I’ve been waiting to reply since I had a few more major purchases I was in the process of negotiating this past month. Now that that has past, I can take a look back at what I said before and grade myself:
Well, at least I know myself and know I need to focus more (the first step of fixing a problem is admitting it, right?
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Psyduck Binder - I grade myself a D-. I did a fabulous job of picking up new graded Psyduck cards, but I barely even touched this goal. The only thing I actually did to support this is buy the Misty’s Psyduck card from Destined Rivals, but it never even made it into the binder because I found a display/holder for the card that I like.
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Komiya Binder - I grade myself a C. Again, I bought a bunch of graded Komiya cards (particularly vending), but didn’t touch this goal a ton. Most additions to my Komiya binder were just because of bulk from things I opened where there happened to be a Komiya artwork in the pile.
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Lawson Postcard Collecting - Yikes…F. I did get some other postcards I really love, but I didn’t get either of the two remaining ones I am looking for. The prices skyrocketed this past year, and when the only available ones won’t leave collector’s hands for less than $400-$500, I’d rather put $1000 total towards something else.
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Graded Worlds Cards - Finally! I’ll give myself a B. I have @antoniogr to thank for selling me one of my favorite world’s artworks, the 2005 Tropical Tidal Wave. I also sold some spare worlds cards, and bought a staff card while at the 2025 worlds, which was a cool bucket list item for me.
So going forward, what are my 2026 goals?
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Focus. No, actually focus. I bought heavily this past year, particularly with graded cards I have been after, which has been so much fun but I also want to scale that back a bit. Buying for this next year I would really like to limit to some binder purchases, that way I am still collecting but the majority of the cards aren’t any more than $50.
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Sell. I sold more than I ever have this past year, and I would like to trim down some of my collection now that I have acquired some bigger pieces that I really wanted.
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Give. One of the most gratifying things I have done both in this hobby and life in general is give generously to people who may not expect it, whether that is friends, family, someone at a card show, or the eBay buyer who wasn’t expecting a free booster bundle in their order. There is something really special about being to extend what brings you joy to others, and watching how much unexpected and undeserving generosity strikes at their heart. Maybe a little more real human to human interaction and care about our fellow man is something we could all use this next year.
Best of luck to all in their goals this year ![]()