[corbins sports cards]

This is a long post. Sorry in advance. I have collected cards ever since I can remember. Probably have around 100,000 thousand cards from the different sports in my card room. I think the most expensive card I have is a $50 football card. I have rookie cards from of many great players but only in the $10-$20 range. Only a few autographs and maybe 50 total game used/ race used. I have focused my collection on rookie cards the past few years and that has been about it. I can't afford a $300 lebron, kershaw, or brady card so I buy entry level rookies of them and others. Hard to use racing here cause they can be picked up cheap and aren't really worth much. I thought about collecting a autograph and memorabilia card of every player from every sport but that desire quickly left. I recently thought about doing just autograph memorabilia from my favorite players but then I run into the problem of older greats like earnhardt, and hall of famers from other sports might not have a auto mem card. Some have memorablia cards and just autos but none with both. I don't do sticker autos. Hate em. I am turning 31 next month and I am just wondering I guess, if u guys have hit this stage in your collecting what did you do. I don't need 200 individual common cards different drivers or athletes. That I am certain. I don't want to say I am loosing the desire to collect anymore because that is far from the truth, just don't know what I am wanting to do anymore. My friend would kill for an Earnhardt auto. I have had i think 4 of them and when I get bored or needed some cash for something I would just sell em. I don't know what I am wanting to hear so what have u guys done if you have gotten to this point in your life and it probably seems like a stupid problem but it is a problem for me.

[Hofcollector]

I'm not entirely sure what the conflict is. I'm picking up boredom and lack of direction maybe? Honestly, if you've never gotten any big dollar value cards or huge hits, it may be time to start trying to trade up. You may take a loss in doing so but I promise, once you start reeling in hard to find auto's or memorabilia cards you'll never look back. There truly is something special in having a card you know every body wants, and (if you so choose) passing it on to the next guy in trade or sale so that he or she can admire and appreciate it the way you did. Being part of a network where you see some truly great cards and the others do around you is pretty cool.

[Point401]

I agree^^^

I would also suggest greater focus. What worked for me is collecting only jeter cards, focusing on the years 92-96. This way, I get excited for any jeter, but those tough to find inserts from the early years are really exciting for me. Maybe if you pick your favorite athlete and trade away others to amass a collection with more focus, you will find more pleasure in the hobby. Hope that helps.

[randall44]

For me I needed greater focus and I did this by coming up with some projects, some easy, some difficult, that can occupy my time and are not too impossible to add to. First I decided to get one card and one auto of every HOF player. I also decided to get 1 card of every MVP and CY winner from the year after they won the award. So, when 2015 topps comes out I will need to get 1 card of Mike Trout, 1 of Cory Kluber, and 2 of Kershaw, because he won the CY and MVP. Then I also decided to get 1 card of every 1rst overall MLB draft pick from the last year they played. In addition I collect everything of Clayton Kershaw and I have started doing the same with Chipper Jones. None of these are too expensive unless you want them to be. There are a lot of HOF players whose cards are not that expensive, especially if you are not too grade sensitive on them. You could also do all pitchers who have pitched no hitters, or pick something else. I needed to have a couple different projects because inevitably you become bored or stuck just doing one thing.

[dimarco73]

Having a focus or goal on what you want your collection to be can be important, but I personally don't run with that rule. My collection is pretty much all over the place, very random, pretty much whatever catches my interest at that point in time. When that interest fades and goes to something else I either put that on the side and start on something else which builds my collection overall or I use what no longer interests me to obtain what I currently seek.

Its your collection, collect what you want/like. If it does not interest you any longer trade/sell it for something that catches your attention.
Nothing worse then sitting on cards that you could care less if you have them or not.

Indeed high end cards are awesome looking and very appealing to the eye....and yes very difficult to obtain when the collecting budget is small or nill.
That's why trade sites like this are great.
If your willing to part with your cards it is easy to turn a bunch of $10-$20 cards into eventually a $200-$300 card.
Of course it is a ultra rare occasion in pulling off the 12 $20 card trade for a sweet $200 card but it is much easier to build your way up especially if your willing to give an advantage out.
Offering 3 cards at $15-$20 each can easily bring back a single card $40-$50. Packaging a couple $40-$50 cards can lead to bringing in a $60-$75 card and so on and on.
Yes it takes time, but it does accomplish getting you active in the hobby, thinning out your collection of cards you dont really mind giving up and works towards getting some cards in the high end area of the hobby if that is what your aiming to do.

A lot of collectors on hear do indeed have goals or specific areas of interest that they collect and that works for them, but when it comes to your collection there are no rules, only the ones that you apply.

From what you mentioned it sounds like your sitting on a lot of cards that you don't really know what to do with because you have no connection with them. If thats the case, then parting with them via trading or selling to streamline your collection into fewer cards that you really enjoy may be something to think about.

[corbins sports cards]

I have come to the conclusion I need to get more organized. need to get more cards on beckett for trade, and just have fun collecting cards again. Maybe figure a certain direction to go later. Just have fun I think is what I need, and hopefully make some trades to get certain stuff I want. Thanks for the comments, and maybe I can do some trades with you all.

[waynetalger]

I went through this same thing back in 1997. I was fixing to get married and I told my wife I would sell off my collection. Then she said " You enjoy it keep it going" fast forward to 2005 she said your collection is getting to big so I traded/sold / gave away all my basketball cards then fast forward to 2010 she said your collection is getting to big again need to cut something so I decided to move my football cards be keep my favorites and Dallas Cowboys. If I traded Cowboys I better have a dupe. My Baseball I told her I will not down size she will lose that battle. LOL