Published March 23, 2026 | By Meryll E, Collectors MD Community Member

As Collectors MD approaches its first anniversary, I’ve found myself reflecting on just how much has unfolded over the past year. Alyx has always said I’m his biggest cheerleader, but this isn’t about praise. What stands out most to me is the honesty, the vulnerability, and the courage it took for him to turn something deeply personal into something that now helps others.

The growth of Collectors MD didn’t come from an idea alone. It came from lived experience; from struggle, from reflection, and from a willingness to face something difficult and painful head-on and reshape it into something that could create real impact and meaning for others also struggling.

When I first shared my story, I spoke about Alyx as a child and the heartbreak of watching him navigate addiction later in life. As this milestone approaches, I feel a responsibility to speak again, not just as his mother, but as a parent who has come to understand how much the hobby itself has changed.

Because for a long time, I didn’t see it for what it has become.

I was never a collector. My understanding of sports cards came from childhood memories – watching my father with my brothers, sorting through shoeboxes filled with cards, trading with friends, and experiencing the simple joy of opening a pack just to see what was inside. It felt harmless. It felt nostalgic. It felt wholesome.

And for many years, I assumed that’s what the hobby still was.

Alyx’s childhood experience with collecting was different. He navigated the hobby on his own, and I didn’t fully recognize how his relationship with it changed as he got older. I was still viewing it through the lens of my own memories – assuming it was rooted in the same innocence and simplicity.

What I didn’t understand at the time was how dramatically the structure around collecting had changed.

Sometimes what looks familiar on the surface can gradually shift into something very different underneath. As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children, only to discover that some of the environments they grow into aren’t as safe as we once believed.

The hobby today doesn’t always resemble the one many of us grew up with.

Young collectors are now entering environments shaped by livestream breaks, high-frequency releases, and systems that reward speed, risk, and constant engagement. These experiences are fast, stimulating, and often difficult to step away from – especially for younger participants who may not yet understand the financial or emotional consequences tied to those behaviors.

Unlike other industries where similar dynamics exist, there are very few safeguards in place. There is no consistent transparency. There are no meaningful consumer protections. There are no clear boundaries to protect younger audiences.

That lack of structure is what concerns me most – not the hobby itself, but the way it’s evolved. Collecting can still be something beautiful. It can still build connection. It can still create memories. It can still bring families together. But when the environment surrounding it begins to mirror systems built on unpredictability and the constant chase, it deserves a closer look.

If I could share one message with other parents, it would be this: pay attention to how your children are engaging with the hobby – not just whether they are collecting. Ask questions. Watch for unhealthy patterns. Notice the tone. Does it feel joyful – or does it feel urgent? Does it feel meaningful – or does it feel pressured?

The truth is, we often believe we would recognize a problem if it were happening. But sometimes it doesn’t look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it looks familiar. Sometimes it looks harmless. Sometimes it looks like something we once loved. And that’s what makes it so easy to miss.

As Collectors MD enters its second year, Alyx and his team are helping create something that didn’t previously exist – a space where these conversations can happen openly, without judgment, and with the intention of protecting both current and future collectors. They are building awareness. They are encouraging accountability. They are helping people reconnect with what the hobby is meant to be. Not something that takes from you – but something that adds to your life.

Change doesn’t happen all at once. But it does begin with awareness. And sometimes, protecting the purity and joy of something requires the willingness to take a closer look than we might have before.

#CollectorsMD
Protecting what you love starts with seeing it for what it truly is – even when that truth is hard to face.

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