Nick Loiacono
Also known as: @YanksandBeans
Website: thecardboarddugout.blogspot.com
Email: NickLoiacono@gmail.com
Location: New York
Work away from cards: Mobile DJ (PickNickParties.com)
Collecting since: 1986-91, 2008-present
Main focuses: Through-the-mail autographs, New York Yankees, Thurman Munson, Mariano Rivera, Rickey Henderson, Will Ferrell (on cardboard)
Favorite players/teams: I’ve always loved Yankees first basemen. When I started collecting again in 2008, I decided to “supercollect” Mark Teixeira. It was going good for a long time, but was getting frustrating as I was constantly getting outbid on auction sites by someone I dubbed as my “Nemesis.” Long Story short, that collector was featured on Buzz, Robert Morris, and to this day he remains one of my best collecting friends. I eventually conceded my collection to him and sent him all of my 1/1s to add to his insane collection. I still have great stuff, but I knew when to cut my losses.
Current collecting projects: My current focuses are on slabbed Rickey Hendersons (must be PSA 9), The Parks & Recreation master set and just recently I decided to pursue all Will Ferrell Cards which spans a bit beyond his recent Topps Archives cards. Ferrell is represented on Cardboard for Anchorman, Semi-Pro and a few other random things. I just found out a few weeks ago that Topps made 10 Archives variation cards that were handed out to employees around the time of the Ferrell Takes the Field premiere. I am desperate for these cards and I’m hoping someone reading this can help me obtain them.
One cool card I own: In 2009, right around the time I started collecting, I bought a lot of Upper Deck products. One of my go-to brands was Goodwin Champions. This product was great to me, I pulled game-used pieces of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, and I even nabbed a piece of horse hair from racing champ Smarty Jones. But my favorite pull was an awesomely framed butterfly from the Entomology Collection.
One cool stat: 600. I’ve had a lot of TTM autograph success. My collection exists entirely on cards and is closing on 600 unique signatures. You can see an example of them above (and below) or on my TTM-dedicated Instagram page “SignMyCard.”
Best pull: Easy … I bought into a Topps Triple Threads case break and was pulled a Thurman Munson cut autograph 1/1. I collected him pretty hard already, so to obtain something like that is a dream come true.
A fellow collector says: “I’ve always admired Nick and his collecting style. His enthusiasm is infectious. Whether it’s humorously video-breaking a box of cards or tweeting at fellow collectors, he’s always the life of the party. In all my years following Nick, I’ve never seen him focus on a negative element of the hobby or a particular product. He always looks for the positive, and allows his personality to shine through in a way that only he can. It’s obvious that he gets great enjoyment out of the hobby, and I hope it continues that way for years to come.” — AJ of The Lost Collector Blog, @TheLostCollector
In his words: I loved collecting cards as a kid. My mom would give me $1 a day for the ice cream man, which would score me an Italian Ice and a pack of 1986 Topps. Eventually I matured and other things piqued my interest which pulled me away from collecting. When life settled down and I had room for a hobby again, cards were a natural fit. Not only could I afford more than the occasional pack, but storing and organizing the cards totally satisfies my needs. But what really makes me tick are fellow collectors. I love seeing other people’s collections and just talking shop with folks who share my interests. That’s why I love this idea of profiling collectors. I believe we all want to show off what we have and this is a perfect forum. Plus it will expose what other people collect to a larger audience, which could only lead to enhancing their collection. Thank you Blowout Buzz.
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