Not depression, more like hopeless? T206 collection

[Kevin]

I’m stuck at 310-320 cards. I’d say I picked up half of those guys here on net54. Then my spread sheet crashed and I haven’t really bought a card in quite some time.

Back in 2005-2008, I estimate I spent 3k a month on personal entertainment. The proverbial “wine, women, song”. Why didn’t I just invest 10-15% of that into the t206 collection?

Ok, I’m whining. I’m not sure if I have any jewels in the collection. I have my first Cobb with the paper loss that I bought from Larry Fritsch in the mid 80s. I have a cool Walter Johnson portrait. A cool Hal Chase 42. No real rare cards in there…

…

I’m 51 years old and I feel like throwing in the towel. Maybe getting the spread sheet back up and running will give me the spark I need to add to the set instead of selling it all off.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I’m stuck at 310-320 cards. I’d say I picked up half of those guys here on net54. Then my spread sheet crashed and I haven’t really bought a card in quite some time.

Back in 2005-2008, I estimate I spent 3k a month on personal entertainment. The proverbial “wine, women, song”. Why didn’t I just invest 10-15% of that into the t206 collection?

Ok, I’m whining. I’m not sure if I have any jewels in the collection. I have my first Cobb with the paper loss that I bought from Larry Fritsch in the mid 80s. I have a cool Walter Johnson portrait. A cool Hal Chase 42. No real rare cards in there…

…

I’m 51 years old and I feel like throwing in the towel. Maybe getting the spread sheet back up and running will give me the spark I need to add to the set instead of selling it all off.

Collecting ebbs and flows. Hang in there. Once a collector always a collector.
.

[ullmandds]

No question collecting the monster with the intent of completion or more likely near completion is a marathon, not a sprint. I got tired of type collecting due to the fact, I was spending extraordinary amounts of money for nobody's just because the card had a rare back! Since changing my collecting focus to only things that I enjoy, not things I feel obligated to purchase. I am much happier..

[LEHR]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Since changing my collecting focus to only things that I enjoy, not things I feel obligated to purchase. I am much happier..

This is why I'm not a set collector. I've probably started 100 sets over the years and completed 3-4. All the complete sets I currently own were purchased complete and I just upgrade them as time goes on. The $100+ no name guys are what always kill me, especially on 50's-60's sets.

[Kutcher55]

You chose an extremely difficult set to put it mildly. Having that many of them is a great collecting accomplishment. You could always sell and reinvest the proceeds into a new project. But yeah rebuilding your spreadsheet is a good idea. It will compel you to go through the cards one by one and there’s fun in that process. Doing this will also help bring clarity on your next move. Good luck!

[bxb]

Welcome to the club.

I got to about 120 at my peak, then ran out of gas (and $).

Sold off most, saved my 10 favorites, and moved on to easier goals.

[Exhibitman]

I just limit myself to cards I like and players I like, regardless of eras. I have no patience to collect a set of 80% dud players. In T206, I decided to limit myself to portraits of HOFers and popular players, unless they don't have a portrait, like Speaker. Maybe focus a bit more on the cards you really like and use the rest to get more of the same. Oh, and a card:

[GrayGhost]

I feel so bad. I can't afford one t card. Must b nice.

Sorry
Just my REAL depression of money lack and loneliness.

Hope u complete your collection someday
..

[3-2-count]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I just limit myself to cards I like and players I like, regardless of eras. I have no patience to collect a set of 80% dud players. In T206, I decided to limit myself to portraits of HOFers and popular players, unless they don't have a portrait, like Speaker. Maybe focus a bit more on the cards you really like and use the rest to get more of the same. Oh, and a card:

This! Agree with Adam 100%!

[Luke]

Like others have said, there are tons of ways to do it. If you love every t206 you have, then maybe just keep plugging away. But if part of the reason you're posting this is that picking up the next $30 common isn't that exciting, maybe it's time to try and figure out what would be. I got to about 250 cards when I tried to collect the set. I was out of money and had a pretty small budget for new ones. Felt like it would take forever to get anywhere and I wasn't that excited to get the next common. So I did what Adam mentions above. Made a rule that I was only going to keep cards I loved. Meant giving up on the set dream, but I've never regretted it. For me the right thing was to sell everything and start collecting backs. Eventually my appetite for big HOF combos got to be too much and I had to sell all the non-HOFers to feed it. Haven't regretted that either. There's tons of ways to do it. You could even sell the t206s and collect cards from sets that are less in demand and deliver more bang for the buck.

