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Bruce BabcockQuan, you are very close. Actually, I put my collection together for about $900 in the 1980s. (Smiley face here).
Jason, my wallet is not as fat as you might think. Like a lot of collectors, sometimes my chase of a card was more fun the subsequent ownership of card and I would sell stuff (which had appreciated in value over time) to buy other stuff, as my focus changed. That's pretty much what I'm doing now.
I reentered the hobby as an adult in 1981 so parts of my collection have had more than 25 years to appreciate. During those years I focused almost entirely on 50s & 60s cards. My budget was $300 for a big show. I paid $110 for my first red portrait Cobb (about EX condition). An increase in the value of my collection was never really a goal but that's what happened.
There are things I wish I had bought when I had the chance and others I wish I had never sold, but I've had fun along the way. If you are patient and collect what you like to collect, you can build a nice collection over time, as so many on this board have done.