Think about it

[deadballera]

as many previous collectors have already stated.

enjoy what you collect. don't always bet on the future value, it might or might not be there.


I would love to own some of the high grade or super rare/scarce cards but simply can't afford it. At the same time, I do love picking up a few cards a month that my budget can afford.

[bbcard1]

In the end, unless you are curing cancer, is one life activity really any better than another? Act ethically and morally, enjoy the company people you love, be kind and do things you like so long as they don't interfere with the first three things.

[atx840]

Lower end collector here.

My cards mean the same to me as I am sure any other passionate collector feels no matter what tax bracket we are in.

Still would like a T206 Plank

[Exhibitman]

The be-all, end-all is collect what makes you happy. If competition is your bag, go for registry sets. If not, don't worry about what others have. Enjoy the experiences you share with fellow collectors who approach things in a spirit of kindness and good will consonant with your approach to collecting and walk away from the bozos who use the hobby as another means of inflicting their debilitating social defects on others. Life is too short to let baseball cards make you unhappy.

[36GoudeyMan]

... but I collect what I love and love what I collect, even when the collecting is going slowly because nothing that "fits" is showing up for sale/bid. That's when its frustrating, waiting for one of two or three cards that you need/want. I sometimes find myself saying, "hey, that '56 Topps set might be nice to start." But then I realize that there is a difference between collecting for the sake of collecting (hoarding? amassing?), and collecting for the sake of the intrinsic enjoyment building a collection brings, and, as well, its value. The pleasure comes from the latter; the former is rarely fulfilling, even if it is successful. When I pull myself back from embarking on starting a new set for the sake of having a new set to work on (and thus something to do between acquisition of the "needed" cards), and go back to the sets I love, every step in finishing a set I'm doing out of desire rather than routine is enjoyable.

My conclusion -- if you aren't first and foremost collecting what you love, you are simply doing it wrong.

[jp1216]

For me, collecting cards keeps me 'young'. I still feel like a 10 year old when I hear the mail man coming down the street.

I see a real difference between 'collecting' cards and just 'buying' cards. If I had enough cash to buy a full set right away - I wouldn't do it. The joy in checking the boxes on a checklist (or putting X's on a excel spreadsheet), is what I enjoy. (my son too). I worked on a '59 Topps set for 10+ years and loved it. I had the money to finish it sooner, but it would not have as fun. I wanted to assemble the set - not buy it. I like enjoying each card (or a few at a time). My T206 near set is the same way. I like to pick up a few a month and 'enjoy' them.

Sure, I break the bank when a true 'must have' comes around once every few years - but that is rare.

BTW - for those that mentioned the '89 Ripken card - http://www.billripken.com is actually my website. Guilty pleasure I confess.... But I did just pick up 8 different missing ink proofs (all different)...

Happy Collecting to all.

[glchen]

I don't mean to say anyone is hypocritical or anything like this, but I really wonder sometimes when so many collectors say that they would still have the same collecting habits if the value of cards dropped to near zero. It may be true for some collectors like the OP, but I think for most, it's very, very rare. Some cards are highly valued because of supply and demand. They are rare or a lot of people want them. I would love to own a Baltimore News Ruth, and I wish the market would crash so I could afford one. However, I think that I subconsciously also wish that after I purchase that card, the market would rebound.

There is a niche for practically any collector in today's card market. Heck, a true collector who didn't care about value would collect those 80s and 90s cards that are practically worthless or most of the modern / non-chase cards. People can't give those cards away.

Also, I'm curious if anyone on the board still actively collects stamps since that is a hobby that his hit hard times. Practically no one collects stamps anymore, and I'm fairly sure the value of stamps has dived. When I was a kid, in addition to cards and coins, I also collected stamps. I would think a true stamp collector would be loving this era, since he would be able to obtain a lot of stamps at a fraction of the value as in the past. (Again, I am not a stamp collector, so I could be completely wrong here, and would love to hear from true stamp collectors on this.)

I think what most collectors really mean when they say they wish the market would drop to zero is that they wish the card market would return to the level in the 1980s or 1990s for prewar. The value of cards weren't zero, but they were a heck of a lot cheaper. I'm wishing for the early 2000s myself since when I look at a lot of the old auction archives (such as from Legendary/Mastro), I can't believe how cheap cards went back then. The level or card prices now could mean that there is a huge speculative bubble (which is definitely possible) or that there have been fundamental changes in the card market to cause these changes. The fundamental changes would basically be the internet, auction / ebay sites, and grading companies. There is a great deal more knowledge in prewar cards among the general collecting public now that used to be concentrated only in the hands of a few advanced collectors. The internet has enabled these rare cards to be much easier to try to collect, which although it seems contradictory, increases their value. And TPG's allow the general layman who collects to have more confidence in what he is buying.