Posted By:
Al C.risafulliBruce, I understand your point, but choose not to look at it that way.
They're baseball cards. They were mass-produced. If there's a card I'd like to own, I'll set a price in my mind that I'm willing to pay. If the price eclipses what I'm willing to pay, I'll let it go - there will eventually be another one, or something similar. I suspect you do the same thing, otherwise you'd win every lot you were interested in, regardless of cost.
I might feel differently if they were one-of-a-kind items, like paintings or sculptures. But they're not. There are very few baseball cards that are one-of-a-kind, "must own" sort of items. A Boston Garter uncut sheet would certainly be one of them, but a high-grade T206 common is most definitely not.
I understand this is a large industry for many, and I'm willing to let that fact govern some of what I'm able to collect. I also prefer cards that are unique in some way and am willing to pay a little more for what I would enjoy owning.
However, I am a businessperson in business, and enjoy my leisure activities because they help me relax. I refuse to feel pressure over anything that's not directly related to my business or my personal finances. Since I choose to pay for cards with my discretionary income, I am less concerned with the investment potential, and I do not view the hobby as a competition. Of course there are times it becomes competitive anyway, but I always try to keep it in perspective.
I feel no need to run up the street a block to get a cab before the people in line ahead of me. Perhaps I could get the cab more quickly if I did, but then I'd miss out on the opportunity to potentially strike up a conversation with an interesting person who is also waiting for a taxi. I guess I figure that in life we're all going from point A to point B - we could race there in a straight line and feel a sense of accomplishment over reaching the destination, or we could strive to get there in due time and feel a sense of accomplishment over the journey. I'm happy with the latter.
-Al