I guess it all comes down to why you collect and how.
If it's a competetive thing then yes, someone else will always have cooler stuff or more stuff.
But if you collect as a connection to the history of a game you like, or just because you like the stuff then it's very possible to have a very impressive but inexpensive collection.
And some of what makes a collection a collection rather than an accumulation is that context that gives it meaning. For me it's a combination of the subjects(I don't just collect sports) combined with a bit of history of not only the game, but how the game and the people who play it professionally have been viewed over the last century+. A couple of my friends have asked about the collection, and if I have time I set out one card from each decade- 1880's - now. And explain how the portrayal of the players reflects the times the card was made. Some get it, some don't and probably never will.
Steve B
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