Is collecting always healthy to you?

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Justin O.
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Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by Justin O. »

You guys ever get to the point where you question whether your collecting is still healthy?

I read this really great topic on GeekHack https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=67980.0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it really touched on a lot of concerns I have been having with my playing card collection recently.

I've been questioning if I am too willing to spend more money than I should, that maybe I'm collecting for the wrong reasons. Perhaps just not managing my habits well, buying up every new thing that comes along or being too anxious with what might be rare or valuable and not paying enough mind to whether I really like a deck or not.
I have a great collection with a lot of great decks, some incredibly rare, but how many decks do I own because I just felt like I couldn't have a complete collection without this or that one deck.

Do you guys ever feel like maybe your collecting gets unhealthy at times?

How do you manage or budget yourself to keep things in check?

Do you have habits or triggers you watch out for with yourself that tend to telegraph unhealthy collecting for you?

I would love to get some feedback on this, cause I've been struggling lately with wondering if maybe I'm not enjoying collecting anymore and am just addicted to it.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by 4.of.Clubs »

Justin O. wrote: I have a great collection with a lot of great decks, some incredibly rare, but how many decks do I own because I just felt like I couldn't have a complete collection without this or that one deck.
I'll admit that my Fear of Incomplete Collection strikes me more often than it should.

However, I really think as long as you are not overspending outside of your capability it's fine. If collecting cards make you happy. Why not? What's the point of earning money and not spend it? Some people drink and buy expensive wine; some people smoke and buy expensive cigar; I love cards so I buy decks.

Btw, that link was kind of funny to read for myself as I just recently purchased a mechanical keyboard :o, and I'll admit I've already looked into new sets of keycaps. That's another story though...

PS: This thread should probably be in General.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by Sparkz »

being too anxious with what might be rare or valuable and not paying enough mind to whether I really like a deck or not
I think that comment plagues a lot of collectors. I have a couple simple things I stick to, of course there is the occasional exception, but for the most part they hold true.

A budget- I give myself a bi-weekly allowance, it goes on a separate debit card and if there's no cash there I have to wait. The plus side, if you don't spend every week, you can build a nice little playing card nest egg.
Too much of a good thing - You don't need a brick of everything, for the most part I purchase 2-3 of whatever, opening one.
Don't get sucked into the hype - "Get them now before their all gone!!!!" there are very few decks you can't come across with some patience and a little leg work.........if you look hard enough you'll find that deck at your price.
Don't be afraid to make an offer - You would be surprised........the only caveat to this, be fair.
Never buy as an investment - I never think of what the deck might be worth, if it ends up being the end all be all, great, if not, that's fine too, I bought it for the right reasons.

Which ties in to the last reason.........
Buy what YOU like, not what others think you should like.

Happy Collecting :)
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by CostlyAxis »

At the end of last year I decided to tally up my purchases throughout the year, categorize them, and total them out. Playing cards were my largest overall expense only behind my rent. I spent more on playing cards than I did all of my utilities and services combined. That couldn't continue especially with it being my first year of collecting.

I'm now in the process of getting a house built and looking back at it, I'm very glad I went cold turkey on buying new cards. I'm out the money I spent already, but I didn't widen that gap further. Don't get me wrong though, I really enjoy my cards for their artwork and design. However, at the rate I was spending it just straight up wasn't economical or sustainable. Maybe some time in the future when I find a better way of managing that spending I'll continue at a sustainable pace.

That all said, my new mortgage might have a different say on that. :uggrin:
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by Bikefanatic »

I mostly just buy one deck and play with it, I'll buy multiple decks as investments or to give away.

I don't have to get both colors unless I like both. I don't have to have every deck in a set or series.

When I discovered Kickstarter and bmpokerworld back in December 2012, I was amazed at how different decks were but just bought up a lot of them. Now most of those decks I no longer want so I gave them away and sold them.

I buy what I like without a budget. I'm selective and think would I want to keep a deck forever than not to want it later.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by TGunitedcardists »

To answer Justin O's questions:

Do you guys ever feel like maybe your collecting gets unhealthy at times?
Yes, which is why my card budget has shrunk and won't be increasing. In reality, it's an illogical hobby. For playability, a $3 Bicycle Riderback does the job fine. From the artistic side, they are mini playable paintings that don't hold their value for the most part, and it's a really niche market of people that might want to buy them if you choose to sell. They aren't investments.

How do you manage or budget yourself to keep things in check?
I put everything in a Google Calc Spreadsheet. Deck, price, description, payment due date, estimated delivery date, which friend's house in America I'm having them shipped to and the Kickstarter link. It's easy to input and keep track on how much money I'm spending. I'm currently around $3,500 USD into this hobby. Looking back, every Kickstarter or non-Kickstarter card purchase has been more exciting during the pledging phase than actually having the cards in my hand. The rush of the shiny was really strong. I really like most of the decks I've bought, at some point, I don't need as many decks as I have now.

