Kollector’s Korner Met-o-ra-bil-ia Hall of Fame Inductee #10 : The Engineer of Amazin’: How David Svach Built One of the Most Meticulous Mets Collections Ever

If you’ve followed the first nine installments of our Kollectors Hall of Fame series, you already know this is where we celebrate the diehards , the fans whose devotion to the orange and blue doesn’t stop at the final out. These are the people who live Mets baseball, preserve its history, and build their lives around the memories the team has given them.

This month, we induct a collector whose precision and passion are matched only by his loyalty. Meet David Svach, an Engineering Manager in R&D for a medical device company, a devoted husband and father, and one of the most meticulous Mets collectors you’ll ever find. When he’s not overseeing innovative healthcare projects or traveling with his family, David is curating a museum-worthy Mets collection that stretches across decades from the Polo Grounds to Citi Field.

David’s love for the Mets began in the mid-1980s, but its roots stretch back further to Queens, where his mother was born and raised. She grew up a Mets fan, and like so many of the best baseball stories, she passed that passion down to her son. His grandfather, a former Brooklyn Dodgers fan who switched allegiances in 1962, took David and his sister to Spring Training when they visited Florida. Those trips and countless games at Shea helped shape the collector and the fan he’d become.

He remembers the thrill of driving through Manhattan and seeing Dwight Gooden’s mural on the way to Shea, and the magic of those mid-’80s summers when the Mets ruled New York. Later, when he lived on his own, David became a partial season ticket holder, spending countless nights in Flushing, soaking in the atmosphere and history that have fueled his collection ever since.

For those who know David as a serious collector, there are still surprises. He’s not just a student of baseball he’s also a devoted Sandy Koufax collector and a lifelong heavy metal fan. Music has always been a parallel passion. Long before Spotify, he was flipping through record store bins for rare CDs, building a personal library that’s now evolved into more than 50,000 songs on Apple Music.

His engineering precision finds its way into his playlists too sorted, rated, and organized using iTunes “smart playlist” algorithms. It’s the same analytical eye that makes him such an exceptional collector careful, thoughtful, and always seeking deeper meaning behind the memorabilia he pursues.

David’s collecting journey began like many fans of his generation with baseball cards. His first full set was 1985 Topps, highlighted by the Dwight Gooden rookie card. His first autograph came in 1987 when he waited in line for Darryl Strawberry’s book signing. Those early years built the foundation for a collection that would one day grow to include game-used bats, jerseys, caps, lineup cards, and some of the rarest pieces of Mets history in private hands.

Like so many collectors, life briefly pulled him away , high school, college, and early adulthood slowed the hobby. But when his now-wife bought him a framed David Wright autographed photo as a gift, it reignited his passion. From that moment, the collection came roaring back to life.

For David, collecting Mets memorabilia is far more than an investment it’s an emotional connection to moments that defined both the franchise and his own life. He’s been in the stands for some of the most unforgettable games in team history: Dykstra’s walk-off in the ’86 NLCS, Jose Reyes’ cycle, Endy Chavez’s miraculous catch in 2006, and most recently, Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in the 2024 NLDS.

Every piece he owns tells part of that larger story from a 1962 team-signed baseball featuring Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel, and Richie Ashburn, to a David Wright game-used jersey and pants from his 200th career home run. His collection spans eras, reflecting the highs and lows of Mets history much like the team itself.

David’s engineering background shows in the way he approaches collecting. His focus is sharp, his cataloging methodical. He’s built game-used collections of the ’86 core four, Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Francisco Lindor. His memorabilia includes lineup cards from the first Mets game ever played (rained out in St. Louis), bats from nearly every player on the ’86 roster, and even Francisco Lindor’s game-used helmet from his three-homer game against the Yankees.

One of his favorite sub-collections: game-used caps with personal inscriptions inside. From Carlos Beltran’s religious message to Francisco Lindor’s emotional “RIP Noely” tribute to Javier Báez’s late sister, each cap adds a deeply human layer to the game’s artifacts.

David has spent years chasing down his “white whales,” including the three missing bats needed to complete his 1986 roster set — Bruce Berenyi, John Mitchell, and Rick Anderson. Some of his favorite finds came from unexpected places: an online estate auction where a poorly listed “1960s Mets ball” turned out to be one of the most complete 1962 team-signed baseballs in existence. When PSA/DNA authenticated every signature, it validated not just his research skills, but his collector’s intuition.

David’s collection isn’t just admired by fellow fans — it’s been recognized by the Mets themselves. He was featured on Mets YouTube’s “Ulti-Met Collections” with Mike Janela, and he has loaned several prized pieces to the Mets Museum at Citi Field over the last three seasons, including the Casey Stengel sign-in sheet from What’s My Line? (April 1962), Dwight Gooden’s first MLB hit, and David Wright’s 200th home run jersey.

For David, collecting is about joy and discipline in equal measure. He’s seen how the hobby has changed , how social media, influencers, and big-money flippers have altered its tone. Yet he stays true to his purpose: to preserve, learn, and connect. His advice to new collectors is simple but powerful: pick a focus, learn it inside and out, and collect what you love.

He’s wary of the modern trap of “ripping wax” and chasing quick profits. Instead, he encourages patience, knowledge, and authenticity. “It’s easy to get in too deep,” he says. “But if you focus on what truly matters — the stories, the people, the memories — collecting becomes something far more meaningful.”

David’s heroes are close to home his late parents, his wife, and his daughter. They are his foundation, his reason, and his inspiration. On the diamond, his admiration goes to Francisco Lindor, whose “Be Consistent” mantra resonates far beyond baseball. It’s how David approaches life as a husband, father, professional, and collector.

In the end, his collection is less about possessions and more about perspective. Each ticket stub, cap, and bat tells a story of family, fandom, and the enduring magic of being a Mets fan.

David Svach reflective, empathetic, and humble — represents everything the Kollectors Hall of Fame stands for: passion, preservation, and pride in being part of something Amazin’.

Here is a video tour of Amazin' collection: