Does your spouse know anything about your collection ?

[Leon]

Ridiculous sum is a relative term. My wife knew I spent a lot on cards (relative to our other things) and it was part of our assets and a bigger part than it really should have been, as I so often have said. But that is fixed for the moment.
She encourages my collecting otherwise and knows I love it. We have even talked of traveling and setting up at shows in the future. I think it could be fun (as long as some shows survive). It even funded a college education and a little more!!

ps...Rich, gotcha covered....

Originally Posted by h2oya311

Leon - How did you explain the ridiculous sum of money coming in from Heritage Auctions??

As for me, I was once pretty secretive about everything, but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders ever since I "came out of the closet", so to speak. I too used to open packages at work or in the basement (or in a closet). How sad!

It's hard to keep a big secret like this when you are buying a house and so I just came out and told her how much the collection is worth (or at least how much I paid over the years). She knows I love the hobby, so she wouldn't fight me over it. She also knows I've had a few big scores over the past few years, so that helps dampen the blow. She still doesn't consider it part of our total net assets, but to me, it's a long-term investment and a decent liquidity back-stop (aka the "oh $hit" fund). As others have mentioned, this money could have been blown on so many other endeavors.

Great idea for a post, by the way.