Collecting Odell Beckham Jr.

I've decided to start collecting Odell Beckham Jr. Cards. We share our hometown of New Orleans, and I've been an LSU fan since I can remember. Some of my earliest football memories include Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann, and in my opinion both players display exceptional grace and style when a football is lobbed in their direction. Beckham probably has more raw talent than Swann did, if I dare say so, and will probably wind up with numbers much bigger than Swann because of the many changes occurring to the modern-day passing game these past 35 years.

There's a certain excitement associated with collecting current players. Though I've never collected cards for investment purposes, there's an undeniable rush when a player does well on the field and you have several of his cards tucked away in your collection. I'm looking forward to having this feeling for many years to come with the Beckham collection.

Now a few words regarding dollars and sense. Odell's rookie cards were released during the 2014 NFL season, and as of this writing, pretty much all of the 2015 cards have been released. The first thing I noticed when monitoring his rookie cards was the fact that they are very reasonably priced on eBay; his base rookies from sets like Bowman, Topps, Strata and Score can be had for a couple of bucks apiece. Even serial numbered jersey cards start at ten dollars or so. Beckham's autographed rookies start near the $50 range, once again usually selling considerably below "book" value. It's amazing to compare these prices to the 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco rookie card, which was selling for $60 or more back in 1990. My oh my, how this hobby has changed since then. 

Beckham's 2015 cards are even cheaper, with his base cards virtually being given away. Inserts from 2015 aren't far behind, with the Panini Clear Vision jersey card pictured below being snagged for less than the price of a cup of Starbuck's coffee. I will admit that I'm concentrating on his 2014 rookie cards, but seem to be obtaining a steady stream of the '15s as they are often included in the large player lots I like to buy. 

Collect what you like; that's always the golden rule. I'm liking me some Odell B. these days, and I may even have a slight case of the rookie hoarding syndrome -- but hey, work with me here.  When I can buy 25 to 30 Beckham rookies for the same price that one '86 Donruss Canseco cost back in 1990, why wouldn't I?

Click here to find Odell Beckham Cards on eBay