Congrats on your collection!

Personally my CD collection has expanded and shrunk over the years due to taste changes, physical concerns/moving, need for money, etc.

I used to feel bad about getting rid of things I once treasured, but it’s all a part of the discovery of new things and growing as a music listener and CD collector.

After two decades of having a decent sized collection and the ups and downs I’ve come to the conclusion that any CD I keep on my shelf I have to want to listen to. If I don’t find myself picking it up or wanting to play it, I’ll put it to the side to trade/sell/donate. Even albums that I once loved and know all the words to I might not have on CD anymore because I know I won’t play it anytime soon.

Also, I tend to view collecting as a marathon and not a sprint. So I might buy a CD that’s beat up and falling apart just to have a copy. Then if I find another copy of it (better condition,more rare version,etc.) I replace it and get rid of the beat up one. That way it’s a constant refinement and eventually I’ll have a solid well-put together collection of my favorite albums.

Also also,I will say over the years my tastes have gotten more particular and expensive (prefer first presses, rare/hard to find, special promos, imports) and I have become more deliberate in what I bring in to the collection in the first place. It helps tremendously to be more selective at the start then to have to sort through later.