To answer simply, I collect because it makes me happy. Like all hobbies, it gives the subject something to do with free time and expendable income. It provides an escape for those rough days, when you can come home and open one of those padded envelopes to reveal something you've been waiting all week for. It brings me back to a simpler time, when I could expect a candy cane full of cards every Christmas, and I could ask my dad if the player on the card was any good, and I collected the Red Sox and Jets because they were the teams I watched.
For me, one of the biggest reasons I collect is the value associated with the hobby. Unlike some other hobbies, sports cards can be considered as a tangible semi-liquid asset, meaning that I can touch my cards and in a relatively small amount of time, I can sell them for cash or PayPal which can be turned into cash. Each player, card, and set carry a different value and change in value daily much like the stock market. For example, a single news report can destroy a player's card value (i.e. Roger Clemens), or a team transaction could help the player skyrocket on the open market a la Matt Moore after the Jake Delhomme release from the Panthers. With that being said, here are some of my favorite cards from my collection!
