[Billwinkle]

I too have considered hanging up the skates (Canadian hockey collector here) on occasion. I think most collectors have at one point in time in their life. Each time I consider it I ask myself why? It always points back to my childhood where we all would pullout our box of cards and trade with our friends in the old got em got em need em game. You would banter back and forth toss in a few cuss words and eventually make the trade. None of us considered the "value" or rareity of the card. We just knew we needed it and if it meant that you had to trade 2 or 3 for the one you needed then you called your friend a few choice names, made the trade then smacked each other and went on to the next trade. Today when you see the kids that manage to pull themselves away from the video games in a store or show collecting cards the first think mentioned is the "value". They don't appreciate the fun in collecting and that is disheartening to me, hence the frustration. Each time I consider giving it up I think back to what I enjoyed as a kid and look for that in other collectors. They are out there you just need to be patient. That is why I never sell always trade and rarely buy any of my collection. I am not into the graded, slabbed, authenticated stuff. I know what I collect, know what I need and know what I have to trade to get it. I also know I will occasionally buy a few cards but I don't rely on some third party mistake prone lacky to tell me what is obvious to me. SO the next time you consider putting away the cards, keep the chin up and skate it off my friend, skate it off