Why?

Pondering my collecting decisions. 

Roughly a few times a week, I'll get a card in the mail in a plain white envelope from a Listia auction. I still consider myself a casual user, but I've completed thousands of auctions over the years, which makes me extremely disturbed at the thought of how many stamps this little hobby has cost me. I use the virtual currency to occasionally win stuff, which is how this Kris Bryant New Age Performers card from last season's Heritage set came to be in my possession.

When I opened the envelope, Erin was curious about the card. When I showed it to her -- a Cub, of all thing -- she simply said one word: "Why?" While I mumbled something about Heritage, barely above a whisper without making eye contact, I realized that this is a question I've been asking myself a lot more lately. Why do I collect these things? Am I really a set collector? (No, not really.) I enjoy the Topps Heritage line, but as the season changes over to summer, Allen & Ginter will be here soon enough. And I haven't really enjoyed Allen & Ginter all that much in awhile. Do I really need all of this crap? I don't think there's ever an end to that question, personally.

Moving along, in consideration of unnecessary purchases, I went to Target tonight (see what a hypocrite I am?) and bought a few more Bowman packs. This Ryan Mountcastle card is part of a promotion where if the player featured on the card is called up at some point during the current season, you win a "BASEBALL PLAYER DEBUT PRIZE!" I have no idea what that means, and I'd normally be eager to enter the online code right now to get the ball rolling. However, a quick glance at Mountcastle's numbers and current injury status suggest that he's unlikely to get the call this season. His age and not ever playing above AA also are contributing factors. I have until the end of October to enter the code, supposedly, so I'll keep the card in pristine shape in the mean time. It would have been cool to pull one of these sure thing players (hello, Acuña) instead of Mountcastle, but these are supposedly a pretty tough pull.

In another completely unrelated note, check out what I found in a stack of college basketball and football cards in a neglected corner of my room! This Steph Curry rookie year card is going for nearly $10 on COMC right now, so I was pretty happy to rediscover it. I have accumulated way too many things that don't fit into my collection, including from other sports, so I need to find a home for some of this stuff soon. It would be awesome to put together another free Group Break like I've done in the past, only for weird crap like Kentucky basketball cards and Auburn football players that I have no idea how they got in my home.