A beautiful sunset at work today

Published December 15, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

The next generation of collectors is already here, and it’s our youth. They’re opening packs at kitchen tables, watching breaks on tablets, memorizing player stats, and absorbing hobby culture long before they fully understand money, risk, or long-term consequences. Whether we acknowledge it or not, they are learning what collecting means from the systems we allow to exist around them.

Collecting, at its core, was never meant to revolve around resale value, instant flips, or manufactured urgency. It was about curiosity. Connection. Stories. Shared moments between parents and kids, friends and siblings. But today’s hobby operates very differently. Hype cycles move fast. Comps are treated like scoreboards. Gambling-like mechanics are normalized. And there are no meaningful age gates, guardrails, or education requirements to help young collectors navigate what they’re being exposed to.

That places responsibility squarely on us—parents, guardians, collectors, hobby leaders, and anyone shaping the culture young collectors are growing up in.

What kids learn first doesn’t come from platforms or products—it comes from what we normalize, model, and explain in real time.

Kids don’t yet have the tools to distinguish collecting from speculation, or entertainment from risk. They don’t understand how scarcity is engineered, how urgency is manufactured, or how platforms and products are designed to trigger repeat spending. Without guidance, it’s easy for them to internalize the idea that value equals price, that winning matters more than meaning, and that participation requires constant spending.

Teaching the next generation to collect with intention isn’t about restricting joy—it’s about protecting it. It’s about helping them understand why they collect, not just what they collect. It’s about modeling healthy boundaries, talking openly about money, and explaining that stepping away is always an option—not a failure.

We don’t need to scare kids away from the hobby. We need to equip them. To explain risk in age-appropriate ways. To emphasize enjoyment over outcomes. To show them that collecting doesn’t require chasing, comparison, or validation from the market. And to consistently remind them that they are allowed to enjoy something without being consumed by it.

The hobby will continue to evolve. Technology will accelerate. Marketing will only become sharper, more sophisticated, and increasingly personalized—especially when it comes to reaching younger audiences. But the values we pass down can remain steady if we choose to be intentional about them.

Protecting the next generation of collectors doesn’t mean opposing the hobby. It means caring enough to shape it responsibly—so that what they inherit is something that adds to their lives, not something they have to recover from later.

#CollectorsMD
The future of the hobby depends on what we teach the next generation of collectors today.

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This month, we’re proud to feature Alex B (@alexbridgeforth) in our Collector Spotlight—an Army veteran, devoted father of four young boys, and the anchor of a Chargers-loving family.

Alex has become a vocal and consistent presence within the Collectors MD community, actively participating in the Intention group chat, our Discord, and weekly peer-support meetings where he openly shares progress, reflections, and stories from his and his boys’ shared collecting journey. For Alex, the hobby isn’t about hits, hype, or resale—it’s about connection. It’s a shared language between a father and his sons, rooted in joy, curiosity, and love for the game.

That mindset shows up clearly in how Alex engages with the hobby. The only time he’ll ever participate in a break is for a reasonable football PYT (Pick Your Team)—and it’s always the Chargers. Even then, it has to be affordable and well within his budget. There’s no chasing, no stretching, no rationalizing. If it doesn’t align, he walks away without hesitation.

What makes Alex such a powerful example of intentional collecting is that resale value and aftermarket comps are completely arbitrary to him and his boys. Their collection has purpose. It has meaning. Every card represents a moment, a memory, or a shared experience—not a price point. Through this, Alex is actively teaching his children the art of responsible spending and collecting with intention, clarity, and purpose.

He brings his boys to card shows and Chargers games. They spend several nights a week sorting their collection together, opening affordable boxes like Score or Donruss Football, talking football, laughing, and enjoying the hobby side by side. There’s no glitz. No glamor. Just presence, passion, and time spent together.

This is the beauty of what collecting can look like when we strip away the manufactured hype and revenue-driven noise that’s been embedded into the hobby. This is the foundation of the #RipResponsibly campaign. And Alex lives it—not just for himself, but for the next generation of collectors he’s raising.

THIS is what Collectors MD is all about.

Below is a glimpse into Alex’s collecting world. Be sure to show him some love—the hobby is better because of collectors like him.

#CollectorsMD
Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.

https://collectorsmd.com/collector-spotlight/

Here’s an interesting/fun find in a box of mixed cards I found