Anatomy of a Collection – How to Have Fun and Not Burn Out

When I got back into collecting cards in 1999, I was going nuts with all the options available to collect.  After sifting through the insane number of products available I couldn’t figure out which route to go.  It didn’t take long for me to just give up and back out of the hobby I love.  I got back into the hobby in 2006 mainly because I just love cards this time however I had a plan.  I decided right away to collect base sets, autographs and game used cards.

Armed with some money and an insane desire to have the best and biggest collection I hit eBay with reckless abandon and started buying every autograph and game used card I could find under $5.  My collection now has got to be close to 2000 cards that are either autographed or a little piece of bat or jersey.  Lately though, I have been torn, I don’t like the autographed card as much as I did when I got back in.  After doing through the mail autograph hunting and just going to sporting events to get autographs I find that those mean more to me.  So I backed out of the card autographs, I mean the sticker is so impersonal in my opinion.  Next I took a look at my game used.  How many white and grey jerseys can one person own?

So over the weekend I decided, to collect something that is visually stimulating and fun to look at.  Cards that when you show someone, they try and figure out what part of the jersey it is coming from.  Thanks to the incredible over production of patches over the past few years, eBay is glutted with them and good player’s patch cards can be had for between $4 – $7 with shipping.  So this is my new endeavor.  It’s taken a long time, but I finally understand how to collect.

The sad truth is that you can’t buy everything.  There is just too much stuff out there and with the economy in the tank it’s just not wise to do it.  A new person or even a person like me who has been lured back into collecting should follow simple rules when creating a collection. Below I list the rules that every collector should follow:

• Identify your budget – There is an old addage in gambling that you should bet with your head and not over it.  Buying packs of cards is a gamble, you don’t know what’s going to be inside value wise.  You could buy a $10 pack and get a $50 card, or you could get $1 worth of commons.  Knowing how much you can afford to spend a week / month without breaking the budget is key.
• Pace yourself – What ever area of card collecting you get into, do it at a slow pace.  If you are looking for individual cards, then maybe buy one or two cards a week.  After a while you will have a very substantial collection.  What you don’t want is to blow a ton of money on a bunch of cards and then get burned out.  The blogosphere is littered with blogs that have been abandoned by people who couldn’t keep up with their desires.  Pacing is everything in this hobby.  Let you collection grow slowly.
• Collect what you like – Is there a player you love? For instance Mario at Wax Heaven <link> collects, Jose Canseco, Andrew Miller, and Florida Marlins.  Bailey over at The Nennth Inning <link> collects Tim Lincecum cards.  Personally I am shifting my collection to patch cards.  Find what kind of card makes you want more and collect it.  Of course always factor in your budget.  For instance if you are going to only collect Albert Pujols cards, then you better be ready to shell out some big dollars.
• Have Fun – The hobby is all about having fun, if you are in it for the money, you are in it for the wrong reasons.  Cards are no longer investments.  Every year there is a bigger better card that is worth more money than the previous sets.  If you are collecting it’s important that you have fun.  If you aren’t or if you feel overwhelmed, take a step back and figure out why.  Because if you aren’t having fun it’s not worth pursuing.
• Your Collection is Not the Biggest - Just remember that right now, because no matter what you think about your collection, someone else has a nicer one or a bigger one or a more valuable one.  Don’t go for broke because it’ll make you broke in a hurry.

The hobby is in rough shape right now.  Card companies are failing or have gone under (Just Minors, Donruss, and Upper Deck).  The boxes of today are not giving the value they once did.  The industry is contracting, and is being forced to re-examine itself.  We as collectors need new collectors to spur on the industry.  We don’t need more frustrated collectors, we need smarter ones.  More focused collectors so that the industry can cater to us better.  Right now Topps, Upper Deck and Panruss lost their way, they don’t know what the collector is looking for.  So when you set up your collection or your blog, give them insight and focus.  Mario may be the current leading voice of our hobby, but we need more.  Let the companies know what you think of their product.  Let them understand what you are looking for.  Now get out there and as Chris Harris from Stale Gum <link> always says . . . “A, B, C – Always Be Collecting”.

Please share your secrets of collecting whether as a comment below or on your own blog.