Last weekend quietly marked the third year anniversary of my first "real" post here on The Phillies Collector. Two days later on August 3, 2011 I posted my first listing of "Upcoming Phillies Signings" which included two legendary appearances: Hunter Pence (Carl's Cards) and Vance Worley (AB Sports). Since that time, in some form or fashion there have been daily updates to the site.

I tend to settle into a mode of self-reflection this time each year. It is inspiring to think back to those first days in the Summer of 2011 and realize just how far this little project has come. I fondly remember the milestones, and corresponding mini, internal celebrations I held along the way. When I had 10 unique visitors a month reading my updates, I never imagined a time when we would regularly host 4,000+ visitors each month (as the site does today).

If you've been reading for a while you've seen The Phillies Collector morph from a blog-only format to the more robust information center it is today - featuring comprehensive upcoming signings, hobby news features and a large collection of athlete mailing addresses. And, if it seems like a lot of work - well, it is! But for me, The Phillies Collector is, and has always been about information/knowledge sharing for the good of the Philly sports collecting community. So, with that - "Thank You" to all supporters both here at home and on the web! I promise more of the same (and a few new wrinkles, too) for the future...

Alright, enough sentimentality... let's go get some Phillies autographs!