I've always been of the "no pack left behind" philosophy. Never leave one pack in a box if you make a purchase. If there's only one pack, buy it. At a local card shop, there was one pack of 2016-17 Artifacts left. I bought it. This is what I received for $13.
Yeah, I got one numbered card and a bunch of base. Sure, it's just one pack. However, think about all of the boxes you've purchased and after opening them, were basically left with nothing. It happens to me almost every time. I'm over it.
The name of my blog is "I Feel Like A Collector Again" and this purchase is a prime exhibit of what I'm referring to. I'm not buying boxes anymore looking for that "big hit." I'm buying things that I want to collect. I'm buying boxes of cards when I want to make sets.
In the last couple of months, the boxes I've purchased are Series 1 hockey, multiple Parkhurst blasters and a few e-Pack Compendium boxes. I will put together the Upper Deck and Parkhurst sets. I'm not working on a Compendium set, but I am using the cards to trade and achieve other goals.
These are all "low-end" sets. They have long odds of hitting a "big" card.
However, I'm having as much fun as I have had in a long time. That's what a hobby should be, fun.
Y'all can go blow hundreds and thousands of dollars to get a McJesus The Cup /99. Good luck with that. I'm done throwing my money away in the "card lottery." I can buy what I truly want a lot cheaper. Hopefully Upper Deck continues making sets geared toward real collectors.
I've been collecting this way for 12 years now and have rarely felt burned out by the hobby. It's just so much more enjoyable than trying to play "the lottery."
ReplyDeleteI'll always be a set collector...it is true card collecting to me. For me it's about documenting the history of the sport(s), if I happen to get a pricey card that's great but it's not the goal. I admit I'm happy when I pull a card I couldn't afford to buy, and it does happen sometimes, but I truly don't care for "book value" and it's been years since I bought a Beckett. The fact that the card exists and I have it is all that matters to me.
ReplyDeleteOpening packs has always been my favorite part of collecting. Sliding a card back, seeing an Alan Trammell or Lou Whitaker... it was like a drug.
ReplyDelete