A Crossroads
09/02/06 00:37 PersonalGeneral Yammering
So I've been giving a lot of serious thought to what
comes next. Not just because of the trouble I've been
having in acquiring nice W502s (I didn't buy that lot
at Mastro, by the way), but because of how my
collecting tastes have evolved over the last year or
so.
See, I had a goal of collecting one complete set from each year the Yankees won the World Series. I referred to it as my "Yankee Run." I completed half of 1936, 1938, most of 1939, 1943, 1953, most of 1961, half of 1962, 1977, 1978, and most of 1998. I was also working on - ahem - 1928. But it started getting disappointing to me, knowing that a T206 wouldn't fit into my collection. Or a 19th Century card. Or a 1957 Topps. Or a 1991 Upper Deck.
So I started working on a Hall of Fame collection. I discuss it in the HOF section of this website.
Buying Hall of Famers injected fun into the hobby for me that I'd never experienced. There were actually eight or ten friends who were all doing the same thing, sharing our new acquisitions with each other, educating each other about different card types. Suddenly I could buy any card type I wanted - and I wanted as many as I could buy. More people joined us on the journey, their enthusiasm made it even more fun.
As this went on, the amount of money I spent on my Yankee sets (except for 1938 Goudey, which has taken on a life of its own) began to dwindle, and my interest in prewar HOFers began to grow. I began working on a T205 set. I sold off my Diamond Stars, and then my 1961-62 Fleers went next.
Now, I've decided to repurpose my entire collection. My primary pursuit is going to be Hall of Famers. No longer will I strive to have only one card of each (as evidenced by the three Roger Bresnahans in the photo album). I'll be striving for at least one card of each player, and as many different card types as possible. I'd rather have a few hundred really cool cards than ten thousand 1950s commons. I can't look at ten thousand commons.
Oh, sure, I'll keep collecting Yankee stuff. I'm going to start a collection of cards and memorabilia that tell the story of the Yankees, from their humble beginnings at the Polo Grounds through the Steinbrenner years. But I'm going to do that later.
For now I'm having too much fun doing what I'm doing.
Which reminds me. I have a complete set of 1953 Topps baseball cards for sale. Overall, it probably grades EX. 60% of the cards have been graded by PSA, ranking the set #29 on the registry. Most of the cards grade in the 5-6 range, with more 6s than 5s. There are a few higher as well. The Mantle is very nice but has two trimmed corners. Aside from that, it's a great set, and if you keep checking back I will post scans if I don't sell it first. If you're interested please contact me.
And, of course, I will be selling a very nice, clean 1961 Topps near set. Mostly raw, VERY HIGH-END EXMT to NMT, with some better and a handful worse. A few minor HOFers are missing, and a bunch of high numbers (including the Mantle A-S card). The regular Mantle is a PSA 7, the Mantle MVP is a 7PD. If you're interested in this, contact me as well.
I'll continue to use this blog to chronicle what I'm doing. I'll also continue trying to build a W502 set (but not at $500 a card, which is what's been offered to me since I started this blog). I may even start an E91 set (believe it or not, I like these). But at least I'll be able to post more to the blog...
See, I had a goal of collecting one complete set from each year the Yankees won the World Series. I referred to it as my "Yankee Run." I completed half of 1936, 1938, most of 1939, 1943, 1953, most of 1961, half of 1962, 1977, 1978, and most of 1998. I was also working on - ahem - 1928. But it started getting disappointing to me, knowing that a T206 wouldn't fit into my collection. Or a 19th Century card. Or a 1957 Topps. Or a 1991 Upper Deck.
So I started working on a Hall of Fame collection. I discuss it in the HOF section of this website.
Buying Hall of Famers injected fun into the hobby for me that I'd never experienced. There were actually eight or ten friends who were all doing the same thing, sharing our new acquisitions with each other, educating each other about different card types. Suddenly I could buy any card type I wanted - and I wanted as many as I could buy. More people joined us on the journey, their enthusiasm made it even more fun.
As this went on, the amount of money I spent on my Yankee sets (except for 1938 Goudey, which has taken on a life of its own) began to dwindle, and my interest in prewar HOFers began to grow. I began working on a T205 set. I sold off my Diamond Stars, and then my 1961-62 Fleers went next.
Now, I've decided to repurpose my entire collection. My primary pursuit is going to be Hall of Famers. No longer will I strive to have only one card of each (as evidenced by the three Roger Bresnahans in the photo album). I'll be striving for at least one card of each player, and as many different card types as possible. I'd rather have a few hundred really cool cards than ten thousand 1950s commons. I can't look at ten thousand commons.
Oh, sure, I'll keep collecting Yankee stuff. I'm going to start a collection of cards and memorabilia that tell the story of the Yankees, from their humble beginnings at the Polo Grounds through the Steinbrenner years. But I'm going to do that later.
For now I'm having too much fun doing what I'm doing.
Which reminds me. I have a complete set of 1953 Topps baseball cards for sale. Overall, it probably grades EX. 60% of the cards have been graded by PSA, ranking the set #29 on the registry. Most of the cards grade in the 5-6 range, with more 6s than 5s. There are a few higher as well. The Mantle is very nice but has two trimmed corners. Aside from that, it's a great set, and if you keep checking back I will post scans if I don't sell it first. If you're interested please contact me.
And, of course, I will be selling a very nice, clean 1961 Topps near set. Mostly raw, VERY HIGH-END EXMT to NMT, with some better and a handful worse. A few minor HOFers are missing, and a bunch of high numbers (including the Mantle A-S card). The regular Mantle is a PSA 7, the Mantle MVP is a 7PD. If you're interested in this, contact me as well.
I'll continue to use this blog to chronicle what I'm doing. I'll also continue trying to build a W502 set (but not at $500 a card, which is what's been offered to me since I started this blog). I may even start an E91 set (believe it or not, I like these). But at least I'll be able to post more to the blog...
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