Overspending

 
I don't know if I'm like other collectors, in that I often wonder if I'm spending too much on baseball cards.

I've never had much of a hard budget or anything like that when it comes to the hobby. I spend when I can spend, and reel it in when I have to reel it in. But that's easier said than done sometimes, because boy are there a lot of different ways to purchase cards these days. I buy cards somewhat regularly, but I sometimes can't help but wonder if my purchases, no matter how small (Target, COMC, etc.), might be adding up on me.

I never want to become the person for whom a hobby becomes a problem, at least budget-wise, because then it's not much of a hobby anymore.

It sure doesn't help that Twitter sales have become more and more prevalent lately, like the (mostly) dime-card sales hosted by blogger-turned-tweeter Brian (formerly of "Play at the Plate" fame).

Look: I can't see a card I need, virtually or physically, and go: eh, I'll pass. Nope, it's more like: Ooh, I need that one, and that one, and that one, and oh what the heck I guess one more purchase couldn't hurt! One thing I've learned over time is that cards, no matter how cheap, do add up after a while. But whether I'm overspending or not, it's hard to resist Twitter sales just because of how fun they are.

Not to mention all the great cards I'm able to get for loose change, too.

Sometimes I have to catch the worrywart in me and wonder if I'm perhaps overreacting a bit: I mean, my total cost for these four cards was forty cents.

Tough to beat oddballs and mini-collection hits at a dime a pop.

I purchased these before Willie McCovey's passing (RIP), but both then and now, I never thought twice about overspending about them.

You're worth every penny, Stretch.

I think it's more the frequency of my card purchases I'm worried about: I partook in a second sale from Brian before I even had time to post about that first one. (And that's not even mentioning all the stuff I've already bought from him.)

Like I said, though: you can't throw stuff of dudes I collect at me for loose change and not expect me to pounce.

Perhaps even more exciting was the fact that I got to add to some relatively obscure player collections at a dime a piece.

It's not every day I get to add a new Gookie Dawkins or Bob Wickman to my binders.

Mini-collections!

These both cost a bit more than a dime (I think they were about a buck for the pair) but still worth it -- and yes, I might be one of the few who still collects Joba Chamberlain.

Brian's sales even have those precious hints of standard discount-box surprises, like finding Heritage SPs among the smattering of other stuff.

These were a quarter each (I think), including a nifty hit to my brand spankin' new player collection of Khris Davis and the first Terry Mulholland card I've purchased in a while (long live middle relievers!).

Given how big of a Black Sox nut I am, I'm a bit surprised I've never took the easy way out and simply purchased a whole 1988 Pacific Eight Men Out set, especially since they can generally be had for well less than the cost of a blaster.

Instead I've spent years parsing out the checklist with dimes here and dimes there, like these two from Brian's sale -- and I have to believe I'm getting close to a complete set at this point anyways.

In the end, I'd say: no, I don't think I overspend on baseball cards.

For me, the key is that I never really go back and say: Oh, I really shouldn't have bought those. I don't buy something for the sake of buying something. Every purchase is justified, up to and including these excellent Twitter sales from Brian.

As long as it doesn't get in the way of any vital life functions, it's hard to say you can ever overspend on something you enjoy, something that truly makes you feel alive.