Interview with lfclegendscollection

An interview with the person behind one of the world's largest Liverpool FC collections, lfclegendscollection. He shares insights about his most valuable cards, including rare signature cards, and provides tips for protecting and valuing collections. He emphasizes the importance of collecting with passion, highlighting his own collections of Liverpool FC and the 1994 World Cup as results of this. More details about his collecting can be found on his website, and social media links are available further down.

Age: 37

Collecting for how long: Returned to the hobby in 2014

Favorite football moment: UCL 2005 - The Miracle of Istanbul

Which football team do you support: Liverpool FC

Favorite product in football cards: Panini Gold Standard

How did you start collecting football cards, and what attracted you to it?

The 1994 Football World Cup was the starting point. That's when the Upper Deck World Cup USA '94 sets were released. Best card series ever! After that, I was hooked on collecting cards.

Which is your most valuable or rare football card, and what makes it special to you? It's hard to choose, but one card that is both very valuable and rare, and also means a lot to me, is the 2018/19 Topps Now UCL Jordan Henderson UCL Winner auto /49 or Steven Gerrard Topps 30 Seasons trophy lift auto /49. But there are several other cards I could have mentioned here.

Topps Now UCL 2018/19 - Jordan Henderson UCL Winner Auto /49

Do you have any memorable stories or experiences related to your collecting interest? I will never forget when I pulled a Stefan Schwartz Upper Deck World Cup 94 hotshots from a pack bought at Shell (gas station). That was the card every kid in Sweden wanted.

Upper Deck World Cup 94 - Stefan Schwartz Hotshots

What players or teams do you prefer to collect cards from, and why? I have two personal collections (PC) - Liverpool and World Cup 1994. I have one of the world's largest LFC collections with over 10,000 cards, stickers, and figures. I also have a very impressive World Cup 1994 card collection.

Can you share some advice for assessing the value of a football card and avoiding forgeries when buying and selling? Compare sold items on eBay to get a relative price/value, check that the seller has a good rating. Ask open questions in card groups on Facebook.

Are there any special techniques or strategies you use to find and buy rare and/or football cards? I don't really have a strategy. But I have contacts all over the world, so I often use these to find cards.

How do you view the social aspects of collecting football cards, like meeting other collectors or participating in collection events? I must admit I've never been to a card meet. But social media has still allowed me to get to know people in the hobby. I would love to start a small group around Växjö that met occasionally and did stuff with cards.

Do you have any tips for beginners who want to start collecting football cards?

Collect what you like, not what is hyped. Don't collect beyond your means (this is harder than you think), find a PC that has a deeper meaning for you. This is an expensive hobby, so at least I can't justify spending the amounts I do on cards that are just pretty or popular, it needs to be something that means something to me, which LFC and World Cup 94 do.

How do you store and protect your football cards to ensure their long-term quality and value? The most expensive cards I have in one touch in display cabinets (the room has blackout curtains), expensive cards I have in top loaders in a top loader binder, regular cards in standard plastic pockets and binders. All of these also have penny sleeves. And everything is insured.

Can you share some of your favorite stories about how you managed to get a particularly desired football card? When the Steven Gerrard auto card where he lifts the CL trophy from Topps 30 seasons was released on demand on Topps' website, I missed it. The /99 card was sold for only £99 which at the time was unbelievably low for a Gerrard auto. Unfortunately, the majority of the cards went to flippers who within minutes put the cards on eBay for 5 times the price. So unfortunately, there was no chance for me to get the card. Fast forward to last fall when a collector contacted me and said I could buy the card from him for the purchase price only if Arsenal beat City which would have more or less helped them win the league (he was an Arsenal fan). Unfortunately, Arsenal lost and I assumed my chances of getting the card at a reasonable price were gone. After a few weeks, I contacted him to see if it was possible to make a somewhat fair deal despite the loss, even if it wasn't for the purchase price. He then replied that he was just joking when he said I could only buy it for the purchase price if Arsenal won, but that I could still do so. However, he had the one numbered to /49 which aesthetically is the finest. So I got to buy it for £160 including shipping. I might add that a /99 sold not long before for 3 times the value of what I paid for my /49.

Example of go-to-websites that help you in your collecting? Cartophilic - Link Cardboardconnection - Link Nigel’s webplace - Link eBay - Link Cardhobby 12 Where can more information about your collecting be found? I run a website for my collection lfclegends.wordpress.com. I also have a Facebook page with over 12,000 followers - LFC Legends Collection - Facebook. Then I have an Instagram for my LFC collection and one for my World Cup 94 collection lfclegendscollection - Instagram and fifaworldcup94cards - Instagram. These are the ones I'm most active on, but I also have YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter, though I'm not as active there.

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