WHY do we collect?

[Wickabee]

That's the reason I'm doing this. Because I think it's bening.

But what a bizarre thing. Imagine God creating a brain an putting this caracter trait in it.

We are really destined to rule the world with an array of talents like that.

I have to wonder, though, if it's truly exclusive to humans. Like I said, there are many examples of collecting in the animal kingdom.

this is why I like SCF. Where else can you go from a thread about firesale problems, to addiction!

For me collecting is a escape, I have always collected cards since I was about 8, but got away from it for a long time, in that time many many many(yes I wrote many 3 times)bad things in life have happened, I have had numerous addictions which almost cost me everything, I have had a broken marriage and the list goes on, and I am only 30!lol

But when I started collecting again about 2 years ago, i found a positive escape, something that was actually really rewarding, and not killing me!lol..and it's not just the thrill of the deal, but I have met many of great people on this site, and by just simply talking to them have done so much in my life.

It's amazing to think the road that I was on was changed by a piece of cardboard!and I love it and I am thankful each and every day now!

Sorry to spill the beans here with all this stuff, but hey I know SCF is a place where I can actually say something like this!

Thanks again for reading...

Mike

Mike, I used to read posts like this and, while I respected it, I didn't get it. Last spring I got a bad (thought not completely terrible) diagnosis and haven't been working since.
I get it now.
I'm not going to say collecting has saved my life or anything, but it is definitely responsible for the majority of my current sanity and lack of depression. I still can't quite describe the cause-amd-effect of it all, but I get it.

Your english beats my french........

Yes, I believe ANY addiction is bad. Being too weak to quit smoking is killing me physically AND mentally. Drugs and alcohol are pure evil if you can't say no. Hockey cards tho? I don't believe any of us are truly addicted to them, we just like to think we are. We might be addicted to the chase, or to the fleeting moment when we open up the mail, but to the hobby itself? No. If I HAD to sell everything I'd be able to, it would ALL have to go tho.

Thing is, though, there are different types of addiction and ability to break the addiction does not negate the addiction.
For example, I can go for a day without smoking if I absolutely have to. Does that mean I'm not addicted to nicotine? Not at all. It just means I have some semblance of control over my addiction. I'm still addicted and, even if/when I quit, I always will be.

[cardscardscards]

My thing is actually not so much collecting as busting wax. I have the hardest time settling down on a player, team or set.

I was introduced to wax by one of my high school friends. We'd have pack wars, except the loser still kept his cards, where the winner would get bragging rights. Once a week, we'd take a walk over to the local "dépanneur" and later our little LCS that is no more to buy packs of Upper Deck, Score, Pro Set, etc. We were both chasing the big one, but of course we always fell short with out paltry budgets. lol

Ultimately, I won. One weird day where rain and heavy snow mixed, we walked over to the LCS and each bought ourselves 2 packs of 93-94 Donruss. Those packs were expensive at $5 each, but the cards were SO nice. I pulled a Patrick Roy Elite which I still own to this day. Now that was a serious hit... and not only that, each one was individually serial-numbered (that was something we had NEVER seen) and there were ONLY 10,000 copies! I had gotten card # 01982/10,000. We ran back to the LCS to show off my pull. The owner was SHOCKED when he saw the card, but only because minutes earlier a customer had bought the remaining 4 packs of that Donruss box and pulled card #01981/10,000.

Anyhoo, long story short, I continued busting wax, but a much slower pace. Nothing I pulled came even close to that Roy and at some point I got bored and stopped for a while.

I got the itch again 6 years later in college, except I was on my own now. My wax busting buddy was majoring in chemistry while I was in computer sciences and we were now worlds apart. Pacific had entered the scene by then and I thought their cards were amazing even if slightly too expensive for me. I was in love with their Crown Royale, Revolution and Invincible collections. But my greatest hit came out of a box of 96-97 Pinnacle I bought at a dollar store. It was Patrick Roy again in the form of a Masks Die-Cut card! Odds of nailing one were 1:300, but as I preferred to make myself believe, 1:3000 because the Masks were a set of 10. I was ecstatic and completely stopped collecting afterwards. I had my fill.

And here I am back again. I would say that psychologically, I am trying to re-live those two thrills. I've had some luck up till now, but the hobby has changed so much that getting there is a whole lot harder. Some of the stuff that would have been seen as extremely scarce back in my younger days (think jersey swatches or autographs) are now extremely commonplace, so there's not a whole lot that offers excitement anymore.

I still LOVE busting wax now and even though I am still chasing the thrill, the ultimate sense of satisfaction now comes from sharing breaks on here and reading comments on what other people have to say.

Sorry for the long post!!!

[RGM81]

Good God. That's.............it :D

LOL! I like your language...he's using too big of words for me...

If you guys really want a chuckle, go look up the song by The Arrogant Worms called "Me Like Hockey." They're a bit of good Canadiana.

[mrveggieman]

I like making my GF angry...

+1

My wife hates the fact that I collect cards. I told her that I will stop collecting cards the day she stops wasting money on fake hair and eye shadow. It looks like I will be collecting cards for a long time.

[black bass]

I got my first pack of NFL football cards in 1969 at a penny candy store in Milwaukee , wi. , The owner gave me a free pack of cards because I had a football with me , and bought a ton of candy. I got hooked on collecting football and baseball , I was introduced to hockey two years later , that started my hockey collecting. It is alot of fun even at age 50...guess its just the enjoyment that it brought me as a kid that keeps me going...I still have as much fun today as I did
as a kid !

[gatesnapper]

I collect cards because I am good at it.

[Wickabee]

+1

My wife hates the fact that I collect cards. I told her that I will stop collecting cards the day she stops wasting money on fake hair and eye shadow. It looks like I will be collecting cards for a long time.

My wife doesn't care one bit. She likes opening packs and boxes with me, but other than that my collection is an excuse for her to keep getting DVDs.

[sephiroth]

I collect cards because I am good at it.

Well, I sense there is more than that. The feeling of accomplishing something with great positives results is a reward for some kind of lack. Or I may be wrong, too.

Great responses here. But I strongly believe that there is a big inconscient part of ourselves that is ignored in the simple act of collecting the cards. I just like to analyse the human behaviour.

I have the feeling that we could all tie together some of our motivations and attach them to some wagon of completely another espece.

I may use the wrong words though.

[redwingsfan11]

My wife doesn't care one bit. She likes opening packs and boxes with me, but other than that my collection is an excuse for her to keep getting DVDs.

+1

My wife hates the fact that I collect cards. I told her that I will stop collecting cards the day she stops wasting money on fake hair and eye shadow. It looks like I will be collecting cards for a long time.

These two definitly gave me a good laugh, as long as both people have a hobby, one can't argue with the other for it lol.

I personally collect because its a familial past time, my dad brought me up taking me to my lcs ever since i was around 8 or 9 wanting to buy Pokemon cards and football cards. Even my aunt collected for quite a bit (Dan Marino). So you can say i grew up with the hobby all my life.

[cardscardscards]

My wife doesn't care one bit. She likes opening packs and boxes with me, but other than that my collection is an excuse for her to keep getting DVDs.

Eh. Mine goes for shoes. For every pair she buys, I get the equivalent in wax. lol

She loves it when Cup rolls around.