Have you ever stared at your collection and just thought “how did it get this far” or “I have so much, how am I ever going to get through it”? Well, this was the cloud that was constantly hovering every time I went down to my den’s closet.
This is what made me cringe whenever someone asked me what I had in trade because I thought I had a card and could not find. It made me start regretting the hobby that brought me so much joy. Most of what you see is a collection my dad and I bought when I got back into the hobby six years ago. Boxes upon boxes of unorganized cardboard thinking it would be a great addition to a growing collection.
I kept telling myself I would take a day or so to organize it, keep what I wanted to keep, and then flip what I didn’t want. As a collector with not much knowledge, I realized this project would take much more than a day. I had to research each piece, see if it’s worth the shipping costs, and then take the time to post it on the correct Facebook page or site. Not to mention having kids and other responsibilities outside of a the hobby made having a “day” to organize was not realistic.
As it sat in the closet over the years, collecting dust, my collecting knowledge grew. I realized I don’t need to have it all. I don’t need to have every single card of every single set. I realized I can have joy collecting my favorite player and favorite team.
This winter break I made the decision that I was finally going to get rid of the cloud. I quickly went through the entire closet. Making snap decisions if it brought me “joy” if it did it stayed or if I knew I could quickly trade or sell, it stayed. If not, I put it in a pile.
Disclaimer: I did watch Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, and there is a guy who had a massive collection (even larger than mine) and had to go through it.
By the time I finished 75% of the collection was in the sale pile. I threw it up on a Facebook sale site as a lot and it was gone within 24 hours. Now I have a collection that is manageable to organize and enjoy. The cloud has been lifted and I can once again enjoy the hobby.
I can’t say that 2019 collecting goal number 1 is complete as I have a little ways to go, but this is a huge leap in the right direction.
Can anyone else relate to this situation? If so I hope you find a way to lift the cloud from your collecting.
Happy Collecting.
As you can see, the card is very similar outside of the USS Enterprise. They replace it with the Captains “C”. I also love the print of the title of the card. It certainly reminds me of Star Trek the original.
Card Thoughts 