Virtual goods and Zero value collectables

I feel bad for posting rants so close to each other but something happened today that was really upsetting. And no matter how many times I try to scold myself with reason and logic like, "It's not important in the context of your life. This thing is really insignificant. Get over it." the more upset I actually get.

Something like having all of your virtual currency or even the entire account of your favorite flavored MMO taken from you.

Today I essentially had what I was using as a virtual account in leveling myself for the school taken by my school without my consent.

My ID card wasn't working at any of the swipe turnstiles (Which is about half the campus) Usually I wait until a week after school's been in to do ID stuff because the line is a nightmare, but since I had gone in early by reading the wrong schedule, I had time to kill by standing in line. Last time this happened, they just re-magnetized my stripe and gave me a new sticker. This time because they were overwhelmed with "It's the first day of classes and EVERYBODY needs a sticker or a new ID", they took my ID and told me to come back in 3 hours.
Except when I came back, they presented me with a new ID with a single validation sticker on it. What the hell? I've spent two years in this school and I rightfully collected those validation stickers for two years just like most other people here that have stickers plastered all over their ID. I know they don't mean much to anyone else, but to me, I was using my ID as a way of tracking my progress. To show myself that yes, it does end eventually and that I had come a long way.

After trying unsuccessfully to convince myself to "Shut up, it's just some stupid stickers" I realized exactly how many collectables I have in this apartment that have zero value to anyone, but mean everything to me: My Japanese driver's license, the ID tag from a convention where I first met my significant other.

Who *doesn't* have something like this in one form or another?

They didn't tell me at all that they were giving me a new ID card nor did they give me the chance to retrieve my milestone validation stickers (which I would have done had I known they were going to replace the card!) that you can only get that semester. I'm really upset by this seemingly insignificant screw up but yes, it was a screw up. I couldn't exactly protest or demand my old card back because the line for cards was 30 minutes long. I'm really at a loss on how to get over this or fix it. I can go back next week when they're not quite so swamped and ask if they possibly have stickers from previous years, but that prospect doesn't seem likely.

I don't know what to do.
It's not like I can go to a higher authority and demand something returned of zero value (if they didn't destroy it outright).

I can tell them what poor service I received by them not telling me what they were doing, but since it's the first day of classes, I have a feeling my story of 'sentimental value' will just get me laughed out of the office by logic and reason. How do I present a case without sounding so.... lame? It may not be important to anyone else in the world, but I really do want to try and fix this somehow if I can. Or do I just give up and get over it?

If you don't try, the answer is definitely "no".

Perhaps after a few days when the madness has settled, you can take your old and new cards back and explain the sentimental value to them? Maybe they can restore your old card like they did before and retire the new one. If it's as easy for them to do as you had done before, your concern might be enough to get them to help you.

You're right about the "valueless" keepsakes that mean so much. Good luck!