...518......519.........520............521!!!

[majordanby]

congrats, craig! do you still have that cobb bat off SGC 30 I sold you last year? if so, i am glad i was a part of your T206 adventure

[toppcat]

Impressive, I an envious. Mine is going 70.....71.....72.....73, I need to catch up!

[T206Collector]

Ah, the sweet smell of victory!

Having taken your path once before, I can truly appreciate what you have accomplished.

I am at about 50 of my return to the mountatin. This time I won't be
using oxygen tanks as I get close to the summit.

[White Borders]

Thanks for all the kudos and nice comments. As I've told a few peeps, it feels like I've completed the first lap of a multi-lap race. T206 has over 6000 front/back combos, which is plenty to fill one's lifetime. I'm 45, so hopefully I should have many more years of collecting in front of me.

As a kid, I started collecting contemporary cards in the early 70's thru the early 90's, completing Topps sets from '73-'91. I then took about a 15 year hiatus from collecting. A little over two years ago I got back in it thru ebay and completed my '72 Topps. I'd always wanted a T206 so in the fall of 2007 I procured a PSA 4 Jim Scott. Well, that opened the door to vintage collecting for me. About a year ago, after being very impressed with Ted Z's T206 backs subsets, I decided to pursue an all Polar Bear set. While picking up PB's, I also picked up other T206. In January I realized I was only about 100 cards away from a 520 card set. When the Huggins & Scott Auction opened, I saw the Magie Error card and decided I to make a run at it. A week ago I picked up a Hickman, leaving only the Foster to complete the 521 card set. It all happened very fast, so there was never really enough time for futility to set in or to feel like giving up!

The biggest lot I picked up was maybe only 5 or 6 cards. I think I bought a 5 or 6 card lot of brown hindu southern leaguers from adam. And I think I picked up a 6 card lot of polar bears on ebay from beckettmedia. What really helped was I'd win 10-15 ebay auctions of single card lots from a single seller in a single nite to save on shipping. I picked up a bunch of cards from alan swaim and buythatcard in this manner.

I have a lot of memorable pickups. To name a few: My first T206, the Jim Scott. Watching the countdown clock hit 0 on the Magie Error. The T206 Foster yesterday. Buying a card from Brian McQueen and discovering we had attended the same Jr High, Highschool, and Univ. of Kansas. A pickup that I was not involved in but will always be memorable was Felicia's first T206 - Cy Young Glove Shows. We exchanged several emails and she was totaling bubbling with joy over it - that's what T206 collecting is all about!

Best regards,
Craig

[E93]

Congrats on a big accomplishment.
JimB