Has anyone ever given up on set collecting?

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Promethius88

I am working on getting Uecker Rookies in every PSA grade

Well that's a new one.

[CobbSpikedMe]

I don't really fit in one type or the other, more of a mix of both. I collect a bunch of post war vintage sets (Topps, Bowman and Oddballs) and a few prewar sets, and I collect cards that I think are cool and that I like. I won't be finishing any prewar set any time soon as I'm not able to drop money on a Cobb or Wagner right now, so those are out. But there are a ton of great cards that don't cost a lot. (Like the e101 Knight below).

I love trading with my OBC and hobby friends to builds my vintage sets. I get a lot joy out of sending them cards they need for their sets. And I believe they feel the same way sending me cards I need.

I guess I'm trying to say that you can be a set collector and collect what you like at the same time. You have to be defined one way or the other. Enjoy the hobby all.

[gawaintheknight]

If any of y'all working on sets want to do some trading on 50s and 60s sets, let me know. I'm still hanging on as a set collector.

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by conor912

Well that's a new one.

Lol, why I'm doing it, I have no idea. But, it's been fun so far. I have 2-8 and 4.5 and 5.5 so still a few to go. The 9...if one comes up again, might be a bit out of reach. I was telling my wife recently that I would like to get one autographed and slabbed then low and behold one just came up on Ebay. It actually ends in about a half hour and it's jumped from $161 to $257. Probably a little more than I want to spend. Would probably prefer a nicer autograph than that one anyhow and also get one in person. Uecker was all over as I was growing up...Lite beer commercials, tv, movies. Maybe this is part of my "passion" for collecting them.

[Rookiemonster]

I gave up on set collecting before I ever started.

[tonyo]

I'd say that as long as I'm collecting, I'll probably never abandon "set" collecting.

Now, I may never collect another "complete" set as issued, for many of the reasons listed on this thread, but I do have to give myself parameters that define my own version of a set. (examples: Topps and Bowman active HOFers 48 thru 79; 100 pre-war type cards - HOFers or TGOTT subjects; t207 recruit bat, belt, and glove; E90-1, e92, e101, e102, e105, e106 clouds and sunsets)

I've been on hiatus for over a year now, but the last complete "as issued" sets I attempted was 51 bowman football. Still need 1 card for that one and t205 minus variations (still need 29 of those). Before that, 73 topps, 52 bowman, 33 goudey (minus one of the Gehrigs & Lajoie), t206 (520)

If I tried to only collect what I like and or what strikes my fancy on any random day, I'd drive myself poor or crazy or both.

[JollyElm]

Set collecting makes you hearken back to the innocent and nostalgic days of youth when the cards were released in series and you and your friends were on a non-stop effort to trade, flip, etc., to check off the numbers (yes, with a pen or pencil!!) on your checklists. When that finally happened, you would wait with bated breath until the next series was issued and the process gloriously started anew!! We would always make sure we had two checklists from each series, one to mark up and one to keep. When you were missing cards at the end of the year? Heck, that's what winter was for. Every time you went over to your friends' houses, you were always on the lookout for the cards you needed to trade for. Add the smell of cardboard and gum to the mix, and that's what set collecting means to me.

[sb1]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Set collecting makes you hearken back to the innocent and nostalgic days of youth when the cards were released in series and you and your friends were on a non-stop effort to trade, flip, etc., to check off the numbers (yes, with a pen or pencil!!) on your checklists. When that finally happened, you would wait with bated breath until the next series was issued and the process gloriously started anew!! We would always make sure we had two checklists from each series, one to mark up and one to keep. When you were missing cards at the end of the year? Heck, that's what winter was for. Every time you went over to your friends' houses, you were always on the lookout for the cards you needed to trade for. Add the smell of cardboard and gum to the mix, and that's what set collecting means to me.

Nailed it!

[MarcosCards]

Hmm, a timely thread for me indeed. I recently dug out the cards of my youth, and I’m now deciding whether or not I should try to complete my 1963 Topps baseball set. I have over half - but I’m missing a lot of the high series cards - including Rose.

The good news is that I have about a thousand 60, 61 and 62 star cards and commons to sell or trade. Decisions, decisions.

