Anyone else excited ?
 

I'll be 65 next month and have a St. Louis Cardinals collection that spans 1887 to present but I still get excited when the new Topps series 1 baseball cards become available each year. According to my email from Topps- today is the day. I also get excited when pitchers and catchers report !

But are you excited about the Cards chances this year ? Do you collect just card or other stuff too ?

I dislike the seemingly endless complexity of the modern card sets, e.g. refractors in 10 different colors.

That is the only part of modern cards I like. All the different types/colors of cards are amazing to look at and figure out how to make them. Now the prices are bat sheep crazy for those cool shiny cards and the reason I do not own any.

I get excited for the new releases.
I am particularly excited how the White Sox will finally bring the World Series back to Chicago in the near future.

I used to get so excited about Topps Series 1 release day. In fact, I'd make sure to take the afternoon off work. That way if I ordered a case, and it came in, I could break it. If I didn't get a case, I could go to the LCS and bust a few boxes with other guys that collect it then trade off doubles and extras to try and make sets.

Then I found vintage. Despite being on Twitter and seeing Series 1 updates and seeing them on Beckett, BO and other places, I have had no desire to bust any of it. I decided in August to move out of modern all together (I have with the exception of my Rangers PC, which I'm sorting to sell now) and make the move solely to vintage. I love that decision. Best decision I ever made as far as cards ... that and to quit busting 1990 Topps looking for the Frank Thomas NNOF card, haha.

All that said, I am anxiously waiting for the day pitchers and catchers report. I still love the game, just don't enjoy collecting the game by today's card standards. I've already taken off for Opening Day in case the Rangers are at home. If not, I'll watch them on my laptop hooked up to a smaller TV next to my big screen, and I'll be watching several other games (split screen) on my MLB.tv device which will be hooked up to the bigger TV. I absolutely love opening day. One of the best days of the year behind Christmas.

Probably the best way would be to break into the Astros offices under the cover of darkness and make off with the trophy. Much better chances than winning it on the field.

;)

ps. Being a Reds fan myself, I know that is our best chance to get the trophy in 2018.

I think most of us on this board do; however I was told by a friend at one of the card companies that their research and focus groups indicate their collectors love receiving all those parallels out of packs. And if you think about it, that makes sense as that gives extra "value" to each pack.

Rich

When I collect a set, I need to understand what I'm collecting and how to complete the collection. With modern cards I can't wrap my brain around how this is accomplished. Too many brands; too many subsets; 1 of 1's I can never possibly acquire. There's no sense of a path to actually ever finishing. As a kid, the fun was in trying to complete a set. Opening packs, trading with other kids, making checklists. I wouldn't even know where to begin on a 2018 set.

Modern card collecting feels more like buying lottery tickets than actually collecting. That psychology just doesn't appeal to me.

What originally turned me off was when Topps starting offering factory sets. What was the point of collecting a set when I could just buy the whole thing in one fell swoop? Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, when you finished a set, you felt like you had actually accomplished something because that was the only way you get the entire set - card by card.

Hey Josh--- define near future. What century ? :)

Big Daddy-- the Cards tried the breaking in thing and it did not work out so well

SAllen-- I have been collecting since 1957 and have a full Topps run. My sets from 1948 and 1951 to 1962 were put together card by card. From 1963 to 1973 I put them together by buying the cards in full series from the Card Collectors Company. After 1974 I did full sets, but still did packs each year and added recognized and unrecognized variations to the sets! first from shops and then eBay. Also have been doing all the Heritage sets but may stop that after the 1972 redo.

I think us old guys are prejudiced in favoring older cards ( at least I am) but I think someone having had nothing to do with the hobby would think the modern card technology is light years ahead in quality and aesthetics than the older stuff.

Anybody bust a box of 2018 Topps Series 1 yet?

Thinking about heading over to WalMart to see if the retail packs are in yet.
RayB

LOLOL Sox beat Houston once, they can do it again!

Opened my first pack and . . .
 

First card was a Cardinal ! Adam Wainwright. 2018 promises to be a good year for the Cardinals ball team and for me collecting Cardinals

I bought a pack at Wal Mart today. Got a Lance Lynn and a Molina...and a couple worthless Cubs:D

Randy---Brock was once a useless Cub, and he turned out ok. :)

The only aspect of modern cards I like!

Guilty pleasures!

I bought 2 hanger boxes at Target. Photography is awesome.

I am a huge fan of the 1983 cards this year. The Mattingly, Strawberry, Eric Davis, and Sandberg look amazing. Also the Judge swinging card. Going to open lots of these with my kids this month!

Fleer Ultra is back!

Picked up a few packs and a hanger box today, and that was pretty much my first thought. Not that I won't collect them, just that it seems so unlike a Topps set. Maybe Stadium Club.

I've become a huge fan of Bowman Chrome.

I know Josh and he is not huge

I'm a big Heritage fan so I'm looking forward to the end of the month! Have four boxes on the way. Can't wait!

Josh - I share your excitement on the Sox, 2018 will be tough, starting in 2019 it should stat to get interesting!

I opened two hobby boxes last week just for kicks and had a blast. Completed a base set and pulled a Clint Frazier SP.

The variations/parallels aren't for everybody but I absolutely love the black parallels they do each year. They really pop in hand this year. Picking up a copy of all the guys I collect.

https://i.imgur.com/eiSDx46.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rgQLWsw.jpg