Someone recently asked
me how I felt about selling off most of my T206 collection to pursue Carter's T206 Plank. This was my response:
I sweated through the initial
decision to sell, but once I began chipping away at my collection, most of it fell like dominoes. It's now been 2 years
since the sell off and I have rarely had any regrets. Once in awhile I will miss an old card, or just having the shear
volume of a collection -- I once had 520 T206 cards and now have 22, not counting the unsigned ones. Only a few vestiges
of the Monster still exist in my collection -- having Plank, Magie, Demmitt, O'Hara, all three Mathewsons, a Cobb and a Johnson
help, to be sure. But I also cherish my SGC 40 Hans Lobert from my original collection.
To be fair, most of the
money went into the Plank, but substantial amounts also went into my Magie as well as my growing (at the time) collection
of autographed T206 cards. Since my autographed pre-war card collection exploded in 2007, I found a new card diversion.
Suddenly the non-signed versions no longer appealed to me as they once did. Once you become enamoured with the idea
of owning a T206 card that the Player himself actually signed, the unsigned ones become less impressive. So, while I
have started and stopped and restarted building the T206 collection back up a few times, I have never really gotten a foothold
in reclimbing the mountain.
From an economic standpoint, I sold at the right time and got really good money for a lot
of my collection. I think the Plank has probably held up okay in this sluggish economy, but the cards I sold, by and
large, have not. I am happy about that. But it is also strange to me that when people ask to name my favorite
card, I never say the Plank. I really love having it, but it does not glow to
me. There is something sort of daunting about having so much $$$ locked up in a card.
It is almost a guilt.
In the end, collections are more
fun when they are changing. I recently completed a couple of cashless trades that were terrific for all parties. In
the end, collect what you love, and don't get too bogged down in keeping things forever -- we're just holding onto these things
in public trust.
