Published July 04, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

There’s always been some form of addiction in this hobby. Even in the earliest days, there was a chase—a pursuit. You’d rip packs hoping to find your favorite player or complete a set. But there was still something innocent about it. There was play. There was freedom.

Kids used to clip their sports cards into their bike spokes just to hear the flutter. They’d trade on the playground without checking comps. Creases didn’t kill a memory. Corners didn’t matter. And no one cared if their Mickey Mantle was minty fresh—grading cards didn’t even exist. Collecting happened on our own terms—not on a screen, not on someone else’s timeline.

But with the rise of streaming, slabs, and 24/7 access, that changed. Technology amplified everything. The hobby went from community-driven nostalgia to content-driven obsession. Now we watch other people open our dreams in real time. We get alerts about drops, auctions, comps. We refresh like it’s a reflex. And before we know it, the lines blur between passion and compulsion.

We don’t collect on our own terms anymore—we collect on the system’s terms. The algorithm tells us what to want. The breakers tell us when to chase. Social media feeds us manufactured hype all day everyday. And the clock never stops ticking. It’s not about connection—it’s about consumption.

This is why awareness matters. This is why we created Collectors MD.

Not to say the hobby is completely unhealthy or to villainize the manufacturers, platforms, and breakers. But to say that if we’re not careful, we’ll lose ourselves in a version of the hobby that was never meant for us.

So today, pause. Ask yourself: Am I collecting from joy—or reacting from impulse?

Because real collecting starts when we reclaim the terms.

#CollectorsMD
Cards were made to be played with, traded on the playground, stuffed in pockets—not turned into dopamine triggers disguised as “investments”.

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