The influence of this forum on me

jmaciu

When I joined this forum around the beginning of June, my goal was to build a 1960 Topps baseball set in the 7-8 PSA range. I began my quest in November of 2012, when I reconnected with the hobby after a nearly 20 year hiatous. I began buying cards on eBay for my set and became obsessed with the PSA registry. My view was, no matter how long it took, I was going to try to get to the top 10 on the list. I have spent quite a bit of money to get to nearly 15% completion. Last week I spent $145 on a low pop PSA 8 common for a player that I new nothing about. I had become blinded by the grade and the slab, rather than the pure love of the cards.

Tonight I decided to put the set on ice. A thread by Downtown1974 entitled "Cards in the Atic" made me realize that my graded card collecting was what I though I should do, not what a truly wanted to do. I am going to just collect raw cards. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, so a nice box of 70's cards in top loaders will make me happy. But, I am not going to lie: I like cards from the 50's and 60's too, so there will be plenty of them too. Who knows, there might even be some wax packs in there. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can truly get back to collecting. Thank you Collectors Universe.

Downtown1974

jmaciu, Congrats on obtaining a focus! That's a huge accomplishment alone. I'm glad my thread may have helped your thought process. Please keep us posted on your progress, and I would love to see some pics of your collection.

hyperchipper09

I applaud that

MBMiller25

Get off that stupid registry and the hobby becomes fun as your back to collecting and not buying cards to fill a hole in a registry or better yet to upstage the guy your competing with. On the down side....You no longer get your invite to the PSA luncheon at the National.

Piggs

Approach the hobby that is most satisfying and enjoyable to YOU. It's different for everyone but don't lose focus on the fun of collecting cards. The way raw cards can be protected these days keeps them safe so you definitely will have no storage problems. I bet you will save some money this way to but have a good eye on choosing the right cards. Good luck. Doug

jmaciu

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Here is the first 4 cards I will place in my own version of my hobby box: The 1979 Morgan was pulled out of a pack when I was a kid. He is one of my all-time favorites. The 1973 McCovey was purchased at a card show when I was in high school. The 1981 Brett and Murray cards were from a couple rack packs I ripped a couple weeks ago. The journey is going to be fun.

galaxy27

Great read, jmac. Been there, done that my friend. Ultimately it's about collecting in a way that maximizes your own personal happiness. And the great thing about this forum is that members disperse in all different directions in pursuit of that.

Looking forward to future posts!

yankeeno7

Dont be afraid to sub some cards if you think they will make the grade and make you some money.....then use that extra cash to burn on more stuff you want. It can be a great way to help your collection when the rare opportunity arises.

cadets68

If you are selling some of the 1960's let me know.

I need 55 more cards to finish my set.

Shawn

ThoseBackPages

Great story! Thank you for taking the time to share with us

PowderedH2O

I did the same thing. I can't see myself buying graded post 1970 cards again. I see people payiing $100 for a late 1970's common in PSA 10, when I can buy the entire set in Near Mint condition for just a few dollars more. Silly in my opinion. I am reserving my graded card purchases for older cards or very valuable cards (for example, a 67 Seaver that I recently purchased). But I am overjoyed to no longer be competing with the big boys, but only with my own goals.

brianwintersfan

I sold off the majority of my graded cards and never looked back. Collecting raw has been a joy and has made me have fun again. Don't feel bad for not playing the graded card game.

jmaciu

It is nice to see others that share my view. I am not at all opposed to the whole grading thing, but colleting graded sets and doing the registry isn't for me. . I can't say that I will never buy another graded card or that I will never send in a card to be graded, but a vast majority of my cards will be just nice and raw. I look forward to the challenge of using my own eyes and judgment into picking out cards for my collection.

KennytheRat

I just got back into collecting after a break and decided to work on my hockey sets like when I was a kid. They are all raw right now and will stay that way. I might buy some star cards graded, but it will be based on the card in the holder and not the grade on the flip. Good luck with the collection jmaciu!!!!!!!!

Mapleleaf

I collect OPC hockey sets both raw and graded. The raw ones are fun and inexpensive while the graded ones are an exciting challenge. I can appreciate both approaches but try to avoid the heavy weight on the shoulders feeling. The nice thing about graded cards is that they are easy to sell when you change your collecting focus.