Talk to me about your hiatus/time off etc.

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lucscaps

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I know we are all different and everyone's circumstances are different but I'm interested in knowing.

I'm sitting here with a foot and a half out the door. I'm enjoying the Canadian Tire set but I'm closing in on just a few more cards.
The henrique pc has been winding down for awhile now. I've caught myself missing putting bids on cards I would've snatched up without visitation.

So what did your hiatus or time off look like?. How did it go for you? How long was it? Etc
 
A couple years ago I took the entire summer off from the hobby. Middle of May to the beginning of October. No card shows, no trade nights, no eBay searches, no blogging and no HI.

It was great. I was knee-deep in work so I really didn't have the time to spend on cards anyways but it was a throwback to when I was a kid. Only one set to build and that was during the winter months......the summer was spent anticipating the next season's set.

Toughest part was not doing the eBay searches (I tend to sneak a peek on my phone numerous times a day) but I just deleted the app and after a day or two it was no problem.

Ask yourself what you want the hiatus to accomplish or represent. Why are you wanting to step back? Have a plan and enjoy the time away.

The hobby is always waiting for when you want to return. It ain't goin' anywhere. :)
 
I've been slowly piecing off my hockey cards for about 6-7 years now, but concurrently staying in the hobby itself dabbling a bit in non-sport and baseball. I also do a lot of things with my family that consumes my time and it is is the BEST time and money spent EVER. I cannot imagine sacrificing time spent with them, or money spent on them, to invest/spend it on hockey cards. We tried collecting together and it went alright for a few years but they eventually saw it as boring and monotonous. Think about it in those terms for a second, family or cards, and the choice to bail or curb yourself will be EASY.

I've curtailed my time spent on the hobby and the quantity of purchases immensely. I am too busy with my family to spend significant time on the hobby, so I have found very specific chases to pursue while being highly selective with my purchases.

I have shifted away from player PCs to focus more on set building and singles of transcendent people and athletes with the little time and money I do put into this hobby.

Overall, the time I spend is about 20-25% of what I used to and I am much happier and more satisfied with my ROI and time. The hockey segment has grown horribly redundant with UD's tiresome recycled rubbish (they call it "innovation") and piss poor return on any money invested outside of vintage and key rookie year issues.

In the end, as I did, do what makes YOU happy. I can tell you getting away from hockey cards and finding all these other amazing offerings in trading cards has made me happy, but the extra time with my family has been immeasurable and priceless.

Good luck to you! :beer:
 
Took 1 year off cause the the little guy and bought nothing. Missed some cards I needed for sets but I'm ok with it.

I've been back for a bit, picked up the couple of key Rookies I missed but the major change is now I don't feel the need to have everything i like. I pick the odd piece and besides the Card companies haven't excited me at all with the new releases. Until there are some changes in the hobby, I'm happy enough to keep the money in the pocket.
 
A few years ago I stopped collecting for an entire year and a bit. Just had a lot going on in school and just couldn't justify the extra money at that point in time. Also, my collecting habits and hobby 'mindset' if you will, wasn't the smartest, either. I loved the hobby, but I wasn't having fun anymore. Something is up with that.

So I decided to stop collecting for a bit until I was in this hobby for the right reasons and on MY terms. More on that in a second.

I just focused on my other hobbies, which includes actually playing hockey, among others. I still loved hockey and hockey cards, which will never leave me.

Then, when I was ready (and the hockey card itch was back in full throttle), I resumed the hobby and focused my collecting habits down to a select number of goalies so I could have fun and go easy on my wallet in the process. It's been smooth sailing ever since.

The break also helped me realize the simplicity I needed to have for this hobby of mine. It's allowed me to enjoy it that much more as a whole, too. Instead of obsessing over the cards I thought I "needed", how much more cards I had to get, and some jealousy for other collectors and their sweet goalie cards (weird, I know), I've learned to appreciate other collectors' cards like they are my own and actually be happy for other collectors and their great additions to their various collections. It helps me keep the good vibes going.

