#500

Today marks a major milestone in my blogging career.

It's one that I never could've dreamed about when I decided to start this blog over nine months ago.

This, my friends, is my 500th post.

I still can't believe it myself. My collection sure has come a long way in those 500 posts.

In the time that I've been a blogger, my collecting philosophies have undergone a myriad of changes.

Among many other things, I've learned that sometimes you need to take a deep look into some cards in order to recognize their greatness. I've learned that the picture on a card is often more important than the player featured on it.

Lastly, and perhaps best of all, I've learned that book value is a meaningless tool in this hobby.

I could care less what my awesome 500-themed Harmon Killebrew insert "books" for. Beckett can't put a price on the deep love I have for it, no matter how hard they might try.

But more than just my collection has changed over these first five hundred posts. I've transformed as well.

I now see the inherent beauty that lies within a community that looks out for each other. The blogosphere is the very epitome of that.

I've seen just how far generosity can go in this hobby. Sure, sending a "surprise" package of goodies to a fellow blogger might cost me a few bucks in postage.

But in the long run, the feeling of simply being a part of a great group of collectors more than offsets that cost.

For all this, I thank you, my fellow bloggers. These last nine months have been the greatest in my collecting career, and I hold all of you responsible for that.

I'm already looking forward to the next five hundred posts.

I hope you are, too.