Good News for Many of You!

[slidekellyslide]

When I found this forum in 2004 I realized VERY quickly that I was a little fish in a pond full of whales..I found it fun to swim among them, but as far as my collecting goes I decided to move to a much smaller pond where I was the big fish...heck I may be the only fish there, but it's made the hobby a lot more enjoyable and my collection since 2004 has grown immensely.

[dstraate]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

When I found this forum in 2004 I realized VERY quickly that I was a little fish in a pond full of whales..I found it fun to swim among them, but as far as my collecting goes I decided to move to a much smaller pond where I was the big fish...heck I may be the only fish there, but it's made the hobby a lot more enjoyable and my collection since 2004 has grown immensely.

That's just it! I haven't posted a card here in months. Finances tightened up and I intensified my work on the extra-sexy and underrated '70 Topps Basketball set. When I get done occupying Wall Street and back to making money, I'm sure I'll be boring all the "whales" with my low grade T206s.

No worries bro, life is good.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by dstraate

... When I get done occupying Wall Street...

Seriously?

[carrigansghost]

4 months behind in mortgage, worked 2 months this year, have $3.70 to my name. I sold off most of my good stuff. I'm the little fish, but will be back and back soon. Promised to send some cards for free to a couple of people, but will have to wait to get the funds for postage.

Rawn

Don't tell my neighbor that I cracked their code for the internet.

[T206Collector]

Why some people think they have to dramatically announce their departure from a public internet chat board will always mystify me.

[rdixon1208]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Why some people think they have to dramatically announce their departure from a public internet chat board will always mystify me.

I know. Some people just love drama. That's why I only had a facebook page for about two days.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Why some people think they have to dramatically announce their departure from a public internet chat board will always mystify me.

Yeap.

[ethicsprof]

In this vintage world, i prefer to say many different collections, many different interests, many different personalities, many different needs---
to each his own, with the the Hippocratic dictum 'do no harm' serving as a qualifier and guide.
all the best in whatever you decide, Brandon
barry

[Browncow75]

Thanks for all the comments guys, both positive and negative. Many of you are right, I let myself get in deeper than I should, based on an overly competitive personality, and as one poster put it "keeping up with the Jones'" type attitude. It has taken me a really long time (too long obviously) to realize that I dont have the resources to collect certain cards, along with other things I call hobbies. Its true, pissing off people (Hi Pete) has made me understand that its me, not the world, that needs to change.
The MAIN reason I chose to air this with the board, as some of you cynics have wondered, is that I have had many successful transactions with people here and elsewhere on the net, and I wanted to thank them for putting up with me, and to explain to them, and anyone else in my situation that someone else out there is going through the same crap. Also, if anyone who still considers themselves a friend wants to know why I am no longer an active participant here. I may pick up a card now and then, but this forum makes things way too easy for me to get into trouble. As many of you said, I need to step away from the hobby, and be sure I try to be a "hobbyist" and not an "investor". I plan to evaluate my interests, and hopefully someday I will be able to narrow my collection into something more manageable for someone under my circumstances.

*By the way, I recently had a seller here tell me he wouldnt sell me a card because he knew he would see it on the BST in a few days anyway. Is it really a sellers concern what happens to a card once its paid for?

[christopher.herman]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Why some people think they have to dramatically announce their departure from a public internet chat board will always mystify me.

+1

[Peter_Spaeth]

What Paul said...
But aren't we the leavees and he the leaver?

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

What Paul said...
But aren't we the leavees and he the leaver?

Yes! You're right! Always a leavee, never a leaver, I always say....

[glchen]

Good luck, Brandon. I wouldn't worry too much about what's happened in the past or what not, and as a poster above stated, it's really more important to do what's important for your family than the cardboard stuff. Collecting is fun, and card are always there, but it's easy to get in too deep. I started collecting when I was a kid, and re-started a couple of years ago. One of the things was that I could now afford cards that I wanted to buy that I could never afford when I was a kid. All of those things that I wanted, I now had the wherewithal to actually get. However, this can definitely go too far where you are now spending past your alloted "entertainment" budget, and into your mortgage and "living" budget. There are a lot of people on this board with extremely nice collections. Some of them have the means to put down considerable amount of $$$ on cards. Others have been collecting for eons. They can easily flip there cards for tremendous profit, and use these funds to buy very nice cards. Or they just show the very nice cards that they picked up a long time ago for peanuts. None of this is wrong, and it's really fun to see all of the great cards that people have on this board. Some of the threads like "show of your best card" or "what are your top 3 cards" are some of my favorites since I love seeing those rare valuable cards. Seeing these can definitely make you feel like you really want to own some of these cards that people just love seeing. However, just like in those days when you were a kid, sometimes, you can't afford it. Even as an adult there are cards you simply cannot afford or makes no sense to buy. That's just how it is, but if you want to keep collecting, you can still find that niche that keeps you happy in the hobby. Keeping a budget can be very, very tough sometimes. There are times when I've hit my budget limit for the month, and then I see a card that I want selling for a steal of a price. It's tough to just let it pass by, but that's what you need to do sometimes. There will always be other cards that fit your collection that will come by again.