What is the most important lesson you've learned through collecting?

[jchcollins]

Cool topic for a post - as it really made me think. I like a lot of what I have read here! The below are just for me personally and may not apply to everyone - but in 32 years of buying cards off and on since I opened that first Topps pack at age 9 - here is what I would say:

1. Don't sweat it when you have to sell something: First off, I don't have hidden hoards of disposable income in the closet or my safety deposit box down at the bank, and second - I'm married, so even if I did... when I want to add something substantial to my collection - like some of the rest of you, it sometimes requires me to sell something that I already have to finance said purchase. I've learned the hard way over the years that I will ponder and deliberate in frustration for hours up to days about selling whatever it is...but then whenever it is done and after I've put the card in the mail - 9 out of 10 times I don't think about it ever again after a few days. I know many people have regrets selling cards like this - but strangely and even for some pretty hefty expensive and/or important vintage cards - this does not happen to me. I'm always able to move on to whatever I just bought or other pieces of my collection.

2. Don't forget about something as soon as it's in hand and move on only in the spirit of the chase: No disrespect to those of you that do this, but I've never understood the type of collector who will brag to others about having this or that fantastic card, "Oh, but I haven't seen it in 10 years because it's locked-up down at the bank." Huh? I guess I can see that point with ultra expensive cards, but to me this totally defeats the purpose of having a nice collection. I LOOK at my favorite cards - daily, hell I've been known sometimes to take a few with me to work or on trips. Jefferson Burdick has a quote about cards being able to lift you from your present concerns - "work-a-day cares" or something like that. How are you going to do that if you never look at your cards?

3. Participate in the hobby in some way: Do something other than just stockpiling cardboard. I don't have the time or luxury to drive anymore to go to shows, and all the LCS's in the area have forsaken me and closed as well - but only after that was when I found Net54. Just talking about the hobby and reflecting on the various topics that come up here has been tremendously enjoyable to me over the past 3+ years now. Truth be told, I probably get more out of the Net54 board interaction than I do from the cards themselves. I've always been a bit of a nerdy introvert with the hobby - I don't have a lot of hobby friends I see in person (sorry, for me this is mostly about cards, less about people...er, at least in person) and I generally tend to it when my wife and kids are doing other things. But I will say that the advent of the internet opened up another whole world to me in terms of finding a place to talk about the hobby.

4. As others have said: Collect what you like and don't be swung to do something just because it's popular for others you admire or in the hobby in general. The classic example for me is set collecting. I don't know how many times I've tried to be a set collector just because it seems like the thing I should be doing, but I can tell you I've failed every single time. Even with beautiful vintage sets like '67 Topps - there will come a point where I get tired of spending money on common cards. I simply don't care that much about them. At the end of the day for an additional card, I'd rather have a HOFer out of a set that I'm NOT collecting, than a 1967 Topps Herman Franks just because - well...I guess I need him because I'm doing the set. I've also realized as I came to terms with the set collecting issue - that it's incredibly liberating to NOT need certain random cards just because of the set. Technically now I don't "need" anything - each additional card I get because I want it, and only because I want it. And there is no next step or required piece. I may buy 50 more cards this year, or I may be done. It doesn't matter because there is no goal line.

5. Let it be a hobby, but not an obsession. If any decision around collecting or about a purchase becomes too stressful or difficult, let it go. The cards are what I go to ostensibly to escape the real world. If they are suddenly a source of stress themselves, well then something ain't right...

I could go on...but wiill leave these as my thoughts for now. Thanks!