This is a great thread!
I have a few 80's sets in binders. I have several cards worth more than all the binder sets combined. I do like the vintage cards but looking through those binders puts a bigger smile on my face than any vintage card ever could.
I heard/read about how great the older players I collect were but never got to go to a game and see them. Those players in the binders give me that big smile because I was lucky enough to see them play in person. When flipping through those binders I will run across some average player and remember some crazy play I got to watch them make while at a game.