When I collect a set, I need to understand what I'm collecting and how to complete the collection. With modern cards I can't wrap my brain around how this is accomplished. Too many brands; too many subsets; 1 of 1's I can never possibly acquire. There's no sense of a path to actually ever finishing. As a kid, the fun was in trying to complete a set. Opening packs, trading with other kids, making checklists. I wouldn't even know where to begin on a 2018 set.
Modern card collecting feels more like buying lottery tickets than actually collecting. That psychology just doesn't appeal to me.
What originally turned me off was when Topps starting offering factory sets. What was the point of collecting a set when I could just buy the whole thing in one fell swoop? Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, when you finished a set, you felt like you had actually accomplished something because that was the only way you get the entire set - card by card.
|