What are the rare, nearly impossible or impossible sets to complete

[tiger8mush]

E98 - Getting one example of each player is relatively easy, but if you are going for a master set with all four color variations then yes its a little tougher & expensive. A few members on the board have been trying to put the master set together for the past year or two. A master set is a great accomplishment, but certainly not impossible.

1914 CJ is similar. One board member recently finished it (he had relatively deep pockets and it still took him some time) and I know btkpath is nearing his complete set that he's been working on for a while. Again, not impossible but there are some toughies (like peckinpaugh) that could take you a couple years to even come across an example let alone being able to afford it.

IMPOSSIBLE or nearly impossible sets were discussed here:
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=149534

And I know we had a thread where we ranked popular sets according to difficulty but I couldn't find that thread, maybe someone else can help? I went back 6 months but must've overlooked it.

Rob

[markf31]

Thanks for the link to the previous thread Rob. I did a search before starting this thread and nothing came up, else I would not have started this one!

[bobbyw8469]

Oh ok....well, now that I mentioned it, I will say the Goudey Indian Master Set. While the set is indeed obtainable and not unaffordable like a complete T206 set, it is still a bear to complete. Alot of variations - different numbered series, different colored backs, different colored borders, etc.

[Brian Van Horn]

1911 Sporting News.
1932 US Caramel simply because of the Lindstrom, otherwise the set is not too difficult.

[Bicem]

complete master w600 set would be impressive.

a bunch of postcard sets if we are counting those.

[npa589]

Complete set of T210 Series 1-8 has to be up there!

.

[philliesphan]

Whether you consider it as a series, or even many of the individual years of sets, Zee-Nuts ranks right up there as impossible or nearly impossible. 1911 Zeenut Bohen is profoundly rare, for example.

[Runscott]

For the average collector, it's probably any set other than E95, E96 (or similar), or N162, unless you're talking about a fair- T206 set that doesn't include Wagner or Doyle. Finishing off a rare collection doesn't impress me nearly so much as when a passionate collector on a $20-30K/year income completes a T202 or T206 set after toiling for 10+ years. It's doable, but it's gotta be tough to drop a month's pay on a Demmitt or O'Hara St.L.

[oldjudge]

Barry-Lew sold a complete, albeit trimmed, Large Gypsy Queen set about ten years ago. There is a Kalamazoo Bats set that is two cards short of being complete as we currently know it. N167 is also a small set which could be completed if you are strictly talking about the baseball cards. Like many sets from that era, N167s are really mixed subject sets with actors, boxers, etc., and as such completion is probably very unlikely.

[barrysloate]

Jay- I remember the trimmed set of N175, but was it sold intact or individually? And I knew one collector was very close to completing the K-Bats, but I assumed he was missing a few cards. To be within two of completion is quite an accomplishment.