The "Why am I wasting my time/money" thread
 

While no collecting is ever worthless, there are plenty of times where I've gotten into something and can't figure out for the life of my why I should continue...yet I don't want to stop.

I'm currently doing that. Since I already have my Topps base sets completed through 2021 I've also been working on collecting every Fleer and Donruss base set as well. Currently I have both manufacturers sets from 1981 - 1995. Fleer continued just two more years and Donruss survived another three before they were bought out/changed focus etc.

You'd be surprised how hard it is to find mid 90's sets from those two without having to pay 15 dollars shipping through ebay.

But I'll continue my quest until by OCD is satisfied.

What quests/ efforts have you done or are undertaking that defy general collector logic?

I started a '71 OPC set (I like the backs), I've fizzled out on it and have no desire to pick it back up.

1971 Topps Greatest Moments

They are really cool looking, majestic cards, but holy heck is it a nightmarish set to make headway on!!! Since they are oversized, the natural inclination is to buy them already graded, because storing or displaying them is very problematic indeed. The only 'cheap' ones are cards that were seemingly quintuply printed, but all of the other ones go for crazy prices. It is a ridiculous undertaking, but I still stay the course for some reason. Pathetic.

For me it was a "covid down time" decision to include my 81-90 Fleer and Donruss sets from box to binder. Some of the sets, the binder and pages were worth more than the actual sets. HAHA. I was also missing a few Fleer sets that I ended up buying off a net54 member.

Anyway...sounded like a fun good idea...until I am 400 cards into my 3rd set to binder up with many sets to go! haha. I finally finished but had my doubts along the way...sore wrists, elbows, and eyes. :)

My sets stop at 1990, as that is when I stopped collecting as a young man...anything after 1990 holds no interest to me. I have since added 88-90 Score, 89-90 UD, and 90 Leaf.

But yeah, I definitely had the wtf am I doing moment SEVERAL times! At least it was cheap fun...and considering I am now tackling the 52 Topps set I am sure to have some of those moments upcoming...

I keep seeing the ones posted here, took a look on Ebay at a few...they are BEAUTIFUL cards...certainly have me tempted. How were they made available...gum packs? Considering I was 1 years old I have no memory...lol. I did not know these existed until net54...never came across one of these as a kid and I had seen most things come through the school yard...

While it doesn't exactly fit what you're asking, I am wondering how I am going to continue one of my major collecting goals, but at the same time I don't want to stop. I'm doing a Mantle Major Set run, with a couple of secondary issues sprinkled in there. All that said, I shudder at the thought of buying the 52 topps.

I can't afford it now, I'm saving for a House, but I wonder if a PSA 1 is 30K now, what is it going to be in 20-30 years from now, when I could conceivably buy one? But at the same time I don't want to stop this journey. It's difficult.

Not post-war; however, I am slowly building a T206 set. The cards I chase are generally well-centered in VG condition.

I have no problem shelling out money for HOFers. The commons, though, are becoming absurdly priced. What I used to pay for a graded VG 3 will only get me a heavily creased raw card with major paper loss. :( :mad:

I ask myself this question about the 52 Topps high number commons all the time. In fact I remember one night on eBay recently where I was the winning bidder on one, $180 or so for someone I never heard of and didn’t care about, where as soon as the auction ended I said out loud “what the f&ck am I doing?!”

Anyway, the desire to complete the 52 set is strong, but without the Mantle why am I spending so much on average condition coach cards?!

I feel the same way collecting all the Koufax leader cards graded…but then I either get pulled back in when I find a nice one or threads like this make me realize I don’t have to buy a 52 Mantle so in a way feel lucky.

But still, most of them I could get for $5-$10 or less each but I keep looking for PSA 7 and 8s that cost way more…..seems silly, but for some reason I keep doing it LOL

Then once I have a bunch, I’m like damn, if I just collected those leaders raw I’d have a couple more low grade 55 Koufax RCs….ah, the circle of collecting.

True that.

