5+1 Q&A With Mark from @MJS_Sportscards

Cards make the hobby. People make the hobby better.

Mark (@MJS_Sportscards) caught my attention early when I started my card IG, and not just because we’re both Lakers fans. He showed kindness to others and genuine interest in their collections. That’s why I asked him to be my first 5+1, a series of five questions related specifically to a collector plus one unrelated bonus question.

We talked childhood chases and heritage, why flipping just wasn’t for him, and a card that made his jaw drop. Enjoy.

Mark, aka @MJS_Sportscards

Question zero: What do you consider your PC?

@MJS_Sportscards: Over the last year, I have winnowed my collection down so that everything I have is considered PC. I do not buy a card with the intent to flip. There are still some cards I would sell or trade to open up other card opportunities, but I’m continuously working towards a collection where I plan to keep everything I have. Specifically, I am doing a few set chases (1996 Skybox Autographics is the main one), player PCs like Jrue Holiday, putting together a Lakers binder, and collecting/learning about cards of Filipino athletes.

Q1: Many collectors' PC's are personal, even potentially autobiographical. What types of cards make up your PC, and what would you say your PC says about who you are?

@MJS_Sportscards: The Autographics set was the set of my childhood. I know there were bigger 90s sets, but I fell in love with Autographics (I actually wrote about the set for the March 2022 issue of Basketball Card Fanatic). The chance to chase and build the set as an adult is something that’s both thrilling and nostalgic for me. In terms of other parts of my PC, I am a Filipino American person who happens to work a day job where I teach and research Philippine and Filipino American history, so the building of a collection of athletes with a connection to the Philippines is a very personal passion for me.

Overall, with my PC I want to share that I am a lover of history, proud of my heritage, and that I'm in this hobby to share with and learn from others.

Q2: What has been your path toward your current PC? I'm generalizing, but oftentimes people's interests—and therefore collections—zig and zag as they become more comfortable within the hobby. As a collector, how did you get to where you are now?

@MJS_Sportscards: Like many others, I collected as a kid and came back during the pandemic. In 2021 I had a vague notion that I could make cards a side hustle, but I lost money and it wasn’t very fun. I stopped following folks on social media that fed into the kinds of collecting impulses I wanted to leave behind. I started complimenting people on cool cards they had, and I started finding joy in just spending time with cards and chatting about cards with folks. So that’s really driven my current style. Right now, I look for cards that draw me in - whether because of the image, the set concept, the rarity, or the story they tell. I want cards that stop me in my tracks, and that remind me of the things about sport that I love. Financially, I work within a fairly tight budget, so I want to have a mixture of lower-end cards as well as some higher-value (for me) cards. For higher-value cards, I do give some thought to long-term value, but I try to make sure my acquisitions are much more tied to the collector side. They have to have an appeal. I try not to impulse buy if it’s high value. So I have a running want list, and cards need to be on that list for a while to get to the buy list. Patience is hard with this, but overall it improves the experience for me. Overall, if the people I trust and follow as collectors appreciate what I am putting together, to me that's a sign that I'm on the right track.

Q3: What happened when you started reaching out to people, complimenting them on the cards? Was there a noticeable change in your experience after that? 

@MJS_Sportscards: People in this hobby are really great, and I find that many of them are on IG for the same reason I am - to connect with people. So folks were very friendly when I reached out. I think though the biggest change in my experience was in my own orientation to the hobby. Hyping up other people's collections pushed me to think of fellow hobbyists as conspirators in a collecting journey rather than as competition or people that I needed to one up on a deal. In short, reaching out to people changed how I felt about the hobby and that was more important than the responses I got. It made me really try to live up to the idea of “treat others how you want to be treated.”

Q4: You mentioned targeting cards that stop you in your tracks. Is there a card or cards in your PC that did that? Can you think of an example where you saw a card and thought, “I need that card!” and then you actually got it?

@MJS_Sportscards: I just picked up a 2018-2019 Lebron James Court Kings Aurora. When I first saw it, I stopped dead in my tracks. I wanted the card to be part of my collection. I knew it meant that I would have to sell some cards to get the funds for it, but it fit a lot of things I was looking for: a card depicting a Laker jersey, a beautiful image/set, and a rare case hit. It was the kind of card I knew I wouldn't have a lot of opportunities to add.

Mark’s 2018-19 Court Kings Aurora LeBron James

I am also a huge fan of triple-panel cards with superstars. Here I'm thinking 1980-81 Topps w/ Dr. J, Bird, and Magic and the 2003 Fleer Tradition with Lebron, Melo, and Wade. I love that these cards have so many of the game’s legends on them. The Bird/Magic/Dr.J was one I picked up in high school after saving checks from my after school job and the Fleer Tradition was one I picked up last year because I thought it would pair beautifully with the Bird/Magic/Dr. J. 

Q5: It sounds like there’s a connection between your professional life and your personal collecting. Please say a little more about that.

@MJS_Sportscards: Actually, for a long time I didn't explicitly connect my professional self with my hobby self. I think I was a little bit nervous about discussing myself as a collector with professional acquaintances or discussing what I do for work with hobby friends. But doing things like the Filipino athlete collecting is kind of a way for me to push myself to be more open and proud of who I am and what I am interested in. It's a process, but I think it's a good thing to work towards a place where I don’t have to segment away different parts of myself.

+1 Question: For 24 hours you’re ruler of the sports trading-card universe, with unchecked power. Your word is law. How would you wield your power?

@MJS_Sportscards: This is a good one. My reign would be focused on improving the hobby experience for kids. No kid would be turned away for not having enough money. A kid should always be able to walk into an LCS and pick up a pack or a few singles. I’d love for this to be supported and funded by folks in the hobby with more means, card companies, and even regular collectors. I think it’s all of our responsibilities to help kids who would love to be collectors to engage in the hobby. I’d also bring back a product like Collector’s Choice or have Hoops (without the hobby/retail designation) that would be an affordable entry point for collectors, particularly younger ones. Finally, I’d also institute a rule where if you scam a kid or a new collector, you are out of the hobby - no patience for that. Other kinds of scammers would also be dealt with by the hobby community.

In terms of product, I’d love for there to be multiple companies with licenses but only a handful of sets overall each season. 5 different licensed sets from 5 different companies. That way collectors could pick a lane without being too overwhelmed.