A Collection Divided....Can Not Stand!

Beneath the spangled lights so dim, stacked upon the concrete floor

In rows of two by two, march the memories of yore

Through wax they come, and sit in cardboard pale

Not to be exposed or touched, by sunlight nor by air

For they are the forgotten placards lain

Between the cracks of childhood days

Images of diamond heroes strain

To be sorted, shuffled, and displayed

I went back to my childhood home in PA two weekends ago, and it frustrates me as a collector that nearly all of the cards that I accummulated before 2003 are sealed in waterproof containers in my father's basement. I'm a completist by nature and I have no idea what I have and what I don't have for the various sets and players that I have collected over the years.

It would take hours to search through it all, and I'm usually in for a visit for a few days; I don't want to spend all my time doing this. Also, I have no room in my apartment to store them. I barely have enough room to store the ones I have.

As a result, all my wantlists (currently under construction) and cards available for trade are for cards that I have acquired since 2003. Still, there is an overall hollow feeling about my collection. It can be everything I say it is, but I don't really know what to say.

Has anyone else experienced moving cross-country and having to leave things behind? How do you cope with it? Any other collectors out there know of the dreaded cross country split where their collection is concerned?

I need help how to best resolve this, mostly for peace of mind.