How focused are you in your set collecting?

[TheNightmanCometh]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

I am a set collector, and it is a never ending task because I constantly update. I have a favored set from each era and generally work on those. And yes I buy other cards & sheets that have nothing to do with the set I am working on....keeps it fun

Z

I agree, it is fun. I'm trying to stay away from collecting other cards. So, if I do splurge on something outside of my set it's usually on trinkets like bobbleheads, pennants, magazines, and other assortments. I'm actually looking at collecting the Topps coin sets of Braves players and once I have obtained them all, showcasing them in a frame of some sort. I think that'd look pretty cool.

For those in the know, I've never handled a Topps coin before. Are they comparable in size to a quarter? Bigger? Smaller? Thanks.

[reddog4063]

I have tried to reign in my focus. I get into a set and finish it to 50-75% and lose interest and chase something else.

Right now I am building a graded 1950 Bowman set, in PSA 3-7 and am 15% done after about 6 months of building.

I am also slowly building 1972 and 1979 Topps in binders, about 30% done with 72 and 95% done with 79.

It was going really well but i saw a killer deal on the 'bay for 13 PSA graded 1953 Bowman cards. This set is on my radar and so I was only able to go back and forth on it for about 2 days before I pulled the trigger on it but now that has me looking at 1953 Bowman auctions and I see myself losing focus again.....UGH

[pokerplyr80]

I was able to focus and complete a Mantle run. I was not able to complete 52 topps or 41 play ball, despite the latter only consisting of 72 cards. It's difficult for me to stay focused on a specific set when there are so many great cards out there I want.

[sedin26]

I'm a set collector whose main focus is usually a single set....1958 Topps baseball at the moment. However, to make sure I don't get bored with it I tend to take on smaller projects as well. Just finished the 1974-75 OPC WHA hockey set at 66 cards. A nice break from 58 Topps but now I'll return my focus there.

[ALR-bishop]

Sedin-- why 1958 ?

Al

[sedin26]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Sedin-- why 1958 ?

Al

I seem to like cards with the bold, bright backgrounds. My favourite set of all time is 1964-65 Topps hockey, which has similar brightly coloured backgrounds. Having said that, I can also appreciate lots of other designs and might make a simple, clean set like 1953 Bowman my next project.

There's not much I actively dislike except for wood grain borders.

[geosluggo]

It's fun to read this thread and see how other people go about collecting. I'm definitely a set builder. As a kid I completed every Topps set going back to 1968 and had maybe a couple hundred cards each year going back through 1957. (In the pre-Internet days of the late 1970s I'd go to card shows with sheets of notebook paper listing the cards I needed for each year; sometimes I'd buy from Kit Young or others who advertised in Sporting News and other publications.) When I resumed collecting about 10 years ago I started by completing 1967, which took me several months. I've finished about one set a year; 1960-66, also 1956 and 1957. Now I'm contemplating 1958 and 1959. I haven't decided which to go after; I definitely prefer choosing one year at a time and being laser-focused. I try to get cards in decent condition but I'm not a fanatic and rarely buy graded cards.

[geosluggo]

Originally Posted by sedin26

There's not much I actively dislike except for wood grain borders.

I always hated the 1962 Topps wood-grain design, but I came to have a grudging appreciation for it when I finally completed my 1962 set a year or so ago.

If you like bright colors, the 1963 Topps set is nice.

[Section103]

100% effective.

My "sets" are essentially player collections in which there is an over-arching theme to those players. From time to time, Ive branched out like completing a Red Man Giants run - but even that run is complete. Ultimately, if I stray out, I stray into an additional set that Im building. Everything is within a specific goal.

While there are upsides to this approach (size, budget), it may illustrate some character issues as well.

[tombocombo]

A good ways into a signed set 301/407 of 1952 Topps. Collect basically any 1952 Topps sets, including salesman samples.

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by TheNightmanCometh

I agree, it is fun. I'm trying to stay away from collecting other cards. So, if I do splurge on something outside of my set it's usually on trinkets like bobbleheads, pennants, magazines, and other assortments. I'm actually looking at collecting the Topps coin sets of Braves players and once I have obtained them all, showcasing them in a frame of some sort. I think that'd look pretty cool.

For those in the know, I've never handled a Topps coin before. Are they comparable in size to a quarter? Bigger? Smaller? Thanks.

They are about the same size as a quarter.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

They are about the same size as a quarter.

Hiya Chris, Brian Powell here. Regarding the exact size of the 1964 / 1971 Topps Coins, bro, after failing to find an exact diameter spec online, I checked my old Krause Standard Cat. It says the diameter is 1 1/2", which sounds right. That comes to 38.1 mm. I remember they're bigger than a quarter, and really, a very pleasing size in the hand, as are the Salada and Armour coins. So, that makes them even distinctly larger than the size of a half-dollar, which is 30.6 mm in diameter. The diameter of a quarter is 24.3 mm.

In fact, I would say the 1964 and 1971 Topps coins are the exact same size as the 1963 Salada Baseball and 1962 Salada football and hockey, which are all metal, with the essential metal design the same. That also goes for the 1965 Old London coins, who were produced by the same people that did the 1964 Topps all-star coins.

Enough of my minutiae palabre! Hope ALL is well with you.

---Brian Powell

[Bestdj777]

Haha, schoooled by the master . Thanks Brian! Hope all is well with you. I owe you an email--had some unexpected medical issues pop up with the little guy that has taken up a bit of my attention lately.

[ALR-bishop]

The 56 Piins/Buttons are smaller. Have not measured mine but would guess maybe as small or smaller than a quarter

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

Haha, schoooled by the master . Thanks Brian! Hope all is well with you. I owe you an email--had some unexpected medical issues pop up with the little guy that has taken up a bit of my attention lately.

May God help you and care for and heal little Tristan! A big brotherly hug to you and your wife. ---Brian Powell