I started collecting when I was about 6 years old. Back then I bought cards every time I had the chance and money. Almost half of my cards are from Generation 1 time, it's somehow weird when I think it now as second generation came already at the time when I started collecting.
I haven't bought many cards after 2007, so you can almost say that I collected these cards in 7 years. Even if I don't buy them so often anymore I still like to play with them a lot and sometimes I think that I should go and buy some more cards as there is many cards that I need to get better decks.
For example I need a Charizard card. Somehow I don't have any Charizard cards but I have 11 Base Set Charmaders and 6 Base Set Charmeleons + few other Char-family cards. Then it' opposite with Parasect, 3 Base Set Parasects, and 0 Paras cards.
Trying to find my cable to connect camera to computer tomorrow, so I can get some pictures here :)