My First Ever Master Set Is Now Complete - 1997 Metal Universe

[darkhorse9]

I have never attempted to complete a full master set of any newer set. Just too much stuff to track down with inserts and all. But I finally did it for one

1997 Fleer Metal Universe baseball

It's a bizarre set, but it was one my son really got into so we collected it together. After finishing the base set I found we had a good start on a lot of the inserts, so I got busy.

That was 18 years ago!

Just yesterday I got the last insert card - Mother Lode Jeff Bagwell

So now I have all of:

Base Set
Blast Furnace
Magnetic Field
Mining for Gold
Mother Lode
Platinum Portraits
Titanium
Emerald Autographs
Promotional Card

Some of them were not cheap. The Mother Lode cards were the toughest to track down. Even more so than the autographs.

I'm sure I put in a lot more money than I could ever hope to get out of it, but it was a fun project to do with and for my son. He remembers the set fondly, so it will stay with him when I'm gone anyway.

[ALR-bishop]

Mark-- no diamonds in that set ? Congratulations on completion of the long quest. Now, what do you do with it

Did your son stick with you all the way or did it become just a Dad project ?

Up through 1994 I tried to collect anything and everything for Topps listed in the SCD Standard Catalog. In 1995 the number of Topps products doubled and I surrendered. By 2005 and onward the number of products, inserts and chase cards listed for Topps and Fleer in the Catalog is mind boggling. It must have been a dilemma to decide what if anything to collect.

[darkhorse9]

It was a joint project until we got to the higher dollar inserts. Then I took over.

My whole collection is going to my son with the explicit direction to sell it all and spend the money on something fun and unforgettable.

I collect for my enjoyment only and when I die that enjoyment goes with me. I want what I leave behind to have the same impact for him. Buy a car, ho to Europe, throw a party. I don't care, just do something memorable with the money.

[TAVG]

I always loved the metal sets from 1996 and 1997 just because of the goofy designs. I think my favorite was either Brian Jordans bat exploding or Cal Ripken getting attacked by a robot monster hand...or something like that lol

congrats.

[alfredoleal2001]

congrats on the long quest!!!

[aljurgela]

congrats... that is WAY harder than most people think!!!

Al