I've also learned that giving can be a lot more fun than receiving. And that the cards I happen to own, and the stories that go with them, are what this hobby is truly about.

Hopefully that wasn't too deep. Just sharing my experiences.
 
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Took a break after the 13/14 National Treasure release.

Didint event visit forums for a while exept BO off topic section. At the beginning of the 16/17 season my boss/cousin and brother and law started to break stuff with the Mcdavid Matthews craze and i didnt even budge.I told em to watch themsefl it can quickly turn into an illness.

Came back in November to mostly sell what i have left. Cant sell all at once on ebay since you have to declare if you sell over 25-3500$ per year.

Bought a box of Series 1 at 110$ in hope to hit a Boozer, got a major kick in the junk.Good thing with the price hike and all i wont go for another one.

The thing i enjoy the most now is beeing debt free, credit card beeing at 0$ and not going downtown to spend a G$ on wax at queencan.

I like the entusiath of the newcommers on facebook and all but it aint for me anymore.
 
Collecting is basically a fever. When the passion hits, it's all I do. When it subsides, I'm completely out. Doesn't even cross my mind when I'm out.
 
I had one break from the hobby when my kids were born. I walked out and enjoyed it. I spent my time with my babies and not at card shows. When I came back, in my own opinion, I came back to a hobby that was worse than when I left it.

I have been more into baseball than hockey, to be honest, simply because the potential with hockey cards is MUCH LESS than it is in baseball. I have HEAVILY pared down my hockey collection and even my baseball collection is limited to Blue Jays cards. The only hockey cards I am buying are Bill Barilko related and anything else is simply to flip.

This year has been a blessing. The rookie card scene (aside from Boeser) has been weak. Leaf put the screws to UD so the value in UDs boxes are non existent. Personally, it's a no brainer to simply stay away from opening boxes. It's almost like a forced hiatus and it's wonderful.
 
Made a fairly hard exit in 09 when my daughter was born. Jettisoned Q-mart, made a conscious effort to restrict my buying only to a very few existing projects i.e. the Sakic collection and one other set I was building. In the time since, I started a collection of some 90s stuff and a nice non-sport collection to which I add as interest moves me. I jumped back in with both feet around the tail end of the '14 season. I'm still opening WAY less wax than ever. I remain more focused and more entertained by my hobby.
 
I find this thread very fascinating. As a player collector, my collections go in ebbs and flows. I can go months without adding very many cards and then some months all kinds of cards get located. I'm currently always hunting for Nathan Horton cards and for my ovechkin collection I only search ebay auctions for cards to add to my collection as most of the buy it now or best offer options are more than I'm willing to pay. I've really found that patience is the key to enjoying collecting. The only time I completely stopped collecting was when my wife and I were expecting our first child as I knew I would need all of the money I could have to pay for everything involved. As others have said its a hobby and remember it will always be here and if you can wait a year from release date to purchase something you want, chances are you will really enjoy that price a lot more.
 
I've had a number of "vacations" from the hobby but have always tried to remain somehow in touch with what is going on. I collected from 90-96 then took a break, I was never a big wax breaker maybe a box or two a year between 2004-12. I did however get hooked on group breaks around 2012-13 and had a lot of fun with those. I was able to get decent return on most products and trading was still a thing for lower end cards so that made it worth it.

Over the last few years the exclusives have taken a lot of the fun out of the hobby. I really miss the 2013-14 season with all of the Panini sets (I know they were loaded for a reason) and the fun you could have with breaks and boxes.

This year I have moved so not as much extra cash for the hobby and my daughter is going to be 4 soon so I am spending as much of my time with her as I can. Now that she is up later in the evening that means not as much time for the hobby which is perfectly ok.

I have still been adding to the Roy PC through great sellers/traders on HI and COMC but my hope for the future of my hobby is bleak at best if it continues the way it is.
 
