Collecting Obscure/Scarce/Under-appreciated sets - Does it affect your enjoyment?

[Danny Smith]

Well I’m 42 cards into the 50 card e105 Mello Mint set. It’s taken maybe 10 years but it’s a ton of fun. It started because I liked that it had Smith in the name and I was getting bored of the t206 set (which I completed this year without plank / Wagner). I’ve since completed a number of caramel and tobacco sets but this one is my ultimate chase.

I started when no one really cared about mellos and picked up 25 pretty easily. There are some other awesome Mello guys who have come and gone which has at times led to some crazy prices but spirited competition and strong collecting friendships. The cards are tough to come by now because they have grown in popularity as type cards and are just a mysterious set but I keep on trucking,

I get super pumped when they come up at auction or someone reaches out regardless of whether I need the card - and when one of the ones I need comes up it is beyond exciting. Most of the time I don’t win the last ones I need which totally sucks but man when I win it is just awesome - despite royally overpaying sadly. For better or worse there are 2 or 3 of us going hard for the same cards.

It’s a tough set. It’s getting pricey. But damn it I’m gonna finish it. And my kids will get them knowing how much of a bear it is to complete.