Do you have habits or triggers you watch out for with yourself that tend to telegraph unhealthy collecting for you?
Getting pissed off when a creator doesn't notify you that they are launching a new project or missing out on early bird limited decks. It's not worth the energy. At this point, most of it is unhealthy...to the pocket book. Artwise is the only justification right now to buy. I have more than enough decks for to supply my card playing for the rest of my life.

----------------------

I used to buy at least two of everything. Kings Wild were automatic purchases. Would wake up EARLY in the morning to pledge. Other Kickstarter projects would come out. It became easy to pledge and wait. The spreadsheet I use to calculate and keep track of pledges, amounts and estimated shipping dates. Months later, I'd finally get the gratification from the pledges. Then...

As life continues, my collection just sits in a box. From time to time I look at or play with the extra decks. The others just sit in a box. While I'm happy to have them, the money I used could have bought something else in retrospect. I use my computer every day. Finally, I upgraded my desktop after 6+ years, homebuilt i7 6700K with all the bells and whistles for about $2500+. I could have easily paid for that new computer if I had not purchased as many playing cards that sit in a box.

In reality, they aren't an investment. Just look at the personal member board of people trying to sell their collections for a fraction of the cost. The "good" stuff is snapped at a discount and the rest doesn't sell.

I look at my collection as playable art and something to show my friends from time to time.

I no longer purchase two over everything automatically. Ever since Kickstarter separated the shipping, the prices have constantly increased. Living overseas, I almost always purchase with US shipping and have a friend hand deliver them twice a year on his vacations back to Japan. Rationally, it's an expensive, silly hobby. Which is why I've had to come to a middle ground where I'm happy and be much more selective. It has to be really kickass and playable for me to purchase more than one deck these days. Limited and completing sets aren't the end all and be all and won't swing me to make extra purchases.

The only cards designers that are instant pledges these days are Brendan Hong, Lorenzo's Stockholm17 and Uusi (when they do poker cards). King's Wild is next, but unfortunately, Jackson's designs have been hit and miss for my taste. The Federal 52, Tally-Ho and the new currency stuff is in my wheelhouse. The Sherlock was a stretch for me. Then it became too American with Independence, Army, Texas (the card screw-up really sucks), Wasteland just wasn't for me.

Encarded, Alexander Chin and Wylie Beckert have a good chance to separate me for a deck...maybe two, but every other card designer has to really wow me to get a piece of my shrinking card budget.

Good luck to all the other card designers.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by flashcards »

Here are some of the rules I have set for my self in order to keep collecting:

Budget: I used to budget about $50 to $100 a month. I brought in that much from side jobs that were not needed for living expenses and therefore could be discretionary. That has all changed. At the moment, my wife and I are both unemployed so my card budget is exactly $0.00. I'll admit I have put a couple recent purchases on a credit card. Not a smart move but collecting is about the only fun thing I'm able to do these days so I can't quit cold turkey.

Cost: When I got into this hobby, I naevely thought, "Decks (Bicycles) only cost around $7. I can buy a bunch of them." Then came Kickstarter. I'll agree about the thrill of the hunt. If it was a project I liked, I'd get multiple decks, the coin, dice, and t-shirt. No longer. I have never been a high end collector so it has been easy to ignore the high priced LE decks in wood boxes or what have you. I did get the Omnia 3 deck sets because when the bundle was divided by three the per deck price was reasonable. These days, $10 -11 decks are attractive. Anything approaching $14 per deck (with shipping) has to really appeal to my particular interests. $15 and up, forget about it. It's all about volume. Bicycle got where they are buy selling millions of $3 decks. Not every deck has to be a one of a kind.

Boundaries: This helps a lot and is pretty simple. I won't buy anything not made by the big three and honestly, I'm not that crazy about LPCC and EPCC (same TWPCC factory, I know). The feel of the cards is important to me and I'm spoiled by USPCC. That simplifies things on KS. I don't care how good the artwork is, if it's not made by the right printer, I won't buy it.

I don't like gilding. There, I said it. Reminds me of the crappy cards my parents had. I know the technology has improved but for me that's a hard boundary.

Interests: My main interests are cardisty and Asian themed decks. I will buy multiples of The Virts, De'vo, etc. because I will play with them. I suck at cardistry and am hard on decks so I like to have several so I can ruin a few while still keeping some pristine. I'm a sucker for Asian themed decks so those are hard to turn down. I was really excited about Mongol Empire but the price is too high and I don't care about AR. I pledged for two anyway but I'm actually relieved that it is not going to fund. I hope they listen and come back with a more affordable price.

