New direction and perception to my collecting

[garymc]

Just recently I have become very frustrated with my collecting as the result of the cost of cards and my lack of funds. I had put a small collection of pre-war cards together back in the late 70's & early 80's. I focused on New York Americans and tried to establish a type collection. The passion of the hunt was addicting ! All came to halt as the result of the death of my oldest child who I shared the collection with.
Two years ago I began to look at my cards and the passion and addiction got a hold on me again, but soon the frustration set in when I realized that the cards I wanted cost hundreds of dollars. I relieved my frustration by joining this forum and talking to others about our cards. I also met Scott from aquarian sports cards and became the runner for his auctions, I am having such a blast.
After a few posts on the forum I started to get inquires about selling some of my cards that I was talking about with the forum gang. At the time the thought of selling some of my cards seemed sacrilege. Getting bored, I switched from type collecting and began trying to put together team sets. HOFers, short prints and variations soon again became frustrating obstacles. So I had to rethink my collection and change my perception of how I wanted to collect. I thought maybe it was time to give up some of my cards and give others the enjoyment that gave me and than put the money into some cards that would again make me happy. The first ones to go were my t215-1 Red Cross Chance and my e107 Williams both tough cards and than I completed my team sets of e90-1, t205 with multi backs, t206 with multi backs, t202 and one card short of t207. Next is the t204 set. Happy and life is good !!!

[Stonepony]

Glad things are falling into place Gary. Happy Thankgiving.

[Stampsfan]

Best of luck, Gary, and positive prayers and wishes your way. I cannot imagine the struggle. Stay strong.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I gotta say that so far all the N54'ers I've met have been "good guys" but Gary takes that to another level. Really one of the nicest people I've met, has a passion for cards and just enjoys people, which in turn makes him very enjoyable to be around! Here's to a long and fruitful run together!

[ullmandds]

Way to go Gary...and so sorry to hear about your oldest. I used to be a type collector too...it got kinda frustrating spending large sums of money out of obligation to add rare types to my collection I didn't really love.

So a few years ago I too...started selling cards I'd owned for decades to pursue new endeavors...and it was the right choice for me too!

Happy collecting!

[obcmac]

Gary and I made a nice trade...as he convinced me to break up my t205 set that I'd been holding for almost a decade. I enjoyed the cards and had fun trading them away too. Now I get to enjoy the E107 for a while. Happy you're back in the game Gary.

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by obcmac

Gary and I made a nice trade...as he convinced me to break up my t205 set that I'd been holding for almost a decade. I enjoyed the cards and had fun trading them away too. Now I get to enjoy the E107 for a while. Happy you're back in the game Gary.

All about helping and you helped me at one time which was greatly appreciated.

[Leon]

First of all, sorry for your loss Gary.
As someone who collected type cards for almost 2 decades, then selling almost everything and starting over, I can faithfully say it can still be fun. The only thing I am not going to do is be a completist with pre-war type cards as I did the first time. Now, I am doing a few sets and being a bit picky with them. At the same time I am still acquiring rare type cards and rare backs, some of which came back from my first collection. Collect what you enjoy, right? The collection wasn't sold because the cards/items weren't liked any longer. It was sold to pay for 4 expensive college educations for my daughter .
Now if I see a photo, or anything else I like, it might get grabbed too. Sometimes it's because I think the card (or item) is a good value for resale, then other times it's just because I like it and want it for my collection. It is enjoyable having no parameters and no focus, which is contrary to what most collectors do, but it's fun so who cares? And I greatly enjoy the hunt more than the ownership, again, not like most collectors. Here is a 2x collection card... Ya' just don't see these every day, or every year or barely every century

[Yoda]

IMO, the dedicated collector will change direction, focus and perception several times during his/her collecting lifetime, whether it is a set, team or individual player; it is what makes our hobby fascinating and fun. Amen.