Upgrading is satisfying, don't you think?

[mintacular]

There is something very satisfying about buying a mid-grade set and slowly upgrading it card by card, weeding out soft cornered/creased/oc cards with a nicer version and replacing its inferior counterpart. Kinda like weeding your back yard, anyone else appreciate this aspect of card collecting, if so which set?

[Robextend]

I agree. I have been doing that with my 1933 and 1934 Goudey sets as well as my 1948 Bowman set. It is nice when sometimes the monetary difference is only a few bucks and you feel you have really improved your overall set.

[Volod]

Yes, took about ten years assembling a '52 Bowman set in just that way. It was the set I most fondly recalled from childhood, so a labor of love. Like many Bowman sets, registration of the image was a very common problem. Don't know how many times I found a near mint card at a show, thinking it would really upgrade my collection, only to get it home and compare it to my vg/ex filler to find that it was slightly out of register and the image not as sharp as the other card - frustrating, but you could go on trying to perfect a set that way into eternity - or as long as you last.

[theseeker]

And just what do you do with all those weeded out, soft corner cards?
Yes, it is a serious question.

[ALR-bishop]

I have a Topps set run that is ungraded and in binders. When adding variations/errors to my sets, or just browsing through one, I will sometimes spot a particular card that I decide should be upgraded. I then make the mistake of looking more closely at cards around it and it becomes obsessive, particularly in the pre 1971 sets which were mostly assembled via packs or few cards at a time. But once in awhile I go all in in upgrading one of them in general. I find the process both satisfying and maddening at the same time

[thescooper]

The trouble is as I upgrade I keep the lower grade cards then the few become 1/4 set then 1/2 set then I have another full set.Then I keep upgrading set 1 moving the lesser quality cards down to set 2.Them the few of upgraded upgraded(!!) cards become a 1/4 set then 1/2 set then I have 3 sets etc etc. That is the reason why I have 6 full sets and 3 "on the go" sets of Davy Crockett Orange backs. Hi my name is Tony and I am a CARDOHOLIC

[Exhibitman]

I do just the opposite: I am downgrading my postwar cards to low-cost cards I can put into a binder and enjoy without all the slabs and money worries. upgrade or down, it is all about what you find to be the most enjoyable way to collect, after all is said and done.

[Rickyy]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I have a Topps set run that is ungraded and in binders. When adding variations/errors to my sets, or just browsing through one, I will sometimes spot a particular card that I decide should be upgraded. I then make the mistake of looking more closely at cards around it and it becomes obsessive, particularly in the pre 1971 sets which were mostly assembled via packs or few cards at a time. But once in awhile I go all in in upgrading one of them in general. I find the process both satisfying and maddening at the same time

Boy Al I sure can relate...I sometimes upgrade my 1970-79 Topps sets that way...I think I'm okay with a card...then I notice something I didn't like...my pet peeve is tilted cards....OC top to bottom, left to right don't bother me too much unless its like 90/10....

Ricky

[Volod]

Interesting, the two widely varying sides to this, psychologically speaking. I wonder if it's just fussy perfectionists versus no-frills fundamentalists, or something more complex.