Know Your Comfort Zone: I am a low end collector. I've come to realize that I enjoy being able to several cheaper decks rather than one expensive deck. I'm okay with that. I will never have a Jackson Robinson LE set, or gilded Icons. I don't understand the appeal of a prototype deck. Those are usually made by MPC, right, so they won't have the same look and feel of the finished product. I also don't get the appeal of a defective deck. There is something wrong with it so why would I want it? I realize this is not the true collector's mind set but it works for me. If I had an unlimited budget, then perhaps things would change but that ain't going to happen anytime soon.

Singles v. Multiples: If possible, I like to buy two decks- one to open, one to stay sealed, just in case. If it's a set like Omnia, I'll open one of the low end decks and leave the other two sealed. If it's an art deck, like the recent Sisterhood of Blood, I'll just get one. I'll open it but I'm not going to play with it. If it had been cheaper, I would have gotten multiples. I haven't opened all my decks. Some I can't bear to open just yet and some I'm just saving for some day when I need some cheering up. I have never bought a brick. I bought a half brick of the Virts 2015 and 2016 but they were only $10 each and I use them. I recently bought a pair each of the two NOC summer colors. Not the most exotic cards out there but I like them and a $5 a piece I can get a lot of bang for my buck.

Display: I do display most of my decks and hope to add some more shelving so I can get them all up on the wall. Looking at them makes me feel calm and happy and that is probably the best test of whether my collecting is healthy or not. I live with a horder so I'm very much aware of what unhealthy accumulating is all about.

BTW, these days I can't buy many decks and don't play with my cards often enough. However, I've found reading this forum really fills the void. It's entertaining and free and keeps me plugged into the hobby. I may have to live vicariously through you folks for a while so thanks for buying so many cool decks and sharing them with me.
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Justin O.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you? (wap)

Unread post by Justin O. »

So many really thorough and well thought out responses; so much good insight and advice. It really helps me keep everything in perspective knowing I'm not the only one! Thanks guys!!
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by ddorn »

I have only recently become a card collector. In the past, I'd receive a cool deck as a gift, and add it to a small collection. I visited a magic store, and picked up an "expensive" deck for $7 and it was promptly put into use for games. (first Ellusionist Black Tiger deck, worth much more if only I hadn't opened it!) It wasn't until I did an ebay search for a "goth" deck (Alchemy 1977) that I started investigating. I quickly found Kickstarter, and this place, and then my collecting snowballed. I spent over $800 that first year. That's a lot, for me. It was not financially sustainable, to borrow the phrase.

I have to say, I've been in that situation before, with knife collecting. I own over $3000 worth of modern and traditional pocket knives, with a few in the $400+ range, and a majority in the $100-200 range. I had to reign in my collecting with that, as well, as it quickly put me in a bad place, financially.

With cards, it was too easy to pick up a few decks here and there, as the overall price per 'new purchase' fix was significantly lower than the knife threshold.

As with any collection, it's all about the chase. The variety of cards available (when you don't yet have a set theme) is overwhelming, and offers a quick fix with such a small investment. I was buying cards off of ebay, and was addicted to the pledge/wait/reward adrenaline cycle on both ebay and Kickstarter. There was nothing like receiving shipment notification, and then waiting for the post to deliver, then the 'unveiling' of opening the package.

Budget:
I always do much better when I set a budget. At the moment, I'm at $0 / month, as I'm digging myself out of a debt hole. Once I'm in position to get back into it, I will have to set the dollar amount at a reasonable place, and, as others have said, you can save up a bit, when putting money in the pot on a regular basis.

Habits/Triggers:
As I stated above, the addictive nature of collecting is hard to manage, at times. If one has an unfulfilling or stressful day-to-day life, it's even more risky. The rush of the hunt and kill makes us feel good. When you find that deal, or discover a beautiful new deck, or find that one that you've been searching for, it's easy to just jump. I now keep a list of items I'm looking for, and the most I'd be willing to pay for them. I also keep a mental list of things I may want, but don't really need, unless it is at an exceptionally good price. I have to pass on a lot of things I may like, though.

Final Thoughts:
As others have said, know what you like, and buy it because you like it. You aren't likely to make any money, so don't look at it as an investment. Keep to your budget, and make sure to enjoy what you already have. Have fun with the social aspect of hanging with like-minded individuals. That's what it's really about. Enriching your life, and being happy, as well as making others happy.
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Re: Is collecting always healthy to you?

Unread post by montecarlojoe »

Anyone who feels it's all too much for them PM me - I'll give you my address and you can ship those puppies right over. Saving you from an early grave is payment enough right?
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