Collecting My Thoughts

By the time this hits your inbox, I’ll be on a train from DC up to New York for Fanatics Fest. I’m looking forward to it, and we’ll have a lot at the show and the Card Combine. I think helping younger collectors or just those new to the hobby in general is a great resource and one I wish I had more of when I was getting back in.

Granted, 2020-2022 was maybe not the time to get back in from a “let's just buy product because I have adult money now and I can buy what I want” perspective, but it overall was a good time to get in because I had to learn quickly about the scams, shady deals, and every possible negative thing that could happen in the hobby.

Luckily, I avoided getting taken on any big deals and found my mid-90s/early-00s basketball collection. Now, unfortunately, I stopped collecting in like 2002, so no LeBron’s, but I did find more than a handful of Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, etc. cards. Granted, if I had had the Card Combine resource when I was 10, I would have known to put those in a sleeve and a top loader, and not just let them sit in a shoebox and hope the years would be kind to them.

I see the way my nephews and one of my nieces treat their cards, and I, for sure, was not as smart as them. My oldest daughter even protects her K-Pop Demon Hunters cards she got in a Happy Meal. Meanwhile, my Upper Deck SPx Michael Jordan was just sitting upright in a shoebox, wedged between other cards on their side.

Like in life, I want to be a good example for not just my kids, but my nieces, nephews, etc. That’s why I hope we can help the younger generation make better decisions than we did.

At least until college… and then there are certain mistakes you gotta learn on your own.