How has your collection & philosophy of collecting changed in 2015?

[mouschi]

Across several boards, I've heard the question "What are your goals of 2016?" I haven't seen questions about 2015 though ... maybe I'm just blind though

In 2015, how has your collection, and your philosophy on collecting changed?

Here is my answer:

I went from (almost) nothing to ... a ton.
Looking back on my blog posts, mine has changed like crazy. I went from almost nothing to a massive, meaningful (to me) collection. I have also re-connected with the emotional side of collecting as well. Being a reseller for several years, I completely forgot what it was like to have an emotional connection to certain cards. I have developed a softer spot for player collectors.

For the first time also, I have constructed a checklist that I live by. A switch has been turned on.

When searching eBay, if a card comes up that I have interest in, my decision to buy has gone from

"Oh, that's a cool card ... maybe I'll get it!"

to

"Ack! I don't have that one! Gotta get it!"

Another thing that I have noticed (maybe this is nothing new, or maybe the tide is turning) is that collectors are becoming less and less concerned about checklisted and "book value" items for their collections, and more interested in things that are visually appealing to them. I've had a ton of interest in people having me do custom card / art pieces for their collections. Some of them are at the expense of valuable cards with high book values. Last year, I would have never dreamed that such heresy would have existed in the collecting community, yet more and more people keep sending me their bigger $ cards to be hacked up! Hey, I'm not complaining - I've enjoyed the heck out of it!

So, how has your collection, and your philosophy on collecting changed in 2015?