NOTE: The PSA Set Registry’s “My Top 10 Contest” concludes this Friday, May 27, so enter your 10-card lineups this week. Find link below.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I really wish I would have kept the cards I collected when I was a kid?” Well, you won’t hear that coming from Bill Collins, an avid vintage baseball card collector with an incredible story. He is one of the lucky kids whose mom didn’t throw away his baseball cards. Instead, Bill recalled: “My mom kept my cards, unbeknownst to me. When I was in my early 30s she asked me if I wanted them.” From that point on, Bill’s interest was reignited in collecting Mickey Mantle cards from every year the Yankees Hall of Famer played.
Fast forward to the present day and Bill is now in the process of both collecting and passing down his collection to his son, Kevin, who will eventually pass the collection to his own son, Grey. In the meantime, Bill and Kevin continue to add to the collection which has created a tight bond between them. Said Kevin: “Over the past couple years we have grown closer trying to put together a collection of cards that can someday be passed down to my son. We’ve spent countless hours on the computer searching for cards and going through our collections to figure out which ones to get graded.” Together, Bill and Kevin have created one of the most impressive vintage baseball collections on the entire PSA Set Registry.
Building the collection in tandem has created lifelong memories for both of them. “In 2020, when I was deployed in the Middle East, my dad called and said, ‘You’re never gonna guess what I got?’ I had no idea, and the next thing that came up on my phone was a picture of him holding a 1952 [Topps] Mantle in a PSA 6 [holder],” said Kevin. “I couldn’t believe he finally got his grail card.” Bill added: “It has been fun to have a hobby to do with my son. He does his homework, is patient and is wise about what he is looking for in collectable cards for our collection.” Their collaborative efforts have generated a private collection that would be the envy of any passionate hobbyist.
Kevin and Bill have recently added most of their collection to the PSA Set Registry and have started compiling a few of the All-Time Mickey Mantle Sets. They have recently completed 100% of both the Mickey Mantle Basic Set and Mickey Mantle Basic Topps Set. Together they also created a My Top 10 Baseball Showcase under the username “KGB #7.” Their showcase is highlighted by the inclusion of three coveted Mantle cards: 1951 Bowman (PSA 6), 1952 Topps (PSA 6), and 1953 Topps (PSA 7). Check out their specific entry in the “My Top 10” contest.
This is the last week to submit your showcases for the PSA Set Registry’s My Top 10 Contest, so get your entries in for a chance to win grading credits and earn bragging rights!
