I'm Just Not a Player Collector...

Lately I've been spending some time really analyzing my collecting habits, looking at where my collection is currently at, at where I want it to be, and at what the best way is to get there. One thing that I came to a realization on is that I'm just not a player collector. I'm a set collector at heart. As much as I feel an affinity towards certain players, I just don't have what it takes to keep up with a player collection. Constant eBay searching, scouring every new checklist that gets released...at some point it feels more like a chore than a hobby.

So, going forward I will continue to be a player "accumulator" for Tony Esposito, David Krejci, etc. This means that I will gladly accept any cards of these players and will pick them up myself when I see them on the cheap, but will not be pursuing them as a top priority or trying to track down every new card that comes out.

As luck will have it, just as I was making this evaluation I was contacted out of the blue by a reader who was interested in a few of my David Krejci cards. We went back and forth and ultimately I decided to part with 8 of my Krejci's at a price that we both found fair:









I had no problem sending these away knowing that they became part of a Krejci collection that was far superior to mine (over 135 unique Krejci cards and counting!). While a couple of these were among my better Krejci cards, I've still got over 40 left including some great rookies and autos that I don't plan to part with.

The best part is that I used the funds from this transaction to add two awesome cards to my hockey collection. Both cards that I picked up are superstar rookies, and one has been on my "white whale" list for quite some time. I will be showing them here as soon as they arrive, and you can decide how you think I did.

Are you a player collector? Have you ever given up on a player collection? If so, what did you do with all the cards?