business to thrive in a competitive field. The business of sports in this country, which includes sports media, merchandising and other facets, after doing some research generates more revenue in one year than the automobile industry. People need that escape from everyday demands. Just like radio and TV which provides that escape for millions of listeners/viewers who are non-collectors, for collectors of baseball cards, comics, stamps, and more, this is our distraction from the everyday grind of life.
Through the decades, I have sold cards to attorneys, judges, doctors and they have all said to me that one of the reasons they love to collect is to relieve that stress that comes from those occupations. A 55-year-old doctor, after doing surgery all day, comes home and goes to his room in silence and goes through his collection of sports cards forgetting his worries of the day. Instead, at that moment he is remembering those times when he played ball or was in the school yard trading cards with his friends flipping that 1964 card of Mickey Mantle. Ah, those were the days!
I encourage people who have aspirations in becoming a successful home-based entrepreneur, who love the world of sports, to get involved in this industry. Whether you have an interest in sportsbetting or trading cards, indulging in your passion will be key to a happier future. This particular market is an industry of selling past heroic relics to other fans. Your selling efforts can leave a long-lasting impression in the minds of those fanatic customers who have just paid you well for your very own items.
To conclude, if anyone reading out there is in need of a prescription, you are welcome to e-mail the card king Cataquet for your card dosage.