[Nick55]

One of the approaches I take to deal with the fact that funds are not unlimited is that I buy a few cards that I've always wanted, enjoy them for a few months or a year or two, then sell them and take the proceeds and start all over again with a different group of cards. Although I've so far held onto all of the sets I've built, there's no reason this approach would not also work for sets. I save all my scans of the cards I once owned, and it's fun to go back and view them every once in a while. No regrets, fortunately.

I do have around 6-10 cards that I consider untouchables and never intend to sell, but who knows.

One thing I do tell myself quite often is to not overthink all of this, or dwell on any aspect of it too much. It's just cardboard and it's just a hobby. It's not meant to be difficult.

[Leon]

Once upon a time I tried to do a D303 Mothers Bread set. Talk about a lesson in futility? I think I gave up at around 20-25 different. For the regular sets it just takes money. For rare ones it takes patience and time.

[MarcosCards]

Originally Posted by Nick55

One of the approaches I take to deal with the fact that funds are not unlimited is that I buy a few cards that I've always wanted, enjoy them for a few months or a year or two, then sell them and take the proceeds and start all over again with a different group of cards. Although I've so far held onto all of the sets I've built, there's no reason this approach would not also work for sets. I save all my scans of the cards I once owned, and it's fun to go back and view them every once in a while. No regrets, fortunately.

I do have around 6-10 cards that I consider untouchables and never intend to sell, but who knows.

One thing I do tell myself quite often is to not overthink all of this, or dwell on any aspect of it too much. It's just cardboard and it's just a hobby. It's not meant to be difficult.

This is a very interesting (and relevant) thread for me. I’m in the process of deciding whether to complete my half finished 1963 Topps baseball set. These posts are all insightful - even the one that describes the run of graded Bob Eucker cards.

I really like the ideas in your post - especially the one about taking quality scans of your cards before selling them - so you can view them later. And, I note that you state “no regrets” with this approach so far.

Like you, I would also have a small number of cards that I’d consider “untouchables”. These are the ones that never fail to make me smile - and I’d want to hold onto them. It’s psychological no doubt - but they wisk me back for a moment to the carefree days of my youth. Priceless in a way.

[nolemmings]

I’m afraid I’m a lost cause. I can’t seem to settle into anything, although now m101s occupy most of my energy. I was born and raised a set collector, and still have much of that in my blood, but I have few sets anymore, and do not really chase them, much less runs of them covering consecutive years. Here’s a peek at my decades of drifting (dates are approximate):

1966-1982. Topps sets only, until 1981 made me realize I had to have Fleer and Donruss and that this was only going to expand, not contract. Soooo..

1982-1992: collect all sets but no inserts unless they really caught my eye. Started player collecting–picked 10 players from 50's/60's and tried to get all of their cards.

1993: stopped collecting modern cold turkey, and have not gone back. Started team collecting: Minnesota Twins, with regionals. Getting stuck on player collections–those early cards in my required nm-mt range were pricey.

1995-1998: started regional collecting: North Stars and Vikings w/other oddball Minnesota stuff. Also, I had always collected all four major sports so I started to go back and try and start or fill some non-baseball sets from the 1960's and early 70's. My 10 player set was being sold off bit by bit for other projects–unrecognizable today.

Around this time I began to dabble more in prewar. I had always been willing to drop $$ on anything that interested me over the years, with no focus, but looked at it more seriously now. Problem was, I was always a high-grade guy only, the rest turned me off, so I had to take a reality pill.

1999. Now I’m more into sets again, this time professionally graded. Childhood sets are disassembled and sold as I convinced myself only “pack fresh” cards would do. One of many mistakes. Kept my 1961 raw set though--but decided it not worthwhile to submit these for grading by the dozens just so I could have slabbed cards and get affirmation of my grading prowess.

2000-2012 Mostly prewar thank you, although not afraid to drink and bid at auctions on anything that catches my eye (still true). Begin type collecting and like it. Kept set collecting though–m101, Colgan, Sweet Cap pins. Start and abandon at least a dozen other set projects--remnants remain.

2008-2014. HOF set, mostly focused post-war. Rules were only one of each player and every major set had to be represented but could only have one card, with occasional regionals. Fun for awhile–then abandoned for $$$.

2016- present. Still chase m101s. Still have a few prewar sets as projects. Still have types, but not a type collector. Most post-war graded cards gone. Started collecting nice raw cards from 1950's and 1960's when the mood strikes. No hurries, no worries. And as is obvious, no clue.