1980's Baseball Rookie Cards & Sets

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Thanks for all of the tips, guys.

Since I would like to collect ALL rookies from each '80's set, I still think that buying complete sets is the way to go. With very few card shows these days, buying cards online necessitates shipping charges and that alone will not make it worthwhile to go after individual rookie cards.

Since it appears tough to get much money back by selling the remaining cards, it sounds like I would be better off keeping the complete sets. I am going to put them in albums and keep them complete, as is. All factory sets will be opened as well as I can't enjoy the cards if they are in sealed bricks. I am not doing this for the investment potential anyway.

OK. It's the ALL rookies that just buying the sets makes some sense for.. If it were key rookies only, then I'd agree with just buying 'em individually. Just a hunch, but I've got a feeling you may end up a Topps Completionist by the end of this.. I started that way, at one point, just wanting all topps complete sets from my birthyear-current, but wound up wanting to go back further. Bailed, once the HOF rookie bug hit though. May end up going back to it someday. Just another thing to sidetrack me from HOF rookies for a bit, just like the BO Jacksons, the Heisman winner rookies, multi-sport athlete rookies, yearly fantasy team signed rookies, Indians rookies, HOF autos, so on and so on.. I think I have ADD when it comes to cards...

[bcbgcbrcb]

Dave:

It's great to continue corresponding with you after our many discussions on the pre-war side revolving around BB HOF RC's. Nice to see a lot of diversity on your end. I have not only branched into the more modern rookie cards realm but have also started to assemble a modest collection of ice cream collectibles, primarily Baskin Robbins, Dairy Queen, Carvel & Howard Johnson's. That has been a lot of fun as well over the past couple of years and with many items under $20, not nearly as expensive as the BB HOF RC thing.

[majordanby]

that's quite an undertaking and it seems like you got the right plan. It'll get rough once you get into the 90's. How are you planning to deal with regional sets? Count them as rookies or ignore and focus on the major brands? Ignoring minor league issues?

[bcbgcbrcb]

For now, I am going to stick to only major sets: Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Upper Deck, Sportflics, etc. No minor league sets at this time.

Once I complete the 80's run, I will probably go back to the mid-late 70's and work on those first before the 90's. Prior to 1976, the sets start getting expensive so I may just go after the Rookies that I want individually, roughly 8 - 12 per set going back to the late 60's - early 70's. That's as far back as I will go as I am only interested in those Rookies that I saw play when I was a kid growing up in the mid-70's.