[steve B]

I forget how many I have, I think around 250.

I got my first one in I think 1987.
Probably should have bought more of the HOfers and SL, I can't afford many of the cards now, or more like I could but would have to avoid buying much of anything else for longer than I'd like.

That's pretty much rue of all the sets I like.
Collecting something else where completeness is a mirage has helped me get away from having to complete anything.

[MVSNYC]

Kevin, don't throw in the towel, buddy. Collecting, especially T206, is a lifelong pursuit. Fire up your spreadsheet, make a list of a few top priority cards and target them (on eBay, on the BST here, at a show), get a few new cards and that'll without a doubt reignite your collecting bug and passion.

Being on LI, I assume you're not too far from Hofstra? You should hit up the next show there. I haven't been to that show in years, but I remember it usually had a good T206 selection.

Good luck, and as Mickey said to Rocky..."Get in there, Rock!"

[bbcard1]

I enjoyed the T206 slog, but as I am looking at Topps sets (complete back to 1957 plus a 55) I think I will probably just look at HOFers to save space.

[DCJayhawk]

Im in the middle of this as well (about 160 in so far). Taking a break so I can put money towards personal things. I will finish the set but Im in no rush to do so as the cards will always be there.
Sometimes taking a break for a few months is a good thing. Hang in there and remember chase the things you want whether thats completing the set or something else, do what makes you happy

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

I feel so bad. I can't afford one t card. Must b nice.

Sorry
Just my REAL depression of money lack and loneliness.

Hope u complete your collection someday
..

I am with you in this. I have more than enough income to live comfortably, go out to eat, take vacations. But I have a family, and I guess I am just not well-heeled enough to drop thousands of dollars as play money for baseball cards. I am thankful for the ones I have, and occasionally something comes along that I can afford, such as two recent Dockman's and one Baseball Caramels. $200 for all 3. But even deals like that, for beaters, are rare anymore.

[Ronnie73]

When it comes to the T206 set, everyone goes about collecting it a certain way, and even giving up on the set too. I started collecting the master front/back set back in 2010. I didn't want the 520 set because it was too easy to finish at the time. So I focused on harder to find backs. Plus I decided on this because I got tired of completing sets and then getting bored with them a week later, just to sell them and take a small loss to breaking even. I needed something I couldn't finish. 2010 to 2017 the prices were perfect for me, and my custom auto repair shop was doing good. But then Covid hit, along with an after hours shooting, and the start of inflation attacking the cost of basic living expences. There just wasn't enough work coming through the door anymore. People had priorities, and putting a turbo kit on their Honda, along with an air bag or hydraulic suspension, just wasn't at the top of their list anymore. So I had to close my shop in 2020. After that, my health got worse, and my future of working and reopening my shop was getting further from my reach. Plus the lack of extra money really hit my T206 Master Set hard. Also sitting around and stuck with your own thoughts, caused anxity, depression, and PTSD that I didn't even know I had before all of this.

So I'm basically saying to everyone, how much happier would you be if you got to a 520 or 522 set? How long do you think that happiness would last? My guess is it would feel the exact same as just adding one more basic T206 to your set. Think about just one card at a time. Don't think about the whole set in general. Your happiness will feel the same and last the same amount of time as a single card aquired.

Plus remember, you are not alone. Many people are trying to complete the 518,520, or 522 set. My last card purchased for my 520 set was on 8/5/2019. It was my 514th card in the basic 520 set. Since then, I've added 55 different front/back combinations I needed, and nearing 2000 different combinations. That's nearly 5 years. 11 new cards for my set per year. About one card a month. So don't be ashamed if you only add one card per month to your set. Continue the grind. And anxiety, depression, and ptsd are probably at their highest levels they've ever been at. Seek help if you feel you need to, and share with your friends. Because you just don't know who might be standing next to you that's dealing with a similar issue.

[t206kid]

To echo others, there are certainly ebbs and flows in collecting. Shoot me a message if you want a blank spreadsheet. I actually really enjoy card spreadsheet work, so maybe take a blank, a day, and a beer, and have fun repopulating.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I just limit myself to cards I like and players I like, regardless of eras. I have no patience to collect a set of 80% dud players. In T206, I decided to limit myself to portraits of HOFers and popular players, unless they don't have a portrait, like Speaker. Maybe focus a bit more on the cards you really like and use the rest to get more of the same. Oh, and a card:

Adam, why is the background color so electric green on that Walsh? I've never seen one like that.