[granite75]

I turned 40 this year, collected Topps cards from 83-89 then sold a huge box of all those cards for peanuts when I went to college.

I didn't start collecting again until last year. Maybe it was turning 40 and feeling nostalgic. I took to collecting Topps Red Sox from 52-89. I spent way more than I should have and made plenty of mistakes overpaying.

There are two things that may drive me away : the card grading racket and the overinflation of newer serial # cards. Both are pretty much the only way to have much hope of passing along a collection worth more than I paid for it, which is really the only way I can justify spending the money right now.

For example, Rafael Devers may be a player my daughter grows up watching. He could be a star, he could flop. Still, I'd like to get his card and hang on to it, but his serial number cards are already hundreds to thousands of dollars. Packs are $5. It's become a form of gambling rather than collecting.

I could get some vintage stars, buy raw and have them graded at $17 a pop plus absurd shipping to gamble my Ted Williams is a PSA 6 and not come back a 4. Otherwise, I've thrown away money like I do buying packs.

Someday I may be comfortable enough not to worry about the costs, but the reality is most of us have to.


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