Erik Myers..Navigating the Hobby and Life E347

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Sports Guarnation. What is up? Everybody? Welcome to episode three forty seven of Sports Cardination. Great Week. I say that for a couple reasons.

If you're listening to this, it's national week, it has started. If all has went well, I am on scene and in Chicago enjoying the festivities, and my guest on today's program is also there enjoying the festivities as well. Let's talk about the guest. His name is Eric Myers.

He's worked in the hobby for a few different entities, very knowledge, very experienced, and you know, one thing I admire about him, and he's very open about it. We're going to touch on it during our conversation is you know, we've had people on the show that have had some inner demons and have overcame them, right, whether it be drugs or alcohol or both. You know, we had former Major leaguer Randy Lurch on the program talking about how he overcame that and now runs an outreach program and helps others overcome those and Eric Myers as well. You know, it's not easy to share that, especially if people don't already know that, and you know, I feel very courageous and brave to do so and let that sort of guard down and veil down behind the curtain and share that sort of personal, you know, their life experiences.

But he's very forthright with that. And this is a guy and you're gonna hear him talk about it, right who was homeless and he is where he is now, has an amazing, amazing collection bab Ruth autographs, lots of all those, lots of great cards. And from going from one extreme to that, I think there's a lesson there right that no matter what your circumstances, if you don't give up, you can possibly make it and get out of that situation. And Eric is living proof of that.

He's a great hobbyist, he's a great collector, and he works in the industry, so he knows, you know, the front and back of the house, so to speak. So great to have him on this week and next week. So hopefully you're enjoying the show. And if you see me out and about at the show and you like this episode, or you like the show and you see me and you want to give me some props.

I love that stuff, and if you want to tell me the show stinks, I don't love that stuff, but you're welcome to do that. But all joking aside, I look forward to meeting a lot of you again in Chicago and or or even for the first time. Right both, it's it's you know, you're not gonna find five six days we're gonna have that many like minded people in the same place at the same time. It's the largest card show every year and we all get to it, you know, hopefully a lot of us get to attend it and share those pat passions.

So again, hope to run into you sell me today and the coming few days here with the Nationals. Let's thank our great sponsors, Real Quick Hiring, sports Cards, Sports Collectors, Digest, Hobby, Hotline, and up Deck all great to the show and make this show possible. So with that being said, let's get the show started. All right.

Hey, I'm happy to be joined on the Sports Cardination guest line by Eric Myers. He's a gentleman who's wore many hats in the hobby, but probably the most important one, right is is collectors like all of us. And I'm gonna definitely tap into his experiences. He's worked in the hobby as well, and kind of, you know, both sides of the isle.

Eric, Welcome to Sports Cardination. Thank you, thank you for having me. Yeah, let's kind of you know, I know this is your first time on this program. It's kind of the born but kind of the standard start off question when anyone's on here for the first time for you, hold into hobby all.

I got into it about twenty years ago. It seemed like five minutes ago, but it was about twenty years ago. I was in the military, and as I was transitioning from that military person back into the civilian world, I had a military bonus of fifteen grand and I wanted somewhere to kind of spend my time and energy that was more productive than destructive, and that could allow me an opportunity to kind of see where my intellectual and a personal ceiling could be. Does that make sense to where I could see if I put my heart into something, what could I do with it as opposed to just going to work nine to five.

And I've always had a job since then, But at the same time, I was afraid of just only doing a nine to five and not really investing in myself as an entrepreneur and see what I could get out of it. I just do everything I had into into cards. I didn't really I didn't know much else in a positive light other than cards and working. That was really all I knew.

So now I've learned a lot more since then, but at that moment in my time, that was really That's kind of where I put my eggs in that basket, and it worked out well. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't stop and think about it too much because it seemed absolutely insane to throw your entire life savings into baseball cards. I laugh at it now, but you know, I could have bought a house, I could have bought a lot of things, you know, but I chose to I felt like the best investment was investing in myself. Yeah, it makes sense, right.

You want to be passionate, Like you said, nothing wrong with a nine or five job, but maybe something you enjoy if you If you can do that right, You're enjoy that sort of work more if you will. Also, I want to be I want to make sure I thank you for your service to this country. I know many others would probably echo those sentiments as well, like as a young kid, even before like you know, as became an adult. Was a card something he did even as a kid, and it was you know, did you pause kind of take a break and did y'all or did you have to start or did you have some of your stuff and you just added to that or did you have to start from scratching? No.

