Maybe I want to pick up cheap non-autograph inserts during the past 15-20 years just to sate some sort of revisionist collecting itch - maybe pick up shiny, old school inserts from the super premium era of the 1990s? Or maybe pick up all the rookie cards of the hot players back 15-20 years ago, but are now in monster boxes for a quarter or $0.50 each.
Maybe I want to pick up assorted base star cards - from sets printed when I didn't even know what a baseball card was or from sets that was initially considered a high-end, expensive product during its release [like 1989 Upper Deck and 1990 Leaf as far the time frame is concerned].
They are all sitting in monster boxes and handfuls of them need to be liberated, but whether it is new cards or old cards - part of it is the mentality of trying to salvage treasure as a baseball card collector and putting some context in-between the things I see as far as modern collectors not really collecting, but gambling.
Maybe I'm doing some gambling myself - but I'm sticking to the penny slots, knowing I'm not a high-roller.
On the other hand, if I'm just 'have not' doing with what I can because I can't afford better cards - why bother when it all becomes clutter to me just the same and it doesn't make sense to build something up that I don't feel will make a positive impact in my collecting endeavors.
Maybe I want to show off my vast knowledge of cards on this blog - maybe I want to be like DayF over at Cardboard Junkie, whom I don't think never has met a piece of cardboard he didn't like, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, other sports and non-sports cards.
The most important thing for me is get cards to be signed in-person or through the mail - I don't exactly care for many of the cards [typically base cards/cheap inserts] of the established players I have in those binders [though it maybe a small accomplishment I have 15-20 cards of particular players housed in nine-pocket sheets].
Why would I need more cards worth not much more than a quarter each - when I've already built up an archive of cards over the years. When does picking up a base star cards/non-autographed inserts going pay off when there is so much more.