Do You Have a “Collector” Gene?

I’ve always wondered if I was born with a “collector” gene. I started collecting U.S. pennies when I was a kid, just by looking through my change. Then it was U.S. stamps. I still have my old Scott Minuteman album and started collecting stamps again when I retired seven years ago.

         I began following baseball when I was 10 (late bloomer) and was collecting Topps baseball cards regularly in 1967, at 12. That’s probably why cards from this year still remain my favorite.

         Okay, I know that none of us are born with a “collector” gene. But now that I’ve stopped collecting baseball cards, I have been wondering what started me on this collecting journey decades ago. Of course, I started out like we all do: Love of the game and the players who excel at it. Like many of you, I stopped when I graduated high school and am fortunate mom didn’t throw out my collection. The key question I want to answer at this stage of my life is: Why did I start collecting baseball cards again 13 years after graduating high school?

         Part of the answer is a mix of classic cliches. One is reliving my childhood, when I had almost no worries and no bills to pay. Then there’s the desire to complete my sets from the late 1960s and early 1970s. And let’s not forget the thrill of the hunt. Going to card shows throughout the country in search of that raw star card or high number in near mint or even mint condition was, in a word, fun.

         As an adult, collecting baseball cards allowed me to enjoy the sport I have loved for decades. When I would work on my collection I didn’t worry about my job obligations or paying my bills. It was just me, my cards, and my memories. You could call it my cocoon. While I’ve read that collecting cards can be addictive, I’ve never crossed that line. Why? Because when I got back into the hobby in 1985 I set a goal for myself: Collect every Topps baseball card set from 1952 to present. Did I deviate from this goal by purchasing non-Topps baseball card sets? Yes. But I still stuck to that original goal and almost accomplished it.

         Shirley Mueller, MD, has addressed reasons why we collect. She says one of the most common psychological reinforcers for collecting is the pride we feel buying new items. Then there’s finding a rare piece at a modest price point. We all know that feeling. And we can’t forget the thrill of the chase. That’s why I always enjoyed going to card shows both locally and throughout the country, carrying my neatly-typed want lists. I was a set collector, which meant I would go from booth to booth, scanning each table for any sign that the exhibitor would have the cards I needed. It got to the point that I would know which booth to automatically skip and which to make certain to visit. It took effort but the quest was fun. And isn’t that what any hobby should be?

         I will admit there have been times when I’ve wondered if I am a hoarder. For example, if I subscribe to Sports Illustrated, I don’t like to throw an issue out until I’ve finished reading it. So, magazines have a tendency to pile up in my living room. I’ve been able to reduce such stacks by paging through each issue and tearing out articles I feel I must read.

         But when it comes to baseball cards, I’ve concluded I’m not a hoarder. Setting a goal 37 years ago was a big help. I’m no longer an active collector now. I decided it was time to move onto other activities I wanted to enjoy before I die, like travel and reading some of the many books I’ve accumulated over the years.

         The other day I came across an essay in The New York Times by Ahmir Questlove Thompson. He leads The Roots, the house band for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” He wrote about the joys he finds in collecting. In his case it’s vinyl records and print magazines, including near-complete sets of Ebony and Rolling Stone.

         “A collection starts as a protest against the passage of time and ends as a celebration of it,” he wrote. I like that. It resonates with me.

         I say embrace and celebrate the passage of time. Revel in it. You deserve to, no matter what your friends, wife or significant other might say about your card collecting habit.