I mean like, I feel like my story is similar and echoes a lot of people. So I was into it from the age of maybe seven or eight to the age of fourteen. My dad would buy packs with me, nothing expensive tops, eighty cent packs, dollars, packs and stuff. And he had, of course the three ring binders that most of our fathers had, you know, the nine slots leeves, and he was an avid Rangers fan.

He didn't collect anything else, just Texas Rangers. So we're big on Nolan, Ryan, ped Rodriguez, Wo Gonzalez, Judio, Frinco, rub and Sierra you know, Rofaelo, Pomaro, Bobby Wad you know, those quintessential Texas Ranger players. And it allowed me a way to kind of connect with them. And I played sports in high school and junior high mainly baseball.

I played football too, but my passion baseball. I did take a break, as I feel most people, when you get to fourteen or fifteen and then you get really involved in sports, you start dating that normal life. I mean, my life probably had a little bit more extracurricle activities than I needed in my life at that moment in time. So I did pause, But I had a very It was kind of the last thing that I loved with purity, you know.

And I've always been good with numbers and memorizing numbers. So I loved memorizing back in the nineties, in the eighties the player's career stats from the back of the cards, right, so you could analyze how many hits they had, and what year, what was Babe Bruce's career home run total, what was Tony Gwynn's best total. You look at those players and you can kind of memorize them and dissect when they're prime were versus some player A's prime, versus player b's prime. So I just remembered that I loved it a lot, and I didn't think that there was really anything else I wanted to throw my heart into other than something I loved, you know.

Because you're gonna there's a good chance whatever you do in life doesn't work out. And I would rather put all my eggs in a basket of something that I loved, because if it didn't work out, at least I knew that I could truly say I've poured my whole heart and soul into it, and I gave it my best. And because there's always that chance something doesn't work out, I didn't want I didn't want to fail as something I hated. I would rather fail at something I loved.

Yeah, but that makes that makes that makes a lot of sense. So when you decided to make this leap, like you said with fifteen, the fifteen K, what did where did you start? Like? What was you know, what did you decide to do? You know, I know that's probably a weird way to ask you. What sort of you know, how did you do it? Was it like did your game plan like I'm gonna do like buy some stuff and set up at shows kind of How did you lay the groundwork for what would become a hobby career in a sense, I just. Don't write the singles.

And I was fortunate enough to have people in my life that I had met it on eBay that told me, hey, these are the kind of grating companies you stick with. This is how this works, this is where you do your data research. These you know, just kind of navigate this how you look at completed comps. Because we didn't have card ladder and all completed sales, we didn't have this massive influx of technology that's had our fingertips.

I mean, you got to think that iPhone one wasn't out, really, I mean it came out I think probably the year after. There was no Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, none of that stuff, right, That stuff didn't exist, So you had to do it the hard way. Emails, text messages, you had to write people stuff down, make sure you logged in your phone. And I really just stuck the singles and graded singles.

The two things I went into first. One of them was good, one of them probably wasn't good. I loved football, and football is It didn't take me long to realize that's more. But it's growing globally now.

But at the time you back up eighteen twenty years ago, it was purely domestically loved sport, right, And there's not a lot of positions that sell high dollars, especially eighteen twenty years ago. So I learned that mistake. And even when he collected at the time, you know, you Joe Montane's, Walter Payton, you know Jerry Rice's, you know Emma Smith's Berry Sanders, that arbitrage wasn't there potentially, and there's always a risk for injury. So the other thing that I got into was was I just love inc autograph stuff.

I had a BGS nine to five with a ten auto Jerry Rice Rookie, I was. You know, there was one time I picked up a fifty two Tops. All my friends told me that I should buy the higher graded unautographed one versus I think it was a four with an eight or nine auto, four or five grade with an eight or nine auto fifty two Tops Mantle. You know, I could have got this.

I could either go for the I think it was a six and a half or I could do the four with the autograph. And of course I should have stuck to my heart and bought the four with the autograph, but I bought the I think six or six and a half or something instead. But you know, I stuck the vintage baseball, vintage football a little modern football in INC. I just always have loved INC.

It's has kind of been my thing. It's time for a quick break, but will be right spack. For nearly fifty years, Sports Collector's Digest has been the voice of the hobby, bringing you comprehensive coverage of the sports collectible industry from industry news, aux results, market analysis, and in depth stories about collectors and their collections. Sports Collectors Digest has everything you need to know about the hobby.

