2016/17 LEAGUE TWO - Match Badges Thread

[Footiebadgebloke]

Every 2-3 years this question raises its head about , badge collecting so lets look at it -

Badges do not deteriorate, are not prone to water danage, creasing or a rusty staple!

Badges do not take up a copious amount of space

Badges continuously keep there value better than programmes for example a 7o's prog is 50p (if you're lucky) and 70's badges in comparison?

Before anyone says anything that I dont collect progs .. I have a massive colllection and the same can be said about badges and even card collecting so I do know alittle bit about these nuances

At the "end of the day" and "when the fat lady sings", its all about personal choice, so if theres a few colorways then so be it . you can always say no or just say one colorway please.

[Superblue]

It's been lively on here while I've been at work, but back to the point of this thread, so far we know that the following clubs are producing badges:
Accrington Stanley
Mansfield Town
Wycombe Wanderers

Dose anyone know if Blackpool are producing match day badges this season?. And is anyone aware of any other clubs which are producing match day badges that haven't done previously?.

Kyle

[littlewiggy]

One of the three reasons why I sold my programme collection (almost 5,000 issues) a few years back, and put all my money into badges & tickets (my first love) instead, was the space the items demanded.

The second reason was a feeling that the backside was falling out of the programme market and it was a good time to sell, which in hindsight it certainly was.
For me anyway.
They no longer felt a good investment of my limited funds.

Quality will always sell, obviously, and for lofty amounts - but the other 90% of a programme collection appears to be losing value by the year, to the point where so many now are virtually worthless.

I know I'd get a lot less than I did if I sold them now for example.

(The third reason was I'd got to a stage where I didn't think I'd ever be in a position financially to buy [or indeed find!] the outstanding rarities I needed to complete - but this was less of a factor than the first two)

I've never regretted my decision either.
Quite the opposite.
My badge collection is thriving (over 900 Newport badges and around 400 in my "affiliated" collection), and they hold their values very steadily indeed.

(I buy anything Newport County, and try to buy 'quality' for my affiliated collection, such as old buttonhole association and competition badges)

As for the colourways, I love picking up new & modern Newport badges, it's always a buzz to discover a new design, even more so if they come in sets with (not too many) different colour variations.

2 to 4 is perfect - 6 at a push, anything more is a bit of a piss take to be honest though - unless it's something iconic like the 70s insert badges, where barely no two badges are alike - definitely the more the merrier of those!

So yes they're to help the seller sell out (two colourways means most will buy two instead of one) - yes they're probably also issued that way to get you to part with more money - but crucially, there are a lot of us badge collectors that love having more than one variation of a badge for our collection and prefer it this way.

Indeed I started routinely picking up these "sets" whenever they were issued some 15 years ago, and some are already commanding surprising prices.
Staggering prices in some odd instances where the issue was an immediate sell-out.

(A £20 Newport set issued in 2005 went for £130 on eBay recently)

In contrast, if I compare those pins to our programmes from the last fifteen years, well I'd have to disguise them from the bin men in order to fool them into taking the buggers away for me.

[Superblue]

I collect Carlisle United badges, over 200, and over a 100 other badges from Manchester United badges to England badges and Cumbrian non league badges. I also collect programmes, mainly Carlisle away games and Neutral games, I don't bother with home programmes much unless it's a big game. I also collect tickets stubs from games I've visited. I also collect Scarves, mainly the hated half and half scarves which I like. I don't buy this stuff for profit, I buy it because I love collecting. My whole collection is probably worthless but to me it's priceless.

Kyle

[littlewiggy]

Superblue wrote:

It's been lively on here while I've been at work, but back to the point of this thread, so far we know that the following clubs are producing badges: Accrington Stanley Mansfield Town Wycombe Wanderers Dose anyone know if Blackpool are producing match day badges this season?. And is anyone aware of any other clubs which are producing match day badges that haven't done previously?. Kyle

Yes I'll be gutted if Blackpool aren't issuing mate, after admiring their match badges for a few years now.

Theirs have been constantly one of my favourite designs.

[Superblue]

Yeah I liked the blackpool ones as well, be a shame if they aren't, I'm gutted I can't get Newport and Wimbledon ones anymore.

