Computer Time....question in the OP
 

Had this question come up in a conversation with another collector the other day. What percentage of your hobby time do you spend on your computer vs. actually looking at/handling your collection?

Sorry I botched the format...

I keep my collection in a bank vault, so looking at it isn't really an option. :o

I haven't logged into a computer in years. Phone only.

For me it's about 50-50. Of course I do almost all the search and buying online. When I receive the card(s) then I need to see how it fits in my collection.

I never really thought about it.

I do most buying online, as I haven't been able to get to many shows. But some of what I do is pretty time consuming either hands on with the cards I have or setting up for some long term projects on the computer.

I never really thought about it either which is why I was curious. Looks like just about all of us spend over half our time sitting at a keyboard. I suppose it makes some sense as searching on computers has, for the most part, replaced attending shows and shops. It just sadly makes the hobby more isolating.

That it does.....usually. One of my other hobbies I've settled in to a really narrow niche, with few collectors. I recently was put in touch with another collector, who attends the same show I get to, but who I probably would never have met.

I go to the local shop every few months, less than I'd like, but as the kids get older hopefully more. They survive because they use the internet well and adjust as things change.

The internet can be a good thing too.

Yeah, I guess the internet can be good for supplementing sales that it had a sole hand in destroying in the first place :)

Interesting question, and very interesting results.

I answered "just about all", and that is mainly due to a lack of free time. Having the ability to research online, review message boards, and check on sales/auctions while I am commuting to work on a train keeps me involved with the hobby on a daily basis, even if I'm not able to put my hands on the cardboard.

I know I log in here 2-3 times a day. Not much time looking for stuff online.

I spend/post a lot on here but I also use this site to take me to the post war E-Bay listing Leon has in the top left corner.

If there is a decent amount of cards to go through on E-Bay then that will get the most attention, and if the opposite is true, then most of my spare time is spent here readling/learning and awing at other people's collections.

I couldn't honestly tell you, other than frequenting my FlicR link below, when the last was that I went through my collection by hand.

This was one of the things that came up in the conversation that prompted this thread. There seem to be a lot of collectors who don't ever even look at their cards. They buy it, scan it, shove it somewhere, and then just pass the scan around. This makes total sense when most of your hobby interaction takes place online, but not for self enjoyment. Seems a lot of guys are just as happy looking at the scan of their card rather than the card itself, which begs the obvious question of why bother to own it in the first place.

People can do whatever they want. Not saying there's a right and wrong, it just taps into the psycology of the collector....not wanting a scan of a card until you own it, even though it's sitting in a box and it never gets looked at.

Well, imo, knowing that you own it is a great enjoyment in itself.

Also, with most of my valuable cards being in a safety deposit box, referring to my FlickR link is far easier and less time consuming than pulling them out and placing them back in.

Keep in mind, before I receive my cards, they have been looked at carefully and thoroughly on line first and are also given the same attention and a once over when they are in hand and are being scanned.

I know I need to organize, catalog what I already have, namely my black back cards, but with me, anyways, I usually get right back in the chase. :)

I responded with 70-80% but it's probably getting close to 100% online at this point.

No Brick-and-Mortars that I know of anywhere near me.


...and I see no flea market or attic discoveries in my future.

I agree 100%....otherwise we'd just be collecting scans (and have much flusher bank accounts) :)

I wasnt very clear. I guess my point was more how a non-collector might see it.

A few months ago my wife told me that she thought I enjoyed the hunt for stuff more than having the stuff once I got it.

I can't say she's wrong.

I voted 70-80 because there was no 92.5%, though I guess that could be considered almost all of it.