Purpose Over Profit: A Collector’s Journey Back to Joy

Published July 11, 2025 | By Brad S, President, The Trading Card Hall of Fame

I was a card collector during the boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s, like so many kids my age. In an era without the internet at our fingertips, cards were our connection to players, teams, and even pop culture. This was my passion. I used Lotus 1-2-3 to log my cards in a rudimentary spreadsheet, and I had subscriptions to Beckett for baseball, basketball, and football—plus Future Stars. I was as plugged into the hobby as a kid with limited funds could be.

As high school rolled around, interests changed, as they often do. My passion for cards faded and eventually stopped altogether, though I kept my collection. I’d occasionally thumb through it, until one day, I heard the era I’d grown up in referred to as The Junk Wax Era. Suddenly, my “retirement fund” became a time capsule full of nostalgia.

When I re-entered the hobby in 2016, it came back as slowly as it had left. What drew me back in was Topps Now—cards made the day after a key moment in sports. I thought that was such a cool concept. I started collecting them daily, eventually completing the full set for that season. When it ended, I sold the set for about what I had paid. It felt like I got a summer of collecting for free. From there, I started chasing the cards I had always wanted as a kid, dipping my toes into boxes and online releases so I could fund my PC with minimal financial impact.

But I was still a novice in the new collecting world—one driven by prospecting, flipping, and chasing profit. That wasn’t my game. Sure, I had some sales wins, but I was mostly just accumulating inventory. Then came breaks. A lower-cost entry point for a shot at something big. I didn’t get too deep into it, but I did enough to see how people could. For me, it wasn’t about the money—I just loved the rip and the possibility of discovery. But I rarely hit anything valuable, and eventually I realized I was just filling boxes with cards I couldn’t move.

Two years ago, I donated nearly 10,000 cards from my youth to a young collector. I kept the ones that meant something to me, but the rest—All-Stars, Hall of Famers, you name it—were passed on. And that act changed everything. I realized I didn’t need everything. I just needed what mattered.

That moment shifted how I collect. I stopped hoarding rookie cards in hopes they’d turn into gold. I started curating themed collections. One of my favorites is a run of U.S. Presidents from Topps, Upper Deck, and other major brands. Another is my Ichiro Archives Project, where I collect Ichiro Suzuki cards based on vintage Topps designs dating back to 1951. I even have T206-style Ichiro cards. These cards bring me joy—I flip through them often. About 70 of my favorite graded cards are on display in my home office because I believe a PC should be seen, not stored.

This shift led to my next project: The Trading Card Hall of Fame. The idea came to me one night in bed. I wanted to find a way to celebrate the history of the hobby and honor the most iconic cards. I jumped out of bed, secured the domain, filed a trademark, and got to work. I started recruiting voters from the hobby, collected nominees, and even dreamed up a traveling display. The inaugural Class of 2025 was announced in January. This summer, I’m finalizing the Class of 2026.

To celebrate, I created Class of 2025 Packs—500 sealed, serial-numbered packs, each containing licensed reprints of the 11 inaugural cards. Each case includes a QR code linking to that card’s Hall of Fame page. Eight of the packs even contain original PSA-graded copies. The project brought me so much joy. I was collecting with purpose again. Even though it’ll be bittersweet when the packs are gone, the experience of assembling, cataloging, and sharing them has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my collecting journey.

I still buy packs here and there—not to hit it big, but to feel like a kid again. I collect cards I like, not ones I hope to flip. My goal now is simple: bring positivity to the hobby. Share the history. Celebrate the wins, the PCs, the joy.

I want to keep it a hobby.

#CollectorsMD
Collect with purpose. Let joy—not profit—lead the way.

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I am one step closer to the top 500!

# 1—The 1954 Topps Baseball Ernie Banks Rookie card, number 94.

Keep Collecting,

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# 2—The Topps Baseball Satchel Paige Rookie card, number 220.

Who Will Be # 1 for 2025

Keep Collecting,

#thesprtzcardcoltr #thehobbyexperience #everycardhasastory #mytop40cards #whowillbenumberone #thehobby #whodoyoucollect