Hobby Ebbs and Flows Vs.......................
 

burning white hot. Not going to name names here but, recently there was a collecting newbie that entered the scene with enthusiastic posts detailing his quest for completing a 1950's Topps set. Many pictures of pick ups, count down musings and a quick response to nearly every post within the thread. He then started and swiftly completed a 1950's Bowman set and then poof, he disappeared. Which brings me to my question: Are collectors that burn white hot (going all-in, collecting at a furious pace for a short time period and then losing interest as quickly as it struck) common in this hobby?

I've seen my share of it through the years and can pick out, with a great degree of accuracy, those that fit the profile. It also seems that the ones in for the long haul accept and expect their interest to ebb and flow.

I don't think it's all that common. But I can imagine there's a few that catch the bug, and then get bit, causing them to simply lose interest. We all go through streaks at one time or another though. I know I do. I'll hit it fast and furious, and then go through a slow spell, where I just can't seem to find anything, or don't have much money to spend, or time to scour the net. It's not that it turns me off to the hobby. It just kinda falls to the back of your mind. Then all it takes is one boring day, when you hop on the bay for the hell of it and find a great deal, or some great deal pops up in the b/s/t. Then it's on again..

I'm pretty streaky with my purchases. I might buy a dozen new cards in a week and then not buy anything else for several months. I notice if I buy several cards at once the "new" doesn't wear off as fast as if I just bought an individual card, so while I'm enjoying my new haul, I'm saving on the side for the next round. For the most part I try to bargain hunt for nice PSA 1-3 cards with above average eye appeal so I can get the card I'm looking for without breaking the bank. Depending on what I'm looking for and what the prices are, I might find a handful of cards that fit that description or I might go on a long dry spell. For me it's not a matter of losing interest, it mostly depends on my current budget and what happens to be available at the time.

Agreed completely. I'm also more of a low-end, budget guy. There are a lot of dry spells for good low-end stuff. A dozen great deals can come all at once, and then nothing for a while...The worst is when you find something that rarely comes up in lower condition gets listed on the bay, so you jump on it...And then 2 or 3 days later another comes up even cheaper... Happened to me the other day with the w514 Pep Young(Ross Youngs). I've wanted one for a while and they only pop up every so often(without the seller listing it as Ross), so I jumped on a raw BIN for $30...A few days later, I see a SGC Authentic one pop up for $20 BIN.. Luckily, mine's a little less trimmed, so I don't feel so bad about spending the extra $10 this time..

I think we all go through these phases the longer we collect, perfectly normal in my book.

Doug and David pretty much hit the nail on the head, whether you're looking for high or lower end cards. After 20+ years in the game, I've found my interests within the hobby will shift, and my interest will wax and wane at times, but have never had the flame burn out. Q. David Bowers, a very reputable figure in the coin hobby for many, many years, as well as likely its most proflic author, would categorize most of the members of this board as "connoisseurs," dedicated collectors in it for the long run, fully able to appreciate what they have in terms of the history of the game, rather than novelty seekers or investors. The interests of the latter groups, of course, tend to be much shorter in duration, whether its coins or cards. They dive in, get fully immersed, but before long, their flame dies out and they move on to something else. Which group one falls into may simply reflect different personality types, more than anything else.

Larry

Larry,

Well put and sums it up perfectly for those of us that have been at it for a long time.

I like that word, "connoisseur".

My lovely wife prefers "hoarder".

Doug

You're lucky, Doug. Mine prefers "you spent how much on what?!?!"

Happy collecting,

Larry

You guys are both lucky. Mine prefers "You got more sh!t in the mail today. Why don't you grow up and quit wasting money on that sh!t?" But then again, I guess that beats my buddy Bob telling me that I collect "pictures of men".

I'm single, but I still manage to get enough grief from friends and people at work. If I've lost count how many times I've heard "You paid what for a baseball card?! Are you nuts?!". Maybe there needs to be Net54 Cardaholics Anonymous meetings regularly scheduled in the chat room... :D

Everybody who doesn't collect cards has this derogatory view towards cards as though tomorrow they won't be worth anything. You could spend $2,000 on a rare coin yet that's perfectly okay. They're a good investment, right? They may or may not be. But spending $2,000 on a baseball card? Foolish. They're a fad......a 100+ year fad..... I would suppose a lot of this is because baseball cards used to be pretty much worthless.

Well, getting back to the original thread, I think it would matter quite a bit to have an interest in a given set that goes beyond collecting it just for the sake of "completion as the sole purpose." When I got back into collecting some 30 years ago, my primary - maybe even obsessive - interest was in the thrill of finding particular cards that might evoke long-buried childhood memories. And, since quite a few did just that, it was very enjoyable to complete several sets on that basis alone. It's understandable that, lacking that type of motivation, another collector might give up the chase much more quickly.