Trouble letting go
 

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I'm having trouble letting go of a few cards I told myself I would sell to fund another purchase. I have already made the purchase, and it's time to send the cards off to auction. I just don't think I'm ready to get rid of a few of them. And naturally, those are the more valuable ones.

Has anyone else faced a similar dilemma? If so, what was the final decision?

And before anyone mentions it, I do realize the obvious logical thing to do would have been not to make the purchase until the cards I currently own were sold. But I didn't feel like waiting.

I have told myself. Just keep the 51 &52 Mick and perhaps the 48 Paige. Other than that, the others could be sold if need in case of emergency or something rare comes up, but you should not count on this and never buy what you cant afford. Never put yourself in a hole. Keep in mind this is suppose to be fun collecting. Stash away a few bucks each pay check and only spend whats there. You surely dont want to double-dip and take things away from the family, like trips or nights out, otherwise you'll end up with some unhappy meals.

I've been there. Often. Often.

It's tough, but you'll feel really good about yourself for selling them; helps build character.

Besides, as DeNiro would say in HEAT:

"That's the discipline."

Sell it. It's better to have one big valuable card than several smaller less valuable cards.

lmao

Thanks guys, yea Chris I wouldn't buy anything I couldn't afford. That was just how I justified it to myself before I bought it. Now that I have it I'm having second thoughts about getting rid of the cards.

And Matt I've seen a few of the cards you've sold off recently. Must be to pick something up that's way out of my league.

Upgrades
 

My problem is upgrading. I will upgrade a card, "tell" myself that I can sell the lower grade card I am replacing....that never happens; duplicates and quadruplicates.

Dave

If anyone was curious the card I picked up is a 52 Mantle. I posted it in the pick up thread. I've decided to follow the original plan and sell the cards I planned to. Thanks for the responses.

Which card are you letting go? All the ones you have are awesome.

E90-1 Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson, and 41 play ball reese and ted williams. I was considering the CJ wagner, but I think I'm going to keep that one

Oh my yes! I'm a documentary filmmaker, and it's been my plan to sell a few of my cards to help kickstart my new film. My plan has been to sell my '52 Eddie Matthews. It's the only PSA 5 in my whole set, which is PSA 6-8, and based on recent trends, I stand to about double what I originally paid for it.

But I'm just really, really hesitant about selling it. It's the biggest card in my set, and I have this secret fear, that right when I sell it, there's going to be some major surge of interest in Mathews, and the card is going to go up even more! Silly I know, but still...

Jesse, you aren't alone. The fact that you even consider selling some cards to help you get others proves you aren't too far gone. :D. I am 42, and I know a guy who is about 10 years older than me. He recently made several thousand dollars worth of baseball card purchases. Amazed at his sudden flurry of activity, I asked a mutual friend of ours how he did it because this fella practically lives paycheck to paycheck and is an absolute hoarder. My buddy informed me that our friend cashed in a substantial chunk of a 401k. A lot of people have multiple sources of income and investment to help them retire. This guy doesn't, and from what I can see he has no back up plan. If he ever plans on retiring, he will have to sell a ton of his collection to do it. Like I said, he is a hoarder of the first rate. You have it under control, you have a plan. Relax and execute your plan when you are ready.

Some of you may have thought the same thing about me if you've seen some of my posts over the last couple of months. I am by no means a rich man, but have picked up some nice cards recently. 52 Mantle, 51 Bowman Mantle, 14 CJ Wagner, 33 Ruth, etc. The focus of my collection shifted and I have sold off quite a few already. I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

Not at all! It pays to be focused (which I haven't always been ) and resourceful. I have learned that I am never going to be able to get everything I want, but if I will be smart, patient, and focused I can get some nice stuff over time just as you are doing.

yeah those cards are the waterside properties....1951 mantle etc.... Peter Speith seems to be looking for all the same cards....1933 ruth is on the water...a 1935 goudey has a view of the water but maybe a block away...

Yea I've decided that's what interests me the most, just going for a few big cards. Set building really isn't for me, although I probably should have started with something cheaper than 52 Topps. Perhaps down the road I'll try to put a set together again.

The next one I pick up could be a while after this one, but I've got my eye on a few.

Exact!! Thats kinda what i been doing. I want some of my childhood players, but also want some big cards i dream to have. I would love a Wag or Joe Jackson, but the hunt is there and narrowed my search for what i want most. And Yes the Goudey Ruths is on my list as well, but hopefully when the prices fall.

I do that all the time. In fact, just last Saturday, I FINALLY let go of a bunch of complete '80s sets that I loved, but were just taking up too much space. It got to the point where I couldn't even walk around my baseball room and admire my higher end stuff for over a year.
On top of that, I have 4 or 5 cards I bought to "upgrade" and thinking, I will just sell the lower grade (but still nice) cards.
Of course, those duplicate cards are still sitting there.

At least now I can walk around and admire them. :)

Nice Mantle you picked up. That's good you are selling I believe it's better to have one great mt rushmore card than several lesser cards. Quality over quantity.