Ongoing since 2012 (which is when my daughter was born). Diapers were expensive. Baby food was expensive. Daycare, after school programs, clothes, etc. All of that former card money has been effectively re-purposed. Sold off a good chunk of my Jeff Carter PC, my Joe Thornton PC, a good number of Young Guns of bigger players, a few gamers, and a few graded vintage pieces to have some extra family spending money. Kept all my cut auto's, the GOTG auto set, stuff like that.

Considering the state of the hobby, there's no real incentive for me to get back into things (I may sell off some of the RC's I held onto still). I may finally finish my 55 parkie set, but priorities. I will say, I miss hanging with the people in the hobby far more than the cards.
 
I have been a lot more active than I expected to be since the summer of 2016 when my son was born. We lived in a bit of an alternate reality for the first year while my wife was on mat leave and expenses were limited to essentials.

Since the fall, daycare costs are a bottomless pit and the little that is left over has been squirreled away in a savings account - it is hard to justify buying cards right now, but I am so lucky to have acquired what I did prior to this massive life change.

I had a bit of a windfall in December, and bought the 15/16 Showcase Sparkling Diamond McDavid /5 - I haven't searched for cards since paying for it.

I have made a decision to move on from a huge percentage of my collection, but luckily I am not super-rushed. I'm going to start over the next couple of weeks, a few cards at a time!
 
NJDEVILS30 said:
Since the fall, daycare costs are a bottomless pit
Click to expand...

Haha, talk to me about it. $2000 a month for two kids. That's $24,000 a year that could have been spent on cards!!

I'm sure it's even worse in TO. I've read they have the highest daycare costs in the country
 
Haven't collected any new hockey cards since 2009-10 and just buying old OPC sets (have them all from 1972-73 to 2009-10). I have all the Topps hockey sets from 1969-70 to whenever they stopped.

I used to spend thousands and now that happens only once in a while as old sets are very hard to find in nice condition.
 
jogesc2 said:
Haha, talk to me about it. $2000 a month for two kids. That's $24,000 a year that could have been spent on cards!!

I'm sure it's even worse in TO. I've read they have the highest daycare costs in the country
Click to expand...

That's a lot. In Quebec, with the taxes returns, it's a bit under 500$/month per kid,
 
I have slowly been exiting the hobby for about 4 years now. I haven't been to a local show or the Expo since probably 2012, if not more. I haven't busted any wax beyond a few packs of Tim Hortons since about the same time. Now that my player has retired, his cards are pretty much non-existent. I still search a couple times a week for his stuff, but it doesn't consume me like it did back in the early 2000's. I have three sets I am working on, two of which are one card away from being completed, and one that will likely NEVER be completed. I may go after a vintage set in the future, once my kids are out of the house, but TBH, I stopped enjoying the hobby a long time ago, and I don't miss being involved on a full time basis.
 
TanguayFan said:
I have slowly been exiting the hobby for about 4 years now. I haven't been to a local show or the Expo since probably 2012, if not more. I haven't busted any wax beyond a few packs of Tim Hortons since about the same time. Now that my player has retired, his cards are pretty much non-existent. I still search a couple times a week for his stuff, but it doesn't consume me like it did back in the early 2000's. I have three sets I am working on, two of which are one card away from being completed, and one that will likely NEVER be completed. I may go after a vintage set in the future, once my kids are out of the house, but TBH, I stopped enjoying the hobby a long time ago, and I don't miss being involved on a full time basis.
Click to expand...

After a while in the hobby, we get more and more picky about want we want to collect. I slowed down on wax too, I'm looking to sell a bunch of tradebait. I would be fine with my Odjick and Pouliot collection, a smaller Habs and Nordiques PC in which I keep mostly the better stuff, and a few specific sets as my PC when my selling will all be done.
 
odjickfan said:
That's a lot. In Quebec, with the taxes returns, it's a bit under 500$/month per kid,
Click to expand...

The place our little guy goes to is $1,880 a month for full time PER kid.

He has only been there since September and we have already had a 13% rate increase attributed to the minimum wage hike in Ontario.

That's a lot of Brodeur autographs!!!
 

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