What is a Collection Really Worth? - CONTEST ENTRY

**NU_Fan** · 09-27-2010, 01:50 PM

What is a Collection Really Worth?

I have often wondered why I collect these wallet-sized, cardboard pictures of strangers. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that it brings me back to the simpler time of my childhood; before I ever completed a homework assignment, knew what a deadline was, or could comprehend work outside of my daily chores. This was a time when all I had to worry about was what game I was going to play with my friends outside and what time dinner was at.

Although those years are admittedly now a little fuzzy and hard to recall, I can still vividly remember every Sunday sitting cross-legged, about a foot from our television screen, mesmerized by the game of football. It was back then I knew I wanted to play in the National Football League and participate in the games I watched so intently each weekend.

As this dream grew and became a part of me, I received a black, beat up, Nike shoebox of around 100 football cards from a friend of mine. This box contained mainly Topps cards from 1989 and 1990 that were printed by the millions, many were badly creased and bent. To me however these quickly became the most valuable things I had in the scarce category I could call my possessions. I would take out that weathered old shoebox and look over those cards for hours at a time, poring over the stats on the backs of the cards while carefully studying each action shot, pondering what my own football card would look like.

My dream of being an NFL player has long died out. Those days of having no responsibilities have long been replaced by school and work. The beat up old shoebox has been thrown away. I still collect football cards but my collection now mainly focuses on autographs and pieces of memorabilia. I can honestly say I don’t get the same joy with these “rare” cards that my handful of creased common cards used to provide me with.

The shoebox may be gone but the cards still remain. They are now carefully stored in a binder on the right corner second shelf of my bedroom bookcase. This humble nucleus of cards which gave birth to my current collection may be worth next to nothing in terms of monetary value, but to me they are priceless. These cards are special to me because whenever I feel overwhelmed by the drudgery that is everyday life, I know I can pull out that binder and feel instant nostalgia. When I lose track of what is really important in life and forget to appreciate the little things, I thumb through the 3x3 pages and I am immediately transported back in time to the magical, golden years of life. I remember my dream of playing in the NFL and how these simple cards provided me with so much enjoyment during those years.

My collection is much more than a way to make a quick dollar, instead it is a snapshot of my youth and the dreams that helped make me the person I am today. So in a way, this collection I have been gathering for years is a part of me. That is why that small core of cards that led me to my original question of why I collect cards will always remain the most valuable part of my collection.