Life long collecting goal accomplished....now what?

[darkhorse9]

I have been collecting cards since I was 7 years old in 1969. Like most people I got rid of my collection when I got married, but got back into it after my son was born.

I had one goal in mind..set collecting. I wanted to get one Topps set from every year from today all the way back to 1951. Budget considerations allowed me to exclude the 1952 high numbers from that quest.

I went to the National yesterday with high hopes and finally did it. I now have every Topps card from 1951 -2015. I finished off the 1952 run of #250-310 and picked up a 18953 Mantle. The results rest below..



The collection also includes a 1954 Bowman and 1955 Bowman set for good measure. There are other sets I've collected, but my main goal has always been the annual sets.

I must admit, it's an odd feeling to consider my quest done. It's almost as disappointing as it is exciting.

So now I have to consider what's next. The 1952 Mantle is out of the question. Never going to happen, so the 52 high numbers aren't really a consideration.

I'll probably work on the Bowman sets from 1948-1950 just to keep an annual run going. I've also considered getting a second set from every year, putting the Leaf and Fleer sets from the 60's into play.

After that...who knows. I doubt I'll be done collecting, but I also doubt it will have the same appeal it has had in the past.

Strange feeling indeed.