Why I’m Rebuilding My Derek Jeter Want List — All 26,000+ Cards
Collecting is constantly evolving. Not just the industry but the way I collect.
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Collecting is constantly evolving. Not just the industry but the way I collect.
I used to collect all players on my favorite teams or tried to collect full sets. But over time I have refined my collection to the players I like most.
Even the way I organize and catalog my collection has changed. I went from binders to boxes to top loader binders.
I used to know if I had a card by just looking at it. But even that got hard once you saw similar images on cards and they just kind of blended together.
I once tracked my collection in Beckett. Every time I would get a new Derek Jeter card, I would add it to my collection on the site. Beckett has one of the best databases for cards.
Sadly, years ago, Beckett wiped out my collection.
Poof!
The information was gone just like that.
It led me down a path of not wanting to trust a site or an app where I didn’t have control. I created a Google Sheet to list all of my Jeter cards. While Google could go away one day, I had the most confidence in this route.
It has worked for me for years. I can access Google Sheets anywhere I go, including card shows or shops. Even if the wi-fi is terrible at a show, I can access the document offline.
But the want list … oh, the want list.
That’s where I struggle the most.
Derek Jeter has more than 26,000 unique cards. I don’t want them all (sort of), but I do want a lot of them.
I have been hesitant to use Trading Card Database (TCDB) because of my situation with Beckett. However, I recently saw a post where a collector discussed the trade feature on the site.
That got me intrigued.
You can trade cards with other collectors on the site based on the items on your want list and put up cards that you have to trade. It sounded simple, and when I asked about it online, there were a number of collectors who vouched for it.
Now, I am giving it a try. I added every Jeter card on TCDB to my want list — all 26,108.
From there, I am moving cards I have into my collection. Then, I will remove all the cards I don’t plan on chasing so I can actually have a real want list.
This project is going to take me some time, but I am excited about it.
This is the next evolution of my collection — to have an actual want list of Jeter cards.
It’s probably going to be 10,000+ cards long, which is a nice long-term goal.
It’s simple, but collecting doesn’t have to be complicated.
If you’re on TCDB, give me a follow here!
How do you track your collection?
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Come on, you definitely want all 26k+ of them ;)
I started on TCDB during the pandemic. I had over 60,000 cards. So the idea to log every one of those in there was daunting. But after the process, it's something I'm so glad I did. It is a remarkable site. I have used it to basically build sets and generate trades in addition to having a log of what I have. I've been able to build the 71-75 sets, and the 2003-2019 Traded sets by simply opening up wantlists and certainly having cards to trade and then the system will match up trade parters with you. And if you don't have a match, and there is a specific card you are looking for you, you can find members on the site that have the card for trade and hit them up to try to make a deal. The one downfall on the site, is not all members are responsive. Some who have set up accounts haven't opened in a while, but the system tracks when their last time they have been active to know if they are a worth trade partner. But the amazing thing on trading is when you Accept / receive and complete a trade, the database automatically moves cards in and out of your collection so you don't have to do it manually. It's really amazing. If you ever have any questions or need any help, I'm happy to answer anything. I'm dmarek on TCDB or you can email me at: dmarek@somersetpatriots.com