The First Update...

This week was a brutal one at work. Boss on vacation and me doing two jobs. I'm still exhausted.

This week in cards:

So, this week has seen some nice adds to the collection. Some highlights include:

-Topps Now - Turn Back the Clock - Don Mattingly

-A thirft store find from my friend Brandi. (15 and 16 Topps Update and base as well as some other sets. A few nice rookies and some gaps filled in 2015 Topps so far. Still working through them.)

-My wife hooked up the first Optic blasters, some Absolute, a Topps Series 2 blaster and the Aquino Topps Big League blaster. (Just need Harper now.) Pulled the Luis Robert Medallion, a Robert Absolute insert and Turkey Red Chrome Blue Griffey #'d 01/50. 

-An awesome array of Yankees and Diamond Kings that I needed from a new friend, Brant.

-And the ultimate highlight--26 Yankees relics from Dr. Levy! This includes 7 Mattinglys, Ford, Berra, Elston Howard and Roger Maris! Every time I think that man has outdone himself, he sends another package that blows my mind. He is the ultimate pinnacle of generosity and inspires me to help others in the hobby.

Generosity and completing sets--some of the reasons I collect:

I am a set collector above anything else. For me, completing a set is the primary reason why I am in the hobby. Add to this the excitement of an amazing pull and well, I'm a happy guy! 

But there's more to it. I like seeing other people finish their sets too. This is especially true of other set collectors. Anytime I can help someone find that one last card, I feel good on the inside and know that they are feeling good too. One more down.

I also enjoy being to share the wealth. For instance, someone collects a player and I have a ton of duplicates of that player, why not send them to someone who will love them? Maybe it will be a trade but likely I will just send them. 

People like Dr. Levy and Tony Bianchini have been amazingly generous when it comes to my collection. This is also true of my friends JD, Grant, Bob and Scott. I have even had sellers help me by working with me on pricing to get me what I need and stay within my budget. With all of these people doing nice things for me, I like to stick to the spirit of what the @NGTCollectibles giveaway thread is all about. Need one card to finish a set? Ask me. If I have it, I will send it. (Of course, if that's an $80 RC, I may ask for a trade, but we will see...)

That's what's great about this hobby. Outside of the flippers, the price jackers and jackasses, their are a lot of nice people.

PTSD:

The other aspect of the hobby that I really enjoy is the sorting. The tedious work of cataloging and sorting cards is calming--soothing almost. As any Combat Vet will tell you, anything that helps to calm down the noise is a good thing. This is what the hobby does for me. It calms my brain when the noise gets to be too much. I have told my wife on multiple occasions that tonight is a sorting night and she understands. This hobby has become as much of a tool to combat PTSD as it has a hobby.

Something we do together:

Another great thing is that my wife and I do this together. Remember that collection we bought? She has been sorting by brand and prepping for me to absorb them into the sets. We also open packs together. (I swear she pulls all of the good cards...  Although, I pulled both the Alvarez and Tatis autos.) We enjoy spending the time together and she has really gotten the years, brands and names down. She is probably more well versed on baseball cards than half of the sellers on Twitter and eBay.  

This hobby has been something that the two of us have really taken on and it's nice to share that with person you love.

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I think I time goes on, I will talk about sets and players and some of the great errors, etc. I want to try to make this personal and relatable. So, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into why I collect.

Stay Safe,

Joe