What if I don't want to complete the set?

One aspect of card collecting that I still enjoy is the thrill of filling a set. Player collecting, and especially team collecting, can feel infinite. There are often hard to find singles out there for even the most obscure players, making a complete collection nearly impossible.

Sets are finite. Sets are fun. The Trading Card Database makes tracking set progress very easy, and I've definitely become more of a set collector as a result. I've even finished off a handful of insert sets I wouldn't have pursued without TCDB.

Once a set build crosses that 50% meter it becomes very difficult for me to abandon ship. There are outliers, of course.

I've mentioned that I'm one card away from completing 2016 Donruss Football - and that one card is Dak Prescott's Rated Rookie card. Spending $25 (or more) for a non-numbered RC of a Dallas Cowboys quarterback is not my idea of fun. Neither is spending $50 (or more) for a Carey Price rookie card to complete the 2007-08 Black Diamond hockey set. I've gone this long without it, what's the rush?

Both these sets are over 99% complete. The only other "so close" set in my collection is 2013 Topps baseball.

I currently have 654 of the 660 cards in the 2013 Topps set, good for 99.1% completion. Three more singles are on the way via trades, though one is an upgrade. Once received I will need four cards: Mike Trout, Mike Trout, Mike Trout, and Manny Machado's rookie card.

If I had started this set build three years ago, the Trout singles wouldn't have been an issue. I probably could have crossed them off my list for $10 total instead of $10 each, which is what they'd cost me now.

A user I've traded with on TCDB had one of the three available for trade. I asked about it and got this reply:

My 2013 Trout has been in a top load since out of the pack. I doubt we could come up with anything for that. The things I would consider would be...The 1972 Aaron..
Obviously the Aaron would be an even trade if yours is not in Mint condition.

Technically my '72 Aaron is not in "mint" condition.. but I still can't imagine a market where this equals this:

And now you know why I'm about ready to retire.

As for this jerk .. forgive me for not rushing to pay $5-10 for a rookie card of the guy who ended my favorite player's career.

Moving on from sets I don't want to complete to a set that can't be completed... the primary reason I bothered to place an order at COMC in 20021 was to fortify my All-Time Teams frankenset. COMC was the one place where I could view the exact scan of the card, which was crucial for purchasing vintage singles of middle relievers from the 1950s:

There are only 23 Marv Grissom cards to choose from, and this was pretty much the only standard-sized option (aside from the bland '58 Topps issue) I'd be happy paying $2.10 for any '57 Topps single in this shape. Elston is a high number and cost just $1.57 - which had me worried that there was some flaw I couldn't see in the scan. If there is a crease or scratch line on this card I still can't see it.

This might be the only non-playing card of a player in my All-Time Teams collection. That is, Hughie Jennings is clearly well past his playing days in this photo - yet I'm adding it to my Barnstormers page because he's not doing that derpy "Ee-yah!" dance for once.

I added two Frankie Frisch Cardinals cards to my COMC cart because I couldn't decide which one I liked better. What do you think: Licensed McDonald's oddball, or unlicensed serial-numbered Crystal parallel?

Some cheap upgrades here - except for the Cy Young card which wasn't as cheap ($1.50) and the Tyler Clippard card which arrived in a TCDB trade. I also traded for this card of Angela Stadium:

The American League binder is now complete. The National League binder is missing a pair of players.

New York Giants shortstop George Davis has 49 cards. More than half of them are 100-plus years old. The only attainable singles are: postcard, wrong team, and wrong George Davis. And then there's Reds pitcher Noodles Hahn. The first time I checked, Noodles had three or four cards. He now has eleven, but this playing card is the only modern item that would work for my frankenset.

Wait a sec... Noodles has a bobblehead?!? They couldn't have included a card inside this box?? Sigh..

Two more to go...

Thanks for reading!




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Reader Ken Strikes Again

Two months ago friend of the blog Ken jumped into my NFL week swap meet, sending a box of over 400 football cards that pushed me past 10,000 total.

In my last post I stated a new goal to complete each Topps flagship baseball set from the 2010s and he chipped in again - this time sending two boxes of 2013 baseball cards that pushed me over 30,000 total for that sport!

 

Before Ken's box arrived I had 156 of the 660 cards in the base flagship set. There were 205 cards from 2013 Topps included in Ken's box. Will I get to 50% of the set?

Not quite but Ken doubled my total, which is awesome. But wait! There's more!

I wasn't planning on building the 2013 Topps Update set, as I only had 13 of the 330 cards. Until now. With Ken's contribution of 190 new cards I'm at 61.5% completion of the update set. Hmm..

But wait! There's more!

16 inserts were inserted, mostly Chasing History. Lots of big names here. But wait! There's more!

The second box contained 2013 Bowman cards - another nice surprise. Ken, thanks again for all the great cards!

 

Two packages arrived in today's mail - a stuffed bubble mailer from Brian (which I will get to later in the week) and a small trade from TCDB user clay. I offered up sixteen Steelers cards and got these in return:

Six cards from '16 Donruss football. I'm down to just 36 needs for this 400-card set but only five away from completing the non-rookie chunk of the set (the first 300 cards).

Some Stillers from the Stillers fan. I now have 93 of the 300 cards from 2015 Panini Prizm, with one more on the way in a separate TCDB trade. Speaking of Yinzers, do any of you watch U-Tree on YouTube?

Lots of good stuff here including Kelsey Cook, the last of the three A & G cards on my wantlist. Nolan Ryan completes my 2011 Topps Lineage set build! Jeter was a big name I needed for 2014 Topps. This Eric Dickerson sunset card could be used for a future post on The 1993 (not that anyone would notice)  The 2013 Prizm Clay - from clay - leaves me just two rookies short of completing the Packers team set. Finally a Marino Mosaic to go with the fat pack I bought earlier this winter. And while we're at it..

This misnumbered stadium card from 1993 Triple Play completes my Marlins All-Time Team. I've been working hard at completing this frankenset and there are lots of new additions on the way from baseballcardstore (which has shipped) and Beckett (which hasn't - and the seller's feedback has me worried.)  The All-Time Teams wantlist has been updated and you may have noticed a new name or two. I've found some "missing" players and I made some roster moves. Perhaps I'll discuss them if anyone is interested.

Thanks for reading!






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