Kyle

[Dorking]

Just had a message from a fellow Palace badge collecting buddy of mine (a MASSIVE palace badge collector) that he has just taken the hard decision to stop collecting Palace badges. For many, many years, at all the away games (I go to pretty much all of them) I have been buying 2 of everything (he used to have a topped up kitty). Will be weird only asking for one of each from now on.

We are spoilt for choice with Prem match badges, and the typical £20-£30 a month of badges became too much, and being a collectaholic 'completist', just having one badge of each, rather than complete sets (of everything!) just didn't interest him.

Fully respect his decision, can kind of see his point when for the Cup Final last May there was over 70 different Palace badges across all the sellers. I think that was the tipping point!!

When Palace were in the Championship, it was just badges at Wolves, Sheff United, Cardiff, Birmingham and maybe the odd cup game if we were lucky! It's become a bit of a mission to keep up with all the various issues and sources now! I still enjoy the challenge of finding and getting them all, but can fully understand that it become a bit of a monster!

[littlewiggy]

Yes I think I understand where your friend is coming from Dorking.
I too get a tad obsessive about having the full set of every badge, and always feel it mars the issue if I'm missing one.

It's quite an addictive part of the hobby isn't it.
Sellers have been clever to latch on to this to be fair.

I can also appreciate that attempting to keep up with this practice as a Premiership club can get all too consuming, not to mention incredibly costly.

Likewise, I think for me it would become a choice of all or nothing, like your friend.
I'm not sure I could be nearly as enthusiastic doing it by half.
I think I'd have to walk away completely too.

70 badges for a cup final is great as a very special one-off (I have 30 for our Conf Play-off Final in 2013), but I'd imagine you also had about 30 for the semi, plus double figures for every round - and then you have the sheer deluge of weekly Premiership issues on top again - it would come to a small fortune.

You're also right about the thrill of finding them. I sometimes think I enjoy the pursuit as much as having the items themselves.

[Dorking]

Really good to be able to discuss this with someone who completely 'gets it' like you littlewiggy!

Even a few seasons ago it was probably half of Prem clubs where you can get match badges, now it is more like three quarters, and that is not including other 'home made' type stuff sold through ebay which can sometimes be tempting to plug the odd gap. Some sellers are even selling that crap only in sets of 4 etc, to really turn the screw!

Also it used to be most places did 2 colourways, bar maybe Liverpool and Man United, where you could scour a dozen stalls and come away with maybe 8+ different ones in total, it is now sometimes the case that a ground with 2 stalls will have different stuff, and each of those in multiples

Being an away traveller, I do tend to know where all the sellers tend to be found and if not, how to track them down! I go direct to many of them now as they all have my contact details and vice versa, so missing out is extremely unlikely! And they are an interesting thing to collect anyway in my opinion as you really can get the good, the bad and the ugly!

[littlewiggy]

Likewise mate!

The biggest bug to bear should you have those leanings of a 'completist' collector, is that should you be forced to compromise and only have one or two examples from a multiple set, then you find yourself looking at your collection in a whole different light.

Instead of admiring and enjoying what you have, you find yourself full of regret and annoyance for the ones you don't have.

Hence why I think I fully understand your friend's decision.
He simply wouldn't enjoy his collection anymore.

I tell myself my Newport collection is quite immense for such a small club, yet even now I can't quite enjoy it as I should.

I'm still troubled by those odd few badges I still can't find.

I've spent hours and hours of late putting all my badges into medal pouches, ready to place into nice binders so I can view them easily.
Yet instead of looking at a uniquely rare badge I have and feeling pleased that nobody else has it, I find I'm constantly peeved that I have one or two sets that aren't complete.

It's madness really, but that's the collector's bug for you!

And the even crazier truth is that I'd likely be even less happy if I had those missing pins and subsequently had nothing else to search for!!

The constant longing to gap-fill keeps us focused and interested doesn't it.

[Dorking]

Exactly that! Had a count up, and last season I amassed 238 match badges for Palace.
I like to think I know about everything, as scouring ebay daily and going every game I think I know my clubs badges better than anyone, and to my knowledge there are just 2 badges I missed.

One was a badge from our game against Arsenal at the Emirates, from a mega-exclusive corporate area, and none have surfaced publicly from there, so it's not like I've really missed it (yet). And I did still get the 2 other corporate area badges from the same game from other sources so it's not like I didn't try.

