A lot of good perspectives above. I am somewhat in the same boat on a couple sets I'm assembling. Here's my take, and I'm sure others will disagree. While you are putting the sets together and upgrading over time, sure, you may have more money in it over the long haul than what a particular set sells for in the end. BUT, that's not the only consideration, in my opinion. First off, where's the fun in buying the complete set? Some have said that you buy a card at auction and you are the highest bidder so you are losing money. Well, that could be true, but you are also getting enjoyment out of what you are doing and there is value in that. This is just an example, but if you were to spend $5k putting a set together over a period of say, 5-7 years but in the end only sell it for $3k, some would ridicule you for that. I think too many of us in the hobby, say it a "hobby" for them, but unconsciously take it more as an investment. If you have been doing this for the love of collecting and have enjoyed the time you have spent, then does it really matter? Yes, you have value in the sets you've put together and that is good. But the truth is, you can't really put a price tag on the enjoyment you've received. And hell, you most likely would have blown that money you spent on cards over time on something else that has no value today. Let's take the avid golfer, for example. Playing golf is their hobby, they get enjoyment out of it and in the end, all he/she has are some great memories, a bunch of goofy pants and 6 bags of golf clubs cluttering up the garage. Ten's of thousands of dollars could have been spent over that time period but it's not looked at like they lost money.
I think we are fortunate that we enjoy a hobby that we actually have something to show for it in the end. And does it really matter if lose a little bit of money doing what we love?
Best of luck in whatever you decide to do. Sounds like you have put a lot of yourself into those sets and I'm sure when it comes right down to the point you are ready to sell, it won't be easy.
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