Last month, I found myself knee-deep in a hobby I had abandoned over 20 years ago. Like a spark to my gasoline-soaked wallet, I couldn’t resist the glorious burn of this most delightful and exciting hobby of old – trading cards, baby! As a lifelong eclectic collector, I’ve spent the vast majority of my time amassing comics, toys, and a strong collection of promo cups acquired without much thought. In this mix of awesome, back in my childhood, I had a solid collection of Pokémon and sports cards. From Terry Bradshaw cards to the original base Charizard – I had it all, kid.

Sadly, those shiny golden nuggets are all gone. That’s the folly of youth. You simply do not appreciate what you have when you have it. But hey, we ’90s kids played rough!

The cool thing about living the collector life is that all good things return. That’s exactly what happened to me when I met my stepson. The kid loves Pokémon. The Poké craze hit our household around the time Detective Pikachu dropped. He was in high school, so I’d take him around town looking for Pokémon packs. As new sets rolled out, it became harder to buy. For a collector, this just means the hunt is on! It also meant I got to bond with the kid. That’s the true value of this hobby.

Despite being on the front lines of Pokémon’s second golden age, I held back from diving in. I let the kid take the lead. But that all changed this year. As Poké fever continued to burn through the house, I decided, with my brothers’ ’90s-era wrestling promo energy and the kid’s never-ending desire for cardboard, to dive headfirst into trading cards. I’m hooked.

It started with a couple of packs of Pokémon. My brother came over, and I took him to a local card shop called Heroes. Since the kid and I frequent this place, I thought it would be a cool spot to share with my Pokémon-obsessed brother. He was deeply impressed, and as a result, I walked out with a Pokémon ETB (Elite Trainer Box). Busting open that ETB was satisfying, but I found myself drawn towards sports cards. So, I made a sweet pivot and went for it.

I’m a huge football fan, but I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself. My love for baseball has also grown, largely thanks to Shohei Ohtani – arguably the greatest ball player since my custom character in MLB 04.

With a growing binder, I decided to take this hobby to the next level by delving into trading card investing. I started listening to podcasts, following websites, and watching YouTube videos to learn more about the industry.

It’s intense and incredibly gratifying. Case in point: last Christmas, the kid gave me a pack of Lord of the Rings Magic: The Gathering cards, and I unpacked a $600 card! This will be my first card to submit for grading!

This hobby is not only addicting and profitable; it’s a quest back to a hidden nostalgia I had totally forgotten about. But more importantly, it’s an absolutely priceless opportunity to bond with the Kid over something he loves. Sharing these snapshot moments with him reminds me of the joy in collecting – it’s not just about cards ( and stuff ) but about the memories we create together. That, dear reader, is a Mint 10 experience, and I will cherish every minute of it.