Other one is more annoying as it was a pretty bog standard badge, which I have two (of the three) colourways of, but got outbid for the one I need as I bid low thinking it was nothing special, and none have appeared since! But on the positive, I know I will get it if I am patient and keep my eyes out for it then it will turn up no problem. One day!

Nobody else looking at my folders of badges would even know something is missing, but for me, I have to leave a space in my folder for where the missing ones will eventually go, and even if it takes years to get them, one day I will get the buggers!

The ones that vex me are when I've gone to a game, walked all around the ground, been to all the stalls and sellers and think I've got everything, then in the ground see another fan wearing a badge either I never saw anywhere, or it's just a different colourway and I somehow missed it! Roaming sellers going round pubs can sometimes be at the root of this one! But that's when the real hunt can begin LOL!

[littlewiggy]

The ones that vex me are when I've gone to a game, walked all around the ground, been to all the stalls and sellers and think I've got everything, then in the ground see another fan wearing a badge either I never saw anywhere, or it's just a different colourway and I somehow missed it!



That certainly struck a chord!
Whenever I see somebody at the match wearing a badge (or badges), my eyes are immediately drawn to it, carefully checking him out to make sure it's not anything I'm not aware of.
I tend to approach people wearing say a hat full of badges too, and tell them I'm admiring their lovely stash (Blimey these are nice matey, I'll say), when really I'm doing a checklist inside my head and satisfying myself I have them all!!

I on the other hand have never worn a badge, I'd be too scared of losing him.

Wow, 238 match badges for one season (mind you, you did have a pretty good one last year), I only have four more than that in total!

Just out of idle curiosity, how many Palace badges in total are in your collection?

[Dorking]

Must be easily over 2000 now, but honestly have no idea. They are almost all carefully stored in coin folders though, usually 16 per A4 display sleeve

In answer to a previous post of yours, last season the semi final alone was 24 badges and the quarter final was 13 badges

[bisphamseasider]

Superblue wrote:

Does anyone know if Blackpool are producing match day badges this season?. And is anyone aware of any other clubs which are producing match day badges that haven't done previously?.

Unfortunately it appears there will be no Blackpool badges issued this season for every home game.

However it is possible that badges may be produced for the odd specific game.

[littlewiggy]

Sounds a wonderful collection.
I like your method of storage too.

That's what I'm in the midst of doing myself, re the coin folders.
Mine have spent years living inside tins, each badge stored inside a clear grip-bag - mainly because I've never found a 'store & display' method that suits me.

I don't like frames or cork-boards, as I like the badge to be fully protected from direct light etc, and the collector bags and suchlike have never properly appealed.

So recently I've been buying strong, acid-free medal pouches that can store part or complete sets, all carefully mounted onto card - and placed inside medal sleeves (six pouches to a sleeve).

I'm about a third of the way through my collection, and once all pouched & sleeved, these will be going into nice leather-bound binders to match my ticket albums - at probably ten sleeves to an album if my calculations are correct.

I'm also putting individual badges (non-sets) into small coin pouches, and these will be going into similar sleeves to yours mate.

Although I did kind of underestimate how much time would be involved in doing all this! lol

[littlewiggy]

bisphamseasider wrote:

Superblue wrote: Does anyone know if Blackpool are producing match day badges this season?. And is anyone aware of any other clubs which are producing match day badges that haven't done previously?. Unfortunately it appears there will be no Blackpool badges issued this season for every home game. However it is possible that badges may be produced for the odd specific game.

Ah, that is a blow must admit.

Was looking forward to adding a couple of those beauties to my stash.

Thanks for letting us know Bispham.

[Dorking]

These are what I use, and I cut card squares to go in each section in the same way as you do with your medal inserts

[Dorking]

Very impressed with the League Cup inserts as discussed earlier, really smart!

[littlewiggy]

Yes they're quite nice in the flesh, quite weighty too.

I bought two of Dave's non-enamel shirt badges for Newport too, home & away colours, I was very pleased with those as well.

Sadly, my shower of losers somehow managed to turn a 2-0 lead into a 2-3 defeat against the Franchise, so no Round Two badges for me.



I have a little trawl of German eBay most weeks, as unknown badges from our games against Jena often pop up on there.
I managed to pick this one up yesterday morning, a bit pricey at ten Euros before post (came to almost £12 with p+p), but I was happy to pay that for another little corker that I never knew existed ...

[Superblue]

Match badge from our EFL Cup Round 2 game against Derby County.

Kyle