I was anything but a minimalist when it came to collecting baseball cards as a kid. I still have a lot of them tucked away in my bedroom closet looking for a new home. Those childhood days of not practicing minimalism and collecting small rectangles with men pictured on it were long before the days of digital baseball cards which seem to have taken over the landscape of memorabilia. The technology simply didn’t exist, or maybe people were just wise enough to not invest money into digital photos.

Digital baseball cards are one of those things a minimalist can appreciate at first. It all changes when we remember a big part of why many people practice it is for practicality. There is nothing practical about it.

In this digital age, I still cannot wrap my head around why anyone would want to own a digital baseball card. What am I missing?

Digital baseball cards remove the clutter but have no place in a minimalist person’s life

Intentionality is one of those buzz words linked to minimalism. Practicing minimalism isn’t about owning the fewest things. Otherwise, the 1930s would have been looked at far more fondly. Poverty would be a TikTok trend. Poorly-endowed men would be leaders in the political landscape.

Okay, so maybe that last one is true.

It’s the “minimal” part of the word minimalism where many of us can start to get confused. Minimal means less. Minimalism is the opposite of abundance.

Collecting anything doesn’t mesh well with minimalism. A big part of collecting is to have as much as possible. It goes against the practice of minimalism, unless you want to suck at collecting. In which case, one should ask, why bother collecting at all?

Not all minimalists are as financially-focused as Jenny and I are. They may have money to squander on digital baseball cards or other new trends. If it makes them happy, that’s wonderful! You can be a minimalist and be bad with money. You can also be good with money and be the opposite of a minimalist. In fact, those two collections of people are quite common.

Who is the digital baseball card for if not a minimalist? My guess is people who enjoy buying NFTs are the same who will spend money on digital images of professional athletes.

It’s not for me. I’m old-school. I prefer the musty scent of an old cardboard box filled with hundreds or thousands of real objects. Owning a digital baseball card brings little value to me. I need something I can worry about spilling water on.

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The book that convinced us to start investing and being more proactive with our money and lives: The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

The gear we use to make our YouTube videos at the Practically Humans YouTube Channel

• Sony ZVE10 Camera
• Sony Retractable Zoom Lens
• MOVO Shotgun Microphone
• Audio Cable
• Memory Card
• RGB Lights
• Studio Light

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