SCD is also your leading source for listings of sports collectible dealers, card shops, card shows, and the latest from the industry's top companies. To check out all the latest news or to subscribe to the hobby's oldest magazine, visit Sports Collectors Digest dot com or call one eight hundred eighty two nine fifty five sixty one. Thanks for sticking with us. Let's return to the show.

When you would purchase cards, you know, one of the things when I had a store in the early nineties for seven years, Eric and one of one of the tough things, and I've talked about it on the show, was like whether I was acquired a collection or even just buying a couple individual cards, however I did it. It was like, hey, I want to keep this for my PC rather than put it on, you know, in a showcase show in the shop. What did you have any difficulties with that, like, hey, I'm I bought this, but I'm keeping it, or did you sort of were you more defined with like I'm buying this with a purpose I know exactly like you know what I'm doing, or or did you play tog of war with yourself as too, like I want I don't want to let this go yet or or not necessarily. Every time I've said I want to keep it from my PC, I wound up selling it.

So now I just try not to lie to myself because early there was a time in my life when when I didn't have anything right, when I just didn't like I was completely broken my life, like completely completely broke. So I think in my core, I always knew that my role was to be a steward of the of you could call them widgets or whatever cards because it could be an autograph, bat, baseball, tope, one photo, whatever. I feel like it's just kind of my role to own it for a certain amount of time. I'm the steward of that item for a certain amount of time, and then once if it's something that I truly come it to my heart, then once I feel like that that item has found its next owner, once I've identified its next home, then I make sure it goes to the right home.

And that's I think that's my est role in this hobby right now, is to just be a good steward, a good educator of these items, you know, because there's a lot of stuff that I've had and I've always swore up and down I'm not gonna sell it. It was a lie prettymuch one hundred percent of the time the right money comes along, I sell it. It goes, you know, and then I want to I think I've learned this the most in the past ten years. God can't give me my next blessing and tell I'm willing to let go of the last one, right so he knows my heart better than I do.

So for me, there might be some dream card that I've really wanted deep down inside, but I can't get that one until I let go of the next one. And then there's also the thing that I have to learn. I don't need to get overly attached to physical property because that's probably not what's best for my heart. To just enjoy the moment of owning it, enjoy that moment that it brings me, and learn as much as I can about it and then let it go.

Right Because when I got into this twenty years ago, I would have done it for just making a few hundred bucks a month, right like that would have been That was if I could have made five hundred dollars a month, that would have been the hugest blessing ever. So to have made a lot enough money to have retired twice probably is way beyond the biggest blessing I could have had, you know, So I don't need to I've seen to enjoy the moments, enjoy the people, enjoy the friendships, enjoy the cultures, and just be a good steward of the items. And I think that's probably going to help me become the best person I can. Yeah, you're disciplined, right.

I'm sure your military background and experience maybe even and helped. As crazy as that might sound with that, but so good a way, and looking at it, I probably could take a page from your book and maybe be better at it myself. I still sometimes struggle with that I'll put you on a little bit of a hot seat, like have you is there anything that's at the top of your head or that you've sold that, Like now you're like, man, I wish I could have a ma look in or I wish I still had that or once you do, once you have making transaction, you sort of like can't go back in history. Yeah.

The last two things that crossed my mind are I had a PSA nine thirty nine playball Ted Williams Rookie and a PSA seven forty eight leaf satul page. The PSA seven was dead centered and I've never seen a satul page that nice my whole life. That thing was insane. It should have been an eight or at least a seven to five.

And Ted Wings my favorite player, Babe Ruth number two, Ted Wings my favorite player, and I had chased that PSA nine for fourteen years. I got it, I didn't known nothing a year and sold it. Those two will probably haunt me until my last breath. I will have will always want those back, you know.

But that being said, and what's crazy the money I made from that, I bought some other items and then I lost like three hundred grand in a year, like I lost all the profit plus a lot more. That taught me something I don't think I would be in a situation to own like the bitcoin I own now and other stuff on now had to not sold those items, but I will always want those two back. It's just hard with vintage. The stock is so sensitive, they're so delicate.

You would hate something to come out down the line that maybe the cards were trimmed or something, which those had been reviewed probably one hundred times and I don't think that was the case. But you just have to run that, you know, because I mean, thankfully PSA offers a financial backing if they get the grade wrong, but there's a cap. It's like, you know, and it's still good as two hundred and fifty thousand. But when you're talking about cards that are well excessive of that, you just have to think.

