My internet went down between Saturday night and Sunday mid-day. During that time I had no access to eBay. That means no Don Mattingly or Phil Hughes purchases Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. In fact, I've barely made a handful of purchases in the past 7 days. And all of them totaled under $4 each. If you knew how much I was throwing down each week (or over the past 60 days) you'd say "WOW, what happened?"
Granted I dropped some money at the local card shop and then again at Target on a TSC blaster and some random packs. But it didn't feel the same. It just wasn't fulfilling. Plus, I mostly go to the hobby shop for supplies but I did pick up a nice stack of Yankee cards from the 70's. But to be honest, that's a rarity. The bulk of my purchases are on eBay. And I buy all my boxes online.
I can't describe this feeling that has set in. Before, I was gobbling up all the Mattingly deals I could find. Buy boxes that were on sale at Blowout cards every other weekend. Now, I'm content with picking up a pack here and a card there. I feel like Sportslots has more to offer me than eBay and there I can take my time and plan out my purchases better. Distant future purchases, not something I plan on buying tomorrow or by the end of the week.
Am I bored already? I just returned to the hobby in late July. Has the high of collecting relics and autos waned and I've become complacent? While I don't have the largest Mattingly collection around, Dave holds that title, my collection is nothing to scoff at. I have my share of low numbered cards, relics and autos (or all three in some cases). If I was to cut back to a card every so often, I honestly don't feel like I would be missing out. Which is a stark contrast of before where I couldn't get away from eBay for fear that I would miss out on deals (and I have, and it hurts).
What is hobby in moderation? What kind of concept is that? Where are the case break videos? Where are the super expensive top-tier product busts? Where are the maildays filled with expensive 1/1 auto relic cards? There is nothing glamorous about packageless maildays. The occasional retail pack. No box breaks of products loaded with shortprints and autos. What a snoozefest. How about finding a relic auto you never knew existed or getting a box of a product just because you wanna try your luck at landing that primo rookie autograph? The thrill of an auction win with 3 seconds left. Wow...I really need to get out more.
When are we satisfied with our collecting? Can we ever be satiated? Are we supposed to be? Honestly, after you've broken a box of cards didn't you just want to bust into another one? This hobby is about the thrill of the hunt. It's always been about that. It's about finding the next big thing and then finding the one after that. But right now, I don't have much of a desire to find that next big thing. Sure, something could come along to change my mind but right now, I'm pretty complacent in what I've collected so far. I am more than happy to just peck the occasional mediocre auction off eBay.
I guess my point of this long winding post is that I've reached a weird land of limbo in my collecting. I'm content with not buying a lot of cards or boxes or packs every day. I'm okay with slowing down my eBay scouting and only picking up cards that are below the $5 mark once in a while. I'm not collecting with that same urgency that I was before.
Am I truely in a collector's offseason?
TTM Success - Derin McMains
11 hours ago
3 comments:
Well, it sounds like you couldn't possibly keep up the pace that you were on, for the good of you bank account. I think it's normal to lose some interest during the baseball offseason when baseball isn't front and center on our minds.
My interest waned a little bit in the couple of weeks after the World Series, but then it picked up again recently. I never know when that collecting urge is going to go up or down.
It will come and go. The main challenge might be to keep blogging during the "gone" phases.
I think the thrill does fade after a while. As collectors we want to collect them all, that goal, as we soon realize is impossible. Thus we realize we are doomed to fail. Too many products, too many relics, too many autos, and not enough value in a box or packs. In fact some boxes are a huge rip off.
Something to think about: Triple threads is one of the worst products ever and collecting would be better off without it. If you agree, think about why exactly that is. For me its the answer as to why I am disgusted with the hobby sometimes.
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