I've lurked on this site for a little while now, but never really had reason to post. However, this seems like an appropriate place to chime in. I've collected trading cards since I was a little kid, bits of everything from both the baseball and non-sports piles. By the late '90's though, I had gotten away from baseball cards just because there were so many sets, so many chase cards, and frankly, so much crap, it had lost its appeal to me (non-sports cards have done the same thing lately, but that's another story). It was sad really, because it was something my dad and I used to do together, and I feel like the industry sort of left us all behind.
A couple years ago though, I decided to get back into it, but had no idea where to start. I think what helped me is that my wife liked going through my old cards, and she has that same collector/hoarder mentality we all do (she collects old books). So after doing some research, I bought her an E91A Joe Tinker for her birthday, and she loved it. She's a diehard Cubs fan, so I figured a card that saw them last win the World Series (1908) seemed appropriate. Plus, as a White Sox fan myself, it was a fun way to twist the "lovable losers" knife. She's decided she now needs to have the other 10 Cubs players in the series, and it's been a fun little project picking them up. She's since started getting interested in some of the other old sets too, so if nothing else it's easier for me to justify buying them.
With regards to what some people have mentioned here, it's important to keep in mind why you like collecting. If you're scared of your collection losing value, then, sure, it's a scary time right now. While no one wants to see their cards lose value, I like to appreciate them for what they are, so if they all became worthless tomorrow, depressing as that would be, I don't think I'd appreciate them any less. And when you consider all the other expensive hobbies out there, having one where you can get back most of what you put into it is pretty unusual.
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