1971 Topps Super Clemente PSA 10

[raulus]

Originally Posted by hcv123

Easy answer - I didn't place a single bid on it. I do the registry - my way.

Thanks for sharing, Howard. Always interesting to learn more about how different collectors approach their collection.

I share your bemusement with PSA's system for building out the player master set checklists. And as you noted, it's particularly confounding how a single larger item can turn into as many as a half dozen different items depending on how it gets sliced and diced. PSA does have published guidelines, but then seem to take disparate approaches when it comes to variations and their willingness to make things optional or not. And then when those disparate approaches vary from player set to player set, it drives us all a little more batty. Luckily, I have had some success with getting them to add or delete pieces, but it tends to be hit or miss for sure.

Unfortunately, when it comes to my own Mays set registry, I lack the imagination, not to mention the deep understanding of some of the nontraditional items necessary to really attempt to do the set registry in any special fashion. So I'm resigned to basically spending vast sums in a neverending chase to find the highest graded items that money can buy. Although truth be told, the price on this Clemente item would be more than I would be willing to pay for a similarly situated Mays item. So even some of us set registry lemmings like myself have some limits, although obviously not so much in this case - assuming it was one of my fellow set registry collectors who picked it up.

Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I'm more nuanced in my approach, but for now at least, about the best I can do is be constantly on the lookout for unique pieces that I haven't seen before, and rely on others like you who are able to help me to discover those rare and wonderous pieces.