When Your Hobby Interest Shifts

This post has been in the making for quite some time. Perhaps about two years. I feel like I've been constantly talking myself down off the proverbial ledge during that time, but now I'm finally going to take the leap:

Outside of the occasional good ol' PWE for PWE swap, I'm done with trading. 

Please, no more yellow padded mailers or flat rate boxes. 

Many things have changed in the hobby since I returned in 2009, perhaps more than any prior decade. For insatnce, Topps became the only MLB license holding company and Twitter really took off. Also, YouTube channels are en vogue and big money breaks are here to stay.

I'm not adverse to change in the hobby, but my tastes have slowly grown in a different direction.

Here's where I'm at with the hobby, in bullet point fashion for easy reading:

• I still very much enjoy reading the blogs and I try to comment on at least one blog everyday. 
• We have some excellent writers in our community, many of whom I feel have I have become friends with.  
• I appreciate reading the "takes" of others, even if they're aren't in line with mine. Added bonus: the content is free!
• Blogging has become a "process" for me and it's no longer as enjoyable as it once was.
• I'm not going to shut down the blog, but who knows when the next post will come.
• I won't be doing the "Favorite Card of the Year" contest, as I've done the last three years. I'm content with allowing it to die unless someone else wants to pick it up.
• I still purchase cards, but they're for my specific collections:
• The current set I'm working on will always have my attention.
• There will always be a set to build and I love the chase!
• FYI, right now it's 1982 Topps, but I'm not posting a want list. 
• Vogelmonster cards. (Well, duh.)
• Cards to upgrade my HOF Binder.  
• Cards for my Folder of Fun, which I haven't shown on the blog. It is akin to Dimebox Nick's superb FrankenSet, but with categorized themes.  
• I'm contemplating following Wrigley Wax's model of buying Cubs team sets from Ebay sellers or a local card show.
• Why I'm no longer looking to be a catch-all for Cubs cards:
• My trade bait is nonexistent, because I haven't purchased any modern day product in years. 
• I can't recall the last time I shipped out a return package where I didn't specifically shop for the other person on Ebay, Sportlots, or a card show. It shouldn't be that way. The coffers truly are bare.

That's pretty much it. I've returned to my set building roots and at this point in time I prefer sets which are 35+ years old. Not the best way to build up a cache of trade fodder. LOL 

The latest Vogelmonster addition, numbered 14/25.  Awesome!

Side Note: I'm actually in the midst of designing plans for an end table which will double as shelves for card binders. That'll be fun for sure. I love making saw dust and I think blogging about that will be something I'll want to do down the road.

In summary, if you have a stack of Cubs cards and were planning on sending them way . . . well, please don't. May I suggest Beau, from the One Million Cubs Project? He's a most excellent trader and I'd love to see him reach his goal someday. 

Thanks for reading, all the past trades, and your support.   #CollectYourWay