You just got to think sometimes, you know, what's where's your risk versus reward? And at the time, also bitcoin was at a low point. I knew transitioning a lot of that money would have moved over there. So I put a lot in bitcoin, I put stuff in cards, made great money on the bitcoin, lost money on the cards. You know, it is what it is with those two items thirty nine playball pits and nine will I'm forty eight leaf page.

Man, I could see by your body language like even talking about it, like you know what I mean? Now, let me ask you now, do you have obviously Ted, like you said, Ted Williams is your guy, your favorite player? Do you have maybe not a nine, but I'm assuming you have another playball Williams? Or is it two? Good? Like if you don't get like what you had, you don't you don't want it like I so. No, I've owned probably fifteen eights, you know, I mean there's once you've run around that track so many times you're just like what am I doing right now? I just I have a Really what's weird? Is my favorite Ted Williams out of my own now? Is an upper deck four oh six baseball? It says Ted Williams thought four o six. They made nineteen one hundred and forty one of them because that was your hit nineteen hundred and forty one. I was yere heat hit four o six.

So those are really hard to find in really white condition, most of them towned. It's probably worth fifteen hundred two ran. But yeah, no, I mean I don't. I actually don't even own another Ted Williams card.

It's weird because Ted Williams is my favorite player, bar none, don't on one one Ted Williams item card. Barry Sanders is my favorite football player, bar none, and I don't own one Barry Sanders card, you know. So it's it's strange because they own my heart, but I don't have any money invested in them. And that's it, And it's it's the dichotomy, and that is really strange, you know.

I think it's for whatever reason, it's just meant to be that way. Yeah, is it Maybe you don't want to go there because you'd be less tempted to move on from the card. You think it's some subconsciously. That or nothing else.

No, I truly think it's just because I love the player. I don't want to blend the difference, So it's kind of I used to I didn't. I was really good at billiards at pool, really good. For a long time.

I learned I worked at a place called CJ. Wiley. CJ was the youngest non ball player in the world. I think he won two World championships.

So play against him because he owned the place in Dallas, but I and he would always ask me, you know, some of the other workers that work at the place, Eric, why don't you play for money? Why don't you hustle? Because I loved Billiards, I really loved pool, so I didn't play for money. And I think that's part of that. There's a part of me that does that. I really really really love Barry Sanders and Ted Williams, and I think I just enjoyed loving the player because I don't have to when I talk to somebody about how good Talled Williams is, it's not because I have a half million dollar card or a million dollar card, or I've got, you know, a million dollars in assets, so I need to convince you of how good they were.

Same thing with Barry Sanders, Like I don't want to be able to have one hundred grand or two and a grand in Barry Sanders' assets, So there's like an ulterior motive of why I'm trying to convince you be so good. I truly just think Barry Sanders was that good. I truly just think Ted Williams is that good. There's no monetary backing behind my reasoning.

It's just purely Eric Myers, and I actually enjoy that because part of me has to reckon nice that there has to be a part of me that still loves this regardless of the money. It can't just be I love it and there's a lot of money attached to it, right, There has to be a part of me that it still holds onto that purity, because that purity is what brought me here. So I've come to the conclusion that the best analysis of you know, analyzing myself, is that's most likely what the case is. You know, because I can talk people to people all day long about why I truly believe ted Williams is the greatest hitter of all time, you know, and they and I don't own any of his stuff.

You know, it's just my true opinion. I get that. Hearing you explain that, it makes a lot of sense. Right, you keep it pure knowing you know, when you're talking about these two particular athletes, wo you love for their greatness? Right, you can say, hey, I don't even own any of their stuff.

It's just because this is like, this is how I really and I get it. It makes sense. It makes all the sense. Awesome insight from Eric, happy to have mine on the ship.

We're not done. We've got Part two coming up next week. And part two we're gonna we're gonna get into some of the darker stuff during his life that thankfully he's overcome and again courageous and brave to share his personal story and I allowed it. Not easy to do, might sometimes look easier than it actually is.

So that'll be next week. So don't miss that. We're gonna hear from our hobbies that people announce her and wrap up this week's episode. Time for our hobby is the People Announcer of the Week.

Hey guys, this is Dylan from YouTube Double D Vintage Baseball Cards reminding you that the hobby is the people. If you'd like to be the hobby is the People Announcer of the week. To have one four MP three file and send it to Sportscard Nation PC at gmail dot com. Leave the gun take.

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