Published July 13, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

What if buying and selling trading cards became illegal tomorrow?
What if every card in your collection instantly lost any and all monetary value?
Would you still collect?

Would you still admire that parallel just because it looks cool?
Would you still flip through your binder or stack of slabs simply because it brings you peace, joy, or nostalgia—not just whether you’re “up” or “down”?

Today’s hobby culture constantly assigns monetary value to everything. The moment you rip a pack, your brain starts scanning: What’s this worth? What can I grade? What can I flip? What’s the comp? Did I break even?
It’s natural. And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with tracking value, making smart investments, or even flipping cards for profit. But at some point, you have to ask yourself:

Am I collecting with purpose—or just chasing dollar signs?

If all you see are dollar signs and market trends when you look at your cards—and the peace and purity that collecting once provided has been replaced by a fixation on profit—it might be time to ask yourself: Are you still collecting, or just looking to cash out?

The deeper you go, the harder it can be to separate joy from judgment. When everything becomes a potential sale, it’s easy to forget why you ever loved this stuff to begin with. The nostalgia. The beauty. The connection. The story. The you that once collected without any thought of resale.

Today’s reflection:

• Pick one card from your PC.

• Ask yourself: Would I still love this if it were worth nothing?

• If the answer is no, ask: When did that change? And why?

You can collect with strategy and still lead with heart. You can hold value and meaning in the same card. But if profit becomes the only driver, the hobby stops being a hobby—it becomes a job. And jobs rarely fill us the way purpose does.

#CollectorsMD
It’s okay to care about value. Just don’t let it be the only reason you collect.

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