It's that time again..let's recognize, and congratulate, @Mechjo16 on being selected as our next SCC Member Spotlight.
John is one of more tenured SCC members in this newest iteration of the site and you can find him in breaks, trades, and our general discussion threads.
John has been collecting for over 30 years. He recalls a time, "Around 8 years old I remember my Grandma taking my brother, sister, and I to Tiger stadium and getting me a pack of cards. I cracked it open, popped the bubble gum in my mouth and the rest was history. Hooked ever since. Had a few dry spells but always drifted back into the hobby."
In fact, he credits his grandparents with his passion for the hobby. Something great he shared with me was that, "A game was always on the tube and they would always take us and all the cousins to the park for a pickup game after the grown-ups played. We would always stay after and pick up all the cans (yep beer and pop) then head to the store to cash them in for candy and cards. Man I miss those days with a passion!" That 10-cent Michigan bottle deposit driving the hobby!
In the same way, John has kept it in the family. When we asked what his family thought about collecting, he let me know, "They support the hobby as I try not to get things too out of control. I tend to keep a small supply for trading outside my PC. The rest get donated one way or another a few times a year." As for how he passes it on, "The funny thing is we all like different sports. Myself, baseball. My son Basketball. Oddly my little daughter seems to be taking on football. She doesn't understand the entire game but has been wanting Lions everything lately. Stickers, keychains, shirts etc. As long as there's not stock piles laying around the wife tolerates it."
As for a collecting focus, he's a baseball guy through and through, but can be "known to pickup Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders cards every now and then."
While I have recently taken on a massive project of putting together the 2021 Topps Anniversary Platinum Refractor set (any and all help is much appreciated) the set that has been a mission is the 2008 UD masterpieces Red Border set. "I am down to 4 cards. I started it when it was introduced and never dreamed it would take this long to track them all down."
Ones still needed are:
16 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
32 Justin Verlander Tigers
35 Magglio Ordonez Tigers
80 Tim Lincecum Giants
When asked to show off his favorite pieces he shared a recent pickup and an all-time great:
John's favorite this about the hobby is the feeling when he gets a PC card he's been chasing or putting that last card into the set, especially the tough ones. His least favorite was quite interesting and often sparks hobby debate among team and player collectors. "My least favorite thing about the hobby is how frequently players are traded. It seems when your team gets a fan favorite and they are actually decent, off they go to another team. Many times the cards end up with the uniform being different than the printed team on the card."
Outside of collecting cards, John is a family man, spending as much time as he can with the kids, his daughter in particular, "Little ones are sponges and just want to soak everything up. We spend as much time as possible outdoors hiking, bike riding, fishing and playing games. Shot out to Steve - @mcgwirenut for the giant fossil for the dino dig. My daughter was so excited when she dug it up! Kids are only little for a little while, take full advantage of it. Once there at teenage driving age the moments and experiences drift."
When asked what else he may want the members of SCC to know, John was humble and kind:
"I would just like to say I appreciate the opportunity to be in the spotlight. I wish all a great journey within the hobby and happy trading!
Hug your love ones often and stay safe, God Bless!"
Thanks for being a valued member of SCC John!
If you want to follow John's collecting outside of SCC, he's active on YouTube and TikTok where you can find him as @Mechjo16 as well.
John is one of more tenured SCC members in this newest iteration of the site and you can find him in breaks, trades, and our general discussion threads.
John has been collecting for over 30 years. He recalls a time, "Around 8 years old I remember my Grandma taking my brother, sister, and I to Tiger stadium and getting me a pack of cards. I cracked it open, popped the bubble gum in my mouth and the rest was history. Hooked ever since. Had a few dry spells but always drifted back into the hobby."
In fact, he credits his grandparents with his passion for the hobby. Something great he shared with me was that, "A game was always on the tube and they would always take us and all the cousins to the park for a pickup game after the grown-ups played. We would always stay after and pick up all the cans (yep beer and pop) then head to the store to cash them in for candy and cards. Man I miss those days with a passion!" That 10-cent Michigan bottle deposit driving the hobby!
In the same way, John has kept it in the family. When we asked what his family thought about collecting, he let me know, "They support the hobby as I try not to get things too out of control. I tend to keep a small supply for trading outside my PC. The rest get donated one way or another a few times a year." As for how he passes it on, "The funny thing is we all like different sports. Myself, baseball. My son Basketball. Oddly my little daughter seems to be taking on football. She doesn't understand the entire game but has been wanting Lions everything lately. Stickers, keychains, shirts etc. As long as there's not stock piles laying around the wife tolerates it."
As for a collecting focus, he's a baseball guy through and through, but can be "known to pickup Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders cards every now and then."
While I have recently taken on a massive project of putting together the 2021 Topps Anniversary Platinum Refractor set (any and all help is much appreciated) the set that has been a mission is the 2008 UD masterpieces Red Border set. "I am down to 4 cards. I started it when it was introduced and never dreamed it would take this long to track them all down."
Ones still needed are:
16 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
32 Justin Verlander Tigers
35 Magglio Ordonez Tigers
80 Tim Lincecum Giants
When asked to show off his favorite pieces he shared a recent pickup and an all-time great:
John's favorite this about the hobby is the feeling when he gets a PC card he's been chasing or putting that last card into the set, especially the tough ones. His least favorite was quite interesting and often sparks hobby debate among team and player collectors. "My least favorite thing about the hobby is how frequently players are traded. It seems when your team gets a fan favorite and they are actually decent, off they go to another team. Many times the cards end up with the uniform being different than the printed team on the card."
Outside of collecting cards, John is a family man, spending as much time as he can with the kids, his daughter in particular, "Little ones are sponges and just want to soak everything up. We spend as much time as possible outdoors hiking, bike riding, fishing and playing games. Shot out to Steve - @mcgwirenut for the giant fossil for the dino dig. My daughter was so excited when she dug it up! Kids are only little for a little while, take full advantage of it. Once there at teenage driving age the moments and experiences drift."
When asked what else he may want the members of SCC to know, John was humble and kind:
"I would just like to say I appreciate the opportunity to be in the spotlight. I wish all a great journey within the hobby and happy trading!
Hug your love ones often and stay safe, God Bless!"
Thanks for being a valued member of SCC John!
If you want to follow John's collecting outside of SCC, he's active on YouTube and TikTok where you can find him as @Mechjo16 as well.