Same as you, never saw them before I ventured here. Conventional wisdom has them as a test issue that didn't have much distribution at all. Not sure if any extant (nice word usage) wrappers have been discovered.

This is one set I definitely wonder why I started it. There was a whole set sold individually on eBay recently, and it was hard to believe what some of them went for. At least there are only 55 cards in the set, but that only makes it seem more possible to complete than it really is.

I guess for me, it is the 1955 Topps set. I finished the 1956 set three years ago and turned my eyes to 1955. I already had the Koufax rookie, so I figured why not? I'm only 14 cards from completing it, but the Clemente rookie has gone up so much since then that I will never be able to afford it. Of course, the last show I went to I bought the Mays card. Why? No idea.

Similarly, I am not even going to attempt any of the Topps sets prior to 1955 since each has at least one card that is well beyond my means.

I'm working on an extreme miscut 1975 Topps set. I'm over half way done. Don't ask me why, there's no good reason for a human to do this. I'm not heavily invested (money or mind) so if they ever become coveted for some reason I'll just drop it.

That line pretty much sums up my wife’s opinion of everything I do in this hobby.

Amen. :D

Topps 1951 Current All Stars, the 3 unissued cards
Topps 1955 Stamps
Topps 1955 and 56 Hocus Focus baseball.. need 2 of the 55s still
Topps 1961 Dice
Topps 1966 Punch outs ( not 67)
Topps 1968 3D, still need 2 of the unissued proofs and the Prototype
Topps 1970 Cloth
Topps 1971 Rookie Artists Proofs
Topps 1977 the unissued proofs listed in SCD

Fleer- completing the 1923 issue.
Bowman 1949 PCL… one card short

I might be willing to take that burden off your hands...

Meanwhile, as to the OP and apropros of the National next week:

William Shatner: You know, before I answer any more questions there's something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I've spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled... y'know... hundreds of miles to be here, I'd just like to say... GET A LIFE, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it's just baseball cards! I mean, look at you, look at the way you're dressed! You've turned an enjoyable little hobby into a COLOSSAL WASTE OF TIME!

[ a crowd of shocked and dismayed collectors.... ]

I mean, how old are you people? What have you done with yourselves?

[ to "Collector 1" ] You, you must be almost 60... have you ever kissed a girl?

[ "Collector 1" hangs his head ]

I didn't think so! There's a whole world out there! When I was your age, I didn't collect cards, I LIVED! So... move out of your studio apartment! And try speaking to a real live woman, and GROW THE HELL UP! I mean, it's just baseball cards dammit, IT'S JUST BASEBALL CARDS!

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.3...=0&w=404&h=167

1964 topps witn ruboff answer intact
 

I thought it would be a neat idea to complete the 1964 Topps set with the ruboff trivia answers still intact. Not something that is high on my priority list. I only have a few dozen. Even though They don't seem to carry a premium it got too tedious.

One 1971 Greatest Moments wrapper is known. Nice article about the set just posted by David

http://www.thetoppsarchives.com/

I still need 18 of them after all these years and since I’m a sucker for punishment I’m trying to complete the 1971 OPC set too. Finding cards #524 thru #752 is going painfully slow.

John

I have met another guy who says he has a wrapper. I think Larry Serota has or has a scan of a box. Although I do not think they were retailed, I have seen posts where people say they have cards with gum stains. I think they entered hobby through the Card Collectors Company or other source who ended up with un marketed product. Maybe Dave Hornish knows more.

My set is all ungraded and most of it was acquired before grading became the rage it is now

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...080&fit=bounds

From Dave's Blog

https://www.thetoppsarchives.com/sea...test%20Moments

For me, I guess the thing that fits the original topic is....I am actually considering spending several hundred dollars on a 1956 Topps.....wait for it...wrapper! I have completed my Topps set run project from 1953 to present. I have a pack for each set down to my birth year of 1975. I have settled for a wrapper from each year to finish the rest. I still need 1953 and 1956. I think it is a neat addition to each set....but....really? It's a wrapper for crying out loud!

