Thanks everyone for your responses! 
I enjoyed reading about everyone’s thoughts and personal experiences with their collections. Seems like most will be collecting for the long haul, and that’s amazing! As for me, I still love Pokemon and learning about cards. IMO taking a step back from buying/adding isn’t necessarily an expression of dying interest in the hobby. I’m in the process of redirecting my passion and enjoyment to what I already own, and hopefully displaying it all sometime in the near(ish) future, when I get my own place. I’ve definitely been inspired by some of the displays featured here on E4.
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@merciersj, yeah, you really have to find what your into for sure. If you try to keep up with modern set you really have to pump out the big bucks. They keep coming, and you also have to deal with the inflation of the meta relevant cards. Then when they rotate out you lose loads of $$$. The same especially for MTG. If you collect modern sets that are played in the “standard” rotation your going to have a bad time lol. But it comes down to what YOU enjoy most importantly. Unless you have a reserve of couple million dollars to blow on Pokemon it’s near impossible to catch up to whats out there today.
I like sticking with WOTC or Japanese promos myself, but even then I find myself always wanting to upgrade the conditions of what I already have even if I was happy with it another point in time.
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For Pokémon I’m only just beginning! Jk jk 
I do understand how you feel, though. Not with Pokémon, since I won’t stop anytime soon (if ever), but for collecting in general. I’ve been collecting all kind of things in my life: minerals, fossils, gemstones, and meteorites; post stamps; euro coins; Yu-Gi-Oh cards; Pokémon cards; twisty puzzles; and in my youth other small collections like the toys you get some grocery stores or pogs, and also some virtual collections (all Team Fortress 2 weapons). Currently however, I only collect Pokémon, twisty puzzles, and Yu-Gi-Oh rarities (and euro coins, although this is mostly just checking change, and sometimes receiving duplicates from the brother of my grandma who collects them as well).
Anyway, although my Pokémon collection is still booming, for Yu-Gi-Oh I’m only collecting rarities and don’t really care about any of the other cards anymore. This is probably mostly because I used to play Yu-Gi-Oh and bought cards for my Decks, and now I’m only a collector. For twisty puzzles I now also have close to all puzzles I want. I still buy them, especially some of the newer releases, but at a much much slower pace. In 2017 I bought more than 100 puzzles in total, but thus far in 2019 I bought 17. For twisty puzzles I’m not really a set collector unlike a lot of other fellow twisty puzzle collectors. I prefer to have just one puzzle I think is most fun to solve from a set, and only in very rare cases I might buy a second if I really like the puzzle (happened just twice thus far).
But, getting back on-topic regarding Pokémon. I collect Pikachus, and although I currently have just 57 more to find to ‘complete’ my collection, new Pikachus are released on a weekly basis, so it will never stop. In addition, I also have some side collections that are either complete or nearing completion, like Sevipers (3 cards left to find from the total ~150); Moltres WotC #21 variations including PSA/BGS/sealed (3 sealed variations left to find from the total ~25); FA Supporters (complete, except for some that will be releasing in English in August); National Index including all forms and Shiny Pokémon (complete). For now I will stay with these collections, and simply try to finish them, and keep them finished for future releases. I’ve also collected Mimikyus before, but I stopped when the Team Up set was released, since it contained four Pikachus and six Mimikyus, across eight languages… And I didn’t had that much affection with Mimikyu at that point anyway.
Greetz,
Quuador
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Contentment is never a bad thing. I seem to go through the consolidation thing where I trade up once my collection hits a certain point. But the whole “got to catch em all” is genius because it’s a never ending journey. Good job Pokemon Company on that one.
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It’s never enough. That’s why we have to have goals and be disciplined about it.
Consolidation is a must. Getting rid of cards that no longer give you the pleasure they once did. I started selling in 2016 because I was broke buying too many cards but I wanted more and found a way by selling off the ones I don’t like anymore.
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I have a bit of anxiety at having bought too much these past 18 months after starting to collect. My idea is to start consolidating. I have boxes full of cool cards that are in the 50-500 dollar range and maybe I should convert them into a smaller stack of pricier, more rare cards that could fit into a little safe.
The two main reasons for this is 1) space 2) so I could quickly liquidate and get most of my money/ “investment” back if I needed to sell quick rather having to fire-sale a few thousand cards
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I think a lot of people fall into the trap of collecting just for the sake of collecting and they end up doing it without any real attachment to what they’re buying. The feeling you have is definitely a good thing because it means you had a very special goal you genuinely wanted and you achieved it. There is certainly nothing wrong with going long periods of time without purchases because buying things for the sake of calling yourself a collector is literally a road to misery in my experience.
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100% this. My new rule is I cannot buy anything unless I pay for it with money I made from selling cards. It really makes you prioritize and also makes it feel more like traditional trading in a way.
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I “try” to only spend money I get from scrap copper from work.
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When all the Eevee illustrators die before I do 
I’m sure they’ll have a Pokemon 100 year anniversary 
we’re only starting our sophomore year of pokemon!
Edit to say my dark humor is slipping… Truthfully my stopping point is when I’m old & I can put my binder in a case. Id want it passed down and maybe put money & notes along the way. 
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This is pretty much the perfect summation of what I’ve been feeling. That connection to each piece is so important. I’m at a point now where if I can’t remember a certain card or item from my collection off the top of my head, then it’s not worth keeping.
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Like @chopkins1994 said, I’ve always been a collector at heart. I’ve gone in and out of phases with Pokemon but I always seem to come back. I think part of it for me is that my collection goals are still sort of open ended. There’s just so much vastness to this hobby that I’ll often come across something I like and hadn’t seen or thought of before.
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When i complete 102/102 Base Set 8/9(OC)s in 4 print runs it should be enough… but there’s about 4k more unique base print cards on my list after that’s done XD
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I guess it depends where you are in your collection. For example, when I was into magic, I only wanted the best cards for my deck. For the most part that wasn’t that hard for me and eventually, I just lost interest. Its like, by the time I had the cards I wanted in my deck, that was it. So for me, while I collected the cards, it was mainly in case I needed them to add or to build a specific deck.
With Pokemon, I’m like 80% collector, 20% player, and my son and I (mostly me lol) want to catch them all. I love how these cards have a card number so you can easily know which card you are missing. Love how they have the symbols to designate if they are common, uncomon, rare, ultra/secret rare. Then they got holo, reverse holo, full art ect ect. I’m actually kind of depressed because in order to be a collector, you gotta have the first edition stuff which I have none of and probably never will because of guys like you have it all locked down lol. So while your journey is ending, mines just beginning haha. Plus the cards are great to look at, can’t say the same for magic cards.
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