Dear Collector, Never lose that childhood joy

One of the biggest struggles I've had to fight through as a business in the sports card world is still having a joy from collecting.

One of the reasons that I stopped doing local card shows in my area was that I saw too many card guys who got so hung up on selling that they forgot how to be collectors.

I am all for the guy who wants to make as much money as possible selling cards, but for goodness sake, be a collector too!

And collectors, please don't shame the guy who sells. Let yourself have a healthy balance of the two. I mean, without the seller, there is no collector, and without the collector, there is no sale.

One way to make sure that as a seller you balance the joy, is to always have some sort of PC.

I think that when people just focus on ripping pack after pack, it can become addictive and all about the big pull (that probably ends up getting sold as fast as possible in order to buy the next box).

I think a way to keep yourself in check is to buy some singles of a collection you have to search for and chase after.

For me, that's my Baltimore Ravens collection. It means I have to search for base, and for autos that I can't just open box after box to shoot for.

Find yours, and above all, just make sure that you are always enjoying yourself. I find that the less boxes I buy, the more enjoyment I actually have. The next box is that much sweeter when they are so spaced out.

But above all, do what makes you enjoy the hobby.

Let's keep the hobby fun.