Mom Chucked Mine - Who has assembled and owned a set for the longest time?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I started my Steve Garvey Topps run when I was 12 and finished it when I was 14, so I've had that for 32 years.

[ullmandds]

In my life I've completed less than 20 sets...ranging from late 70's-early 80's topps, burger king, fleer, donruss...early 90's upper deck...early 70's kelloggs/rold gold all time greats...64 topps giants...e90-2, e94 and most recently n43. The n43 set is the only one I currently own.

Hers is an n43 Ryan with the cute flower on his lappelle! The Ewing was the last to obtain as it was by far the most expensive. Many of these present well on the fronts and may have back damage from album removal...which for this issue is fine with me.

That'd make me a pathetic 3. I completed the set in 15'... tres!

Life is too short for commons is my motto these days!!!!!

[Matt1150]

The one and only complete set for me is 1977 Topps Baseball. I was 9 and managed to pull every card from a wax pack - and have the marked up team picture cards to prove it

[chalupacollects]

Oldest complete set is 1973 Topps finished in 1974... when I moved out took my cards with me! Never lost one to a Mom purge!

[grainsley]

1965 OPC, I remember throwing out Aaron after Aaron and buying new packs until I found a Hank that wasn't badly miscut. Terrible year for that. Put it away when done, and yes, still have the set, pack fresh.

So I reckon my number is 53.

Grant

[rats60]

I completed my 1968 Topps set in 1968, but sold it a couple years ago. Although I do still have my set of the 1968 Topps game cards, completed in 1968, well used. Still have 1965 Topps set, completed in 1973, with the help of Card Collectors Co.

[jefferyepayne]

1974 Topps Football complete in 1974 = 44 years ago.

I took my cards with me to college so my mom wouldn't throw them out ;-)

jeff

[trdcrdkid]

1977 Topps baseball, completed June 2, 1977 (last card Doug Flynn). Here is the first card I saw in the first pack I opened that year:

[50sBaseball]

I completed my 1958 Topps set in 1958, the only set I completed as a kid. Not even close with other 50s sets. Must have had extra newspaper delivery route and lawn mowing money in 1958. Still have the 1958 set. Last card to complete set was, I think, Don Cardwell.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by Matt1150

The one and only complete set for me is 1977 Topps Baseball. I was 9 and managed to pull every card from a wax pack - and have the marked up team picture cards to prove it

1977 Topps should have been my first complete set, I couldn't find a Boog Powell for years!! So I completed my 1980 set first, then found a card store and got my Boog.

[steve B]

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising,

First set put together - 1978 Papa Ginos discs finished as the promotion was ending. So 40 years.

They'd been very tight with the cards all summer, holding strictly to whatever the purchase requirement was I think maybe a drink bought with anything else?
It was pretty close, my sister an brother helped, as they got cards too when we went for the once a week Pizza outing. The last or next to last week of the promotion we got three duplicates, and I figured that was it. But maybe I could get a bit closer if they'd let us swap cards for ones we needed. I had my brother ask, as he was the youngest. To our surprise they handed us one of the the buckets they kept the cards in and said to take what we needed and bring the rest back. Finished the set, and gave the rest back.

A few weeks later I got one of the ads from the register. It had fallen down behind, and I'd asked earlier but the ads were supposed to be returned to the main office (A likely excuse for "sorry, we're keeping them ourselves") One had gotten behind the register and I got it but it took the manager clearing it.

First big set I think was a three way tie, 1982 Topps Fleer and Donruss. But I bought them instead of putting them together.

I'm not sure if I finished the 78 Topps before or after 82 I know I was close, but seldom really worked for those last few cards. I may not have finished that one until 89 or so.

[barrysloate]

I bought my first packs in 1958- clearly remember getting a Ted Williams AS and thinking it looked cool- and probably continued buying until 1963 or so. But I never completed any sets, and whatever I had left over in adulthood my mom tossed out.

Unlike most collectors I tend not to keep things very long. Usually I get excited about buying something new but at some point get tired of it and put it up for sale. And yet, I still have all the LP's that I bought in the 1960's and 70's, over 500, that I never threw out. So maybe without realizing it records are my favorite collectible.

I'm restless with a short attention span by nature, so it's not hard for me to sell collections I've put together. I simply move on to a new challenge. Learning new things excites me.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by steve B

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising,

First set put together - 1978 Papa Ginos discs finished as the promotion was ending. So 40 years.

