"The Hunt" v.s. Enjoying what you have

[DHogan]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I agree as well. I love what I have, and routinely view...but the hunt is the excitement. That is why I am a set collector...never done!

Me too. I hardly ever go thru my cards to look at them. It's just fun knowing that I have something different.

[jfkheat]

I agree with what others have said, I enjoy the hunt more than actually owning the card. If I am getting close to completing a set and the last few cards are getting tougher to find I will start a new set. That way I am almost always hunting for something.
James

[Exhibitman]

I go through three phases:

The Hunt: Chasing down those elusive want list items.

The Having: Sitting down and enjoying albums of cards. Too hot here yesterday to venture outside for long so I went through about 20 albums. Great afternoon.

The Culling: Eventually, I decide to cut down on the sheer volume of cards, realizing that I really don't enjoy most cards in a set. I keep the ones I like, get rid of the rest.

[clydepepper]

I sit here within a few feet of almost all the cards I ever thought I would be lucky* enough to own.

And yet...

[JeremyW]

"I can't tell if I needed to build a decent collection before I could slow down and enjoy it, or if some switch flipped in my brain to make me more thankful for what I have as opposed to always wanting more stuff. It's possible that it could be more related to my overall outlook on life, but I'm not sure."

I can sympathize with this statement.

[GasHouseGang]

I've been at it close to 40 years, and it's still about the hunt. I seem to look at scans of my cards more than I do the actual cards. I'm beginning to think I could be a new digital collector, and just collect the scans. I'd have one heck of a Cracker Jack collection in no time! Oh, and multiple copies of the Wagner!

[cincyredlegs]

Great topic Luke. I think most "set collectors" inherently love the thrill of the hunt.

I use to try and collect everything thanks to my OCD but 3 years ago I made up my mind to just focus on completing the T206 set. I have been able to stick to it pretty well without to many distractions. I also sit down and look through them pretty regularly as well.

Mark

[Topps206]

I like both. New ones are fun and I love what I already have.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Having jumped back into set collecting, there is ALWAYS something new to learn about and hunt down. Sometimes it is almost anti-climatic to actually receive certain cards. I get the box/envelope open, look at the card a while, then it eventually goes into its place in the set in the box, and then I start looking for what's next (if I hadn't already started thinking about what was next before the last package arrived ). I honestly don't go back and look at completed sets or star cards I have purchased like I thought I would. From time to time, I go into my collectibles closet and see the boxes and binders but don't always open them up.

The times I do open them up and look through them are when I am checking to see if I might have a variation I have just learned about or when I am too broke to buy anything new just then, so I distract myself with what I already have. That is pretty pathetic isn't it?

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Having jumped back into set collecting, there is ALWAYS something new to learn about and hunt down. Sometimes it is almost anti-climatic to actually receive certain cards. I get the box/envelope open, look at the card a while, then it eventually goes into its place in the set in the box, and then I start looking for what's next (if I hadn't already started thinking about what was next before the last package arrived ). I honestly don't go back and look at completed sets or star cards I have purchased like I thought I would. From time to time, I go into my collectibles closet and see the boxes and binders but don't always open them up.

The times I do open them up and look through them are when I am checking to see if I might have a variation I have just learned about or when I am too broke to buy anything new just then, so I distract myself with what I already have. That is pretty pathetic isn't it?

This sounds about right.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

That is pretty pathetic isn't it?

Not in the least. I do it all the time, and every time I go through my collection, without fail, I find something I completely forgot I had. To me, that's the same high as getting something new.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by conor912

Not in the least. I do it all the time, and every time I go through my collection, without fail, I find something I completely forgot I had. To me, that's the same high as getting something new.

I know what you mean. It always feels strange doing a double take on something I own but had forgotten. It is a bit of a rush!

I have also gone the other way...looked for something that I sold but forgot I sold. In this case it was a really nice '53 Bowman Color Musial. I don't sell much ever, and I will never understand why I let go of that one. I have yet to find one that equaled that one, in my eyes at least.