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Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Sorts Collecting Association

It’s the feeling when you find it – that’s why you collect. There’s a second of euphoria (Oh my God, is that what I think it is?), followed by that second of self-doubt (It can’t be). But yes, it really is it.

Acceptance is reaching for the wallet. “It” could be just about anything: a ’54 Warren Spahn baseball card, a Penny Black stamp, a first-edition Vonnegut. And that feeling is why you get there early, whether it’s the flea market, the estate sale, the card show. Because the thought of missing out on a fantastic deal, of someone else snatching up this as-yet-unknown treasure before you do, is too much to bear.