Colin Tedards

Colin Tedards is the host of Sports Card Radio on iTunes and at sportscardradio.com

Me: How did you get into card collecting?
Colin: I got into collecting cards in the late 80's and early 90's, like many kids did, when I started buying packs at Toys R Us and other retail places. Luckily there were two card stores within a few blocks of my house, so I was able to start growing my collection with the money I got from mowing lawns and such.

Me: What is the best way for parent collectors to get their children into the hobby?
Colin: I think the main thing is to introduce kids to professional sports from an early age. I remember that my parents wouldn't let us stay up late unless it was a Lakers game - which in those days, were on TV only a few times a year. I have memories of watching Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Byron Scott, AC Green and many others well before I even knew what sports cards were. The San Francisco 49ers were also big when I was young, so I guess I was lucky to follow such successful teams - which as a kid was cool to be a fan of. My love of sports led me to want to collect the cards of my favorite players and teams as I got older. I think its a natural progression into collecting cards if you follow the teams closely with your sons & daughters. The 'cartoon' themed cards like Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon are popular because that's what kids watch on TV. My parents really only let us watch Sports and News on TV growing up so I think that had the biggest impact on me collecting cards - and really making sports a big part of my life.

Me: What's your favorite product from this past season?
Colin: That's a good question. I honestly only really bought product to giveaway in contests and such - but I know quite a bit about most everything that came out. I think for basketball - I loved the variety of inserts in National Treasures, Timeless Treasures, and Absolute Memorabilia + they had some nice high end cards. For Baseball, 2010 Bowman will go down as a landmark type set that really gave a huge boost to a hobby that was struggling along with the rest of the economy. I remember going to a card show in San Francisco a few days after 2010 Bowman came out and they had hobby boxes priced for $75...now they sell for about a hundred dollars more than that! There is a lot more to the story too, with the Stephen Strasburg SuperFractor and all the rest - which makes it a great product in my book. I think for Football - we are going to have to wait and see, but serious collectors are going to overlook the two most popular sets of the season: Panini Adrenalyn and Topps Attax Football ... kids are going to love these games and they will make the most money for the two companies in Football.

Me: What was your favorite product from this past decade?
Colin: I might answer this from two angles. I sold boxes online for a few years and even opened a card store for a few years as well. My favorite products when I was selling were ones I made the most profit on :) So 1996/97 Topps Finest Basketball Retail Boxes - I got 2 cases (40 Boxes) for $20 a box. Shortly after Kobe Bryant scores 81 points in a game and I'm selling boxes for $120. Someone left me feedback one time saying he pulled a Kobe Bryant AND Allen Iverson GOLD Refractors in ONE Box!! Awesome product!

As for buying or ones that I collected. I think of a few brands that have been around a long time, SP Authentic, SPx and Bowman Chrome - I think depending on the sport - these brands are often my favorite because they offer value and quality cards.

Me: Will Durant base surpass LeBron in value?
Colin: I'm not sure - I think that both are still very young and have a long way to go in their careers. It really depends on what they do to win games - because as we've seen with Kobe Bryant, you tend to forget about the past when you are winning. I think LeBron has higher expectations than Durant at the moment. If LeBron doesn't win a title in the next few years, he's going to be looked at differently (and his cards will probably go 'down'). Where as if Kevin Durant even takes his team deep into the playoffs - he is a hero.

I've told friends and probably said it on my podcast before. If LeBron James ever learns how to play with his back to the basket like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant did - he'll be the best player in the NBA by a mile.

Me: How many hot packs/boxes have you bought ever?
Colin: I've never bought a hot pack or box on purpose - in fact I wrote a review several years ago for eBay explaining that its not really a good way to go. I can see why collectors enjoy purchasing these packs ... but I just caution that there are risks involved in that purchase if you don't happen to get what you paid for (like an extra base card)

I have gotten lucky to open a hot box of SP Signature Golf which had a Tiger Woods Autograph inside, and I was sent a box of 09/10 Longevity Basketball for a sponsored break which had 2 extra hits (which I think made it a hot box)

Me: Do you have a memorable collecting story?
Colin: Probably my prize collectors piece is a Tiger Woods autograph ticket I got from him 10 years ago at the 2000 PGA Championship. I had followed him the entire day during his round and afterward I went over to the putting green to watch Nick Faldo putt. All of a sudden Tiger Woods appears and starts putting around...but there weren't too many people around. A few minutes go by and a young lady with 2 or 3 kids comes up to the ropes and they all start going nuts when they see Tiger. The lady looked like she was about to faint, and her kids were jumping up and down screaming. It was obvious this lady probably never had been to a golf tournament before considering the 1st tee was right behind the green and people were looking over wondering who was yelling. Tiger, walked over calmly (on a day the players weren't supposed to sign autographs) pulled out a pen and signed the kids shirts and told them to try and keep their voices down around the other players. I was lucky to be right there - and Tiger signed a handful of others including my Ticket I used to get in for the day. Tiger's had a rough year - but the great thing about sports is that he's taught me a good lesson about life, family and being honest. For those reasons, I still treasure that autograph as much today as I did 10 years ago.