"The Hunt" v.s. Enjoying what you have

[Luke]

Was thinking about this topic lately and found myself wondering how other people see it, especially the guys who have been collecting for a long time.

By "the hunt" I just mean the search for cards that you would like to add to your collection. The hunt is a big part of the fun of collecting, but I think how big a part it is varies person to person.

My first 2 or 3 years after returning to collecting, I was almost 100% focused on the hunt for more cards. I remember thinking it felt weird that I wasn't as happy to actually own the cards as I was to win the auction or find the good deal in the first place.

Now I'm like 6 years in to building a collection, and I now get much more enjoyment from looking through my cards than just searching for new ones. Part of the reason is probably that I have found my collecting niche now, and my first couple years I was just trying to buy every T206 which wasn't going to happen fast enough for my liking.

I can't tell if I needed to build a decent collection before I could slow down and enjoy it, or if some switch flipped in my brain to make me more thankful for what I have as opposed to always wanting more stuff. It's possible that it could be more related to my overall outlook on life, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, just thought it would be interesting to hear how other people feel about it.