Q: Who are you?
A: My name is Austin Jackson.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I grew up and still live in Portage, Michigan. I went to Kalamazoo Valley Community College after graduating high school and have an Associates Degree in Computer Aided Design (CAD). Currently, I am a Project Engineer for a company that designs outdoor site furniture and lighting. I've been married to my wife for almost 9 years and have 2 boys, Ellis (5), and Edwin (2).
Q: What got you into collecting?
A: When we were kids my buddies and I would ride up to the local shop (more of a jewelry store) and buy their grab bags which were 50 cents or $1 and had about 25 cards in them. Looking back, they were just filled with early 90's junk but we were always into them! I also would get packs of Pokemon and Baseball cards for my birthday or holiday. Baseball has always been my first love, but I had a Gameboy and loved playing Pokemon Red. I ended up pulling a Holo Charizard when I was 8 and that helped seal the deal on Pokemon for me.
Q: How long have you been collecting?
A: I collected as a kid and eventually got rid of almost all of my cards including my Pokemon which is one of my biggest regret today. I had so many Holo cards that I would love to get back; I gave them to a younger neighborhood kid. I picked back up a little bit in 2012-13 buying packs here and there but nothing too serious. In December 2020 my boss, at the time, had been talking to me about the card show at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo and invited me to come along. I think I brought $100 with me and I ended up buying all sorts of cards and was immediately hooked and haven't looked back since.
Q: How has your collection shifted over time?
A: Well, back in 2020 I was just buying cheap singles off eBay and at card shows. I quickly filled a 2-row box. As time went on, I filled a 3-row and then became interested in graded cards. Currently, I would say my collection is 90% graded cards, ticket stubs, and autographs.
Q: Do you use grading services like PSA or SGC? If yes, which do you use and why?
A: Typically, I will use PSA first and SGC as a back up. If I get a card that I consider valuable or one that means more to me, I will use PSA. If I see a flaw with a card but still want it slabbed for my collection, I’ll try to sneak it through SGC, however, SGC has grown on my over the last year or so; their free auto grading and the look of a dual 10 at the top of their slab have helped with that. PSA could take some notes from SGC and add the card parallel number to the description, which I also think is a nice touch by SGC. PSA adds the most value to your cards so it’s reeally hard to shy away from their services. I really like having my cards in a slab to help protect them for the future or to help maintain/grow value.
Q: Do you only collect cards? If yes, why?
A: I collect mostly cards, but I do have a few Miguel Cabrera milestone ticket stubs. Currently, I have stubs from his 300th, 400th and 500th homerun games as well as from his 3,000th hit game and the game he clinched his Triple Crown. I have two Miguel Cabrera and two Al Kaline autographed baseballs as well. Cards are just easier to collect because you can store so many more in a smaller space and they are fairly “liquid” if you need to sell some of them to get fast funds.
Q: Do you consider yourself a flipper? Please explain.
A: I wouldn’t consider myself a flipper, but you could say that I have some flipper tendencies, I’ll explain. So, for the most part, I try to not put any of my own money into buying cards. Over the last 3 years I have been able to accumulate everything I have by buying, selling, razzing and upgrading with funds I make in the hobby. People think I am just here for the money, but, I am out here making moves so I can pay off my new Riley Green I just added or I razz a couple Tigers autos so I can attempt to move from a PSA 9 Miguel Cabrera to a PSA 10. I make my collection work for me and it’s crazy to see what I’ve been able to accumulate in the last couple of years!
Q: What is your most important piece of your collection? Why?
A: I wouldn’t say that I have one important piece buy my current favorite, I think, is my PSA 5 1954 Topps Al Kaline rookie card. It is the most expensive card I own, valued around $900-$1,000. I would say that my next most important piece(s) are my Miggy Milestone Ticket stubs. Most of them are autographed and it’s cool to see the run of them next to one another on my shelf.
Q: Do you currently have a collecting goal?
A: I don’t think I really have much of a goal. I really love Tigers baseball, so I stick to a lot of big-time Tigers. I also tend to smash my collecting goals when I set them, so things are ever changing. I guess you could say one of my goals is to upgrade my Al Kaline PSA run to be all PSA 6 or better. I am also always trying to get some of the most iconic parallels and refractors of today’s modern stars.
Q: What is your holy grail item?
A: There would be 2 cards I would call my holy grail. First, a T206 Ty Cobb in any grade slabbed by either PSA or SGC. Second, a 2000 Topps Chrome Traded Miguel Cabrera Rookie in a PSA 10. I currently have a PSA 9 Miggy Chrome, but that PSA 10 is just out of reach without moving a lot of my collection. Same goes for the Cobb; I would have to move almost my entire collection to get one, but, I think it would be worth it!