Having said all of that, this topic makes me think of my reasoning for participating in this hobby in the first place. I have often thought....why in the world do I collect cardboard pictures of baseball players? I have come to one conclusion. I love baseball....and I love history. I was not good enough to play professionally. To me, this is my personal attachment to the history of baseball. It is my personal historical archive. That is the way I look at it. As far as the financial aspect goes....generally speaking, these little artifacts hold their value. To me, I can be another form of money. If I needed the money, I could just turn around and sell them. Hopefully that doesn't ever happen.

So, with all of that in mind....why would anyone EVER spend ANY amount of money on a 1988 Topps set? Because if you want the complete run of sets, you have to have it. I am just OCD enough for it to drive me crazy if I had a hole like that in my run. As I have said before....I'm just glad they didn't make a Topps set in 1952! ;) :eek:

Speaking of which.... [EDIT-hah you guys are quick-beat me to it!]

I love this set BTW, one of the best Topps ever did.

I have a couple of projects that fit the description.

1. Started collecting 71 topps (baseball) PSA slabs a bit over a year ago. I have around 50 of them graded 6-8. They look nice all together. Most are minor stars but I also have commons and high #s and a few major cards like Clemente, Mays, and Ryan. There’s no way I’m doing the whole set of 752 cards so this project seems destined to fizzle out.

2. 41 Playball set. I need four cards - Joe D, Mel O, Vandy V and Hank G. Cripes these cards have only gotten pricier since I started and I don’t think I’m that close to getting this done.

I dedicate this thread to anyone putting together a 1972 Topps baseball set.

Please enlighten me. I like the 2021 Heritage set and was considering the 1972 set as a companion. What sort of landmines do I need to be aware of before venturing into this set?

In a word, centering.

787 cards (largest set of the Seventies) with a full run of semi-hi and hi cards. Some cards have graphics that are not quite rectangular so pretty much no such thing as a centered card even without the miscuts. Then there are the miscuts. Killebrew and Aaron IA spring to mind. Most people just capitulate and keep one that isn't too badly o/c.

Heh, I love 'em too

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...r%20Miscut.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...y%20miscut.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...L%20miscut.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...t%20miscut.jpg

I was speaking mostly to the cost of putting the set together vs the cost of buying one complete. The high numbers will eat your lunch if you buy them one at a time. Much more cost effective to find one of these sets complete and jump in the deep end rather than wading in slowly and chasing it.

Probably more so than any other 60's or 70's Topps set.

I almost always buy the complete set. Piecing together is so much more expensive and paying postage for each card is not fun at all. Sometimes a nice lot can get you going on a set you never even considered before.

One "set" I've been struggling with for years is a complete Master Set of the 1969-72 Fleer Cloth Stickers.
You know, the ones that you peeled off the team name or logo. Each team had two versions, but through the years there were several slight (or even major) variations. That's what I'm obsessing over.

I currently have 140 different stickers with just eight more to go. I've seen a couple of the missing variations pop up on ebay but I couldn't get the trigger pulled on them. A couple I've never seen offered anywhere.

My big question to myself is...what the heck do I do with them once I do complete the master set?

I do those as well. Do you use the Fleer sticker project blog for your checklist ? Is that where the 148 comes from ? Which ones are on your need list ? I get it if you do not want to say. I am looking for one that I know about. Can trade info off line if interested.


Do you do any of the other Fleer issues from the 60s ( beyond the 61, 62 and 63 sets) and 70s ? I am in touch with a guy who has provided me scans of some stuff not on the Blog

I've got all the major Fleer sets (don't have a Ted Signs for my '59 though)

I've wasted my time collecting the Laughlin World Series, Weirdest Plays, Pioneers etc. I've gone so far as to collect all the different quiz cards that came with the stickers. Man there are a ton of those and they're tough to find.

Have done all those. If you give me an email will send lists of what I have.

Edit --Never mind, just saw your pm

Here's a good source I've found : https://baseballcardvariationsguideb...wordpress.com/

Sent me a wantlist, I may be able to help.

I recently went thru my warehouse of old stickers and decided to sort them out , instead of putting them out to the garbage. I didn't know so many people collected stickers/ logos, etc.

I've been selling a lot of sets on ebay : insidethewrapper

You know you have not spent your time/money wisely when you have collected both the 1971 Fleer WS set issued in 1971 and the 1978 version of the 1971 Fleer WS set like I have.

i am wasting album space on multiple Laughlin, TCMA, SSPC, Jim Rowe and Broder collections...because I enjoy them.

I was recently decimated in my heart for coming in low on my snipe on some 75' scrap for my 75' error collection (sadly 252.12 was too low :( ). I went high but someone else got the same look at the photos I did and saw the gold. I think it's safe to post now for the buyer as I received my Evel Knievel strip from the same seller already. If one of you grabbed this congrats, I have concerns it sadly might have gone to the nut who always snipes these from me and adds them to his ebay museum.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31359060737...p2047675.l2557

Check these photos -

How many Robin Yount/ George Brett double print rookies do you think are out there?

Justin---I do not collect errors like these but they are cool

My "What the hell am I doing...?" moments with vintage recently seem mostly related to the '67 Topps set.

Historically, I'm not really a set collector - I focus on singles and HOF'ers - but at some point in the last two years, I got the idea that it would be sad if I never tried to build a vintage set. I had already been working on '72, but for the 1960's - I decided I needed not only a set, but perhaps the most difficult one. In retrospect this seems dumb. Truth be told, I don't even like it as much as the '65 Topps design, but noooo, I wanted the "challenge" of the high numbers. And the errors and variations. Not to mention the expensive HOF'ers.

Oh well. I have a decent start because it's generally my habit to go after difficult cards first, and commons in bulk later. So I only have maybe 15% of the set, but have already knocked out the Seaver, Carew, Mantle, Aaron, Mays, Clemente, etc. etc. Even so, the remaining high numbers, especially the SP's (which will come much later...) scare me. With the bubble that just ended, even no-name players in decent shape seemed to be going for well north of $100.

Upgrading my 1953 Bowman color and 1971 Topps Baseball sets. My 53 Bowman Color overall is in excellent condition; the Mantle is a newer PSA 4 and the Reese is ungraded but also in vg/ex. I should leave well enough alone, but I am upgrading some commons and minor stars which probably won't make that much of a difference to the set, but could easily run another $500.

The same with my 1971 baseball set. I've replaced some cards three times and now have nearly 1,000 extras as a result with a list of 69 more cards to upgrade and I'll probably do the same for my 1972 and 1975 sets. Compulsive madness!

Off cut like this? PM me and I'll drop it in the mail. It needs a good home. FYI-it has a pretty heafy crease

Hmm. I posted a 1975 Madlock to you, but it is way down as last post in thread. Check it out.............

Hey Tom, thanks so much for the card! It fits in my ridiculous set perfectly. :D

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What was I thinking.......
 

The year 2012 marked my 50th year as a collector. As I have stated in previous posts I sold my sets in 1986 to buy a house. I rebuilt my collection with only Detroit sports teams sets. I decided to build a 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen set to "commemorate" my 50 years of collecting. I've just about given up. I have the Base set with all the variations, the mini base with all the variations gold borders, blue borders etc. However the Trout minis have become ridiculous for the mini Gypsy queen backs and straight cut backs not to mention green and black. I should have just bought a 2012 Topps factory set and been done with it.

To MIDMO
 

Glad I could help. I gotta say, a pretty cool collection. I like it.

I feel your pain. While mainly a 50s and 60s collector, I started liking what I saw from Heritage and A&G. While I resisted the A&G temptation, I attempted to build a few Heritage sets. They are money pits, and I soon discovered I could buy actual vintage cards for the same (or less) money in many cases. I have a couple of base sets, some inserts, and a few SPs from a couple of years, but those SPs won't happen for me unless I find them for sale for much less than I have been seeing.

This is insanely amazing! Was there something particularly haywire on the Topps presses in 1975? 1978 is my pet year and I will occasionally look for some miscuts but I've never found more than a small handful.