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Posted By: James Feagin

Back in 2000 when I was 24, I took a look in person at John aka Wonkaticket's card collection at a shop I worked for. I was in awe, I have never seen such a collection in my life. What was even cooler than that were the stories behind it, and how his collection was self-made, even at a young age. I went home, looked at my meager 20 G-VG t206 cards and thought they were nothing. HOWEVER, I have changed, and I wouldn't trade my collection for anyones. I'm still around 20 t206 commons, but it is my collection and effort, I love baseball, and I love my collection. I have been fortunate enough to learn from some very wise collectors. There are more than a few people on this board who have "million dollar" collections. More than I could ever attain. They have Old Judge HOFers everywhere, I have my one example. The best part about these very wealthy people is how humble they are. Their treasure is in baseball and the time invested in their collection. You can't take any money or cards with you to your grave. However, you can take what you've passed on, and the legacy you left. Respect is something that should be given to everyone. It is not to be "earned" by whatever weird criteria you might come up with. Civility and kindness are timeless attributes. How much better are you than another person that they have to fit some mind-numbing criteria. I remember John handed out a t205 common to some little kid at the shop that day, it absolutely made his day? John showed respect to that kid, and that kid will remember that. He taught me a valuable lesson that day.