Instant Gratification

Something that bothers me about today's younger generation is that no one seems to want to work for the things they want, and that they expect to be instantly gratified.  I was not raised that way, but sometimes when it comes to cards I have to admit I look for that same instant gratification.  To put it in card collecting terms, it means that I gravitate to packs or boxes that will yield the most guaranteed hits. 

I like autographs, my preference is on card, but the little sticker is okay too depending on who the player is.  Getting an autographed card takes me back to the good old days, when anyone could go downstairs at the Winnipeg Arena and catch the players coming out of the dressing rooms to hit them up for a signature.  My Dad always had time to take me down to see who we could catch.  Good memories there.  So...when I came across this box of Panini Contenders at my local Walmart, it seemed like something I would be crazy not to spend $25 of my hard earned dollars on. When I know there are guaranteed hits I generally skip through the rest of the cards to find them, and held my breath until I came across

The Flynn is a rookie, so not a bad pull, but I actually had to look up Cornet to find out he played his only two NHL games in 2011-12.  Both autographs are on stickers.  I figure maybe if I buy another box I might "get lucky".  We shall see.

I am so confused.

Am I the only one who has trouble keeping up with all the hockey cards on the market?  It used to be so simple. You waited for the new cards to come out, every kid collected the same set - there was only one set to collect - you could buy four packs for less than a dollar and by the time you finished trading your doubles you could get pretty close to completing the set.   That is until the new baseball cards came out and the hockey cards got pushed to the back of the closet.  The cycle would continue every year.  Some grew out of it.  Some proudly continued collecting cards.  Some collected in secrecy, as they still enjoyed the hobby but felt somewhat childish doing so.  I will count myself among the latter.

Over the years my collecting focus has changed many times, from hockey to baseball to basketball and back again.  Sometimes I had a reason, sometimes I didnt, and sometimes the team I basically planned my whole life around moved to Phoenix and I didnt want to hear the word hockey for a good five years after that.  I got back into hockey collecting a few years ago, but a recent NHL relocation has really helped me get back into it.  I still enjoy ripping packs, but after not attending a card show for five years I am once again having fun looking at individual cards and buying what I know I will enjoy.  Even though I have the means to be a serious collector, I will probably always have a hard time justifying what it would cost to do so.  Because of this, I buy a few packs once in a while, I dont go overboard at the shows, and I come home with what I like and dont feel guilty about it.  I will be posting what I get if I think it is of interest to anyone.  Thats not to say that if something came out that really caught my eye I wouldnt go all in to collect it, its just that once again there just seems to be so much product out there that I probably wouldnt be able to commit to it.  I am so confused.  I am the undecided collector.