I am who they thought I was

Since I have been reading Sports Cards Uncensored since near its inception, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring for the first (of what I hope is many) Blog Bat Around.

If I had to give myself a designation as one type of collected, I could say with certainty that I am a set collector. When I started dipping my toes back into the hobby waters around April last year, it all started with 2 packs of 2007 Topps Series 1. Thats how all of this started again. I'd had all my old cards still in my closet and would bust them out from time to time, pick up a junk box of E-Bay - file them and back in the closet.

Then I realized that when making a dreaded Target or Wal-Mart run, I could actually get something that doesnt annoy me, I was going any time that I could. Now, had I made the decision to go to a hobby shop at this time - It may have turned differently. however, I am just recently married, have years of poor decision making to make up for, and in turn, really do not have a lot of expendable income - so building a set out of $2 packs was the way to go. I was able to have a goal and able to collect while not dipping into the bill money. It was great, and I was back.

I never did finish that set because my mom, bless her heart, bought me the complete factory set for X-Mas, and I felt it was redundant to keep buying cards I had. Maybe someday I will revisit it. But now, if I look to my left, there are 4 binders full of cards, one for 08 UD, one for 08 Topps (1/2/UH), one for 08 Heritage/High, and one for 08 Goudey/B Heroes. Not only that, but whenever I have the chance, I try to fill in cards from my youth... Try as I might, I cannot turn down a $10 junk wax box from the late 80s/early 90s.

There is something about that few hours that just takes me back. Rip the packs, put them in # order, make a checklist. Put the doubles in the mail pile. Later, Rinse, Repeat.

To date, my biggest accomplishment, and first set that I finished since my youth is my 87 Topps baseball set. I was determined to get this set exclusively through packs (no trading, no buying singles) and somehow, it took me 4, yes 4 boxes, but when I finally got that last card (Terry Pendleton), I could not have been happier. Those cards now proudly sit on my shelf and get pulled out and paged through quite often. There have been a few times where I try to be adult and tell myself I cannot keep doing this. Just got married, kids will be on the way probably sooner or later, how can I keep spending all of this time, money, space in the house, on kids stuff? Well, it's because I love it. And if you are a blogger, or someone who reads this rag, I am sure there is a part of you that feels the same way.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good hit as much as anyone else. You all, or 4 of you, read how excited I was to get that David Wright game used card. I love to pull a sweet auto of a pack, and try to by Hobby boxes of what I collect when I can afford to. If nothing else, the hits become sweet trade bait. Here's the thing though, If I never get another "Hit" again - I really don't think that I would mind. I know this is the antithesis to how Gellman collects, but thats okay - there is room for all of us, and I actually feel that I am better off if there is more ying to my yang. This way wecan all help each other.

That is a lot of the reason I started writing my own blog. I've been reading them a lot and rarely ever commenting, but I started noticing the community involved. Lame/mushy/whatever. It's weird how come my dinner break at work, I really look forward to that hour of running down the blog roll. I feel good when one of you finishes your set, gets a great pull, has a great ancedote about a card or player. I am not sure where I am really going with this, and feel I may have ventured off topic. But thats how I feel about it. I might have to stop at Target on my way to work today and see whats on the shelves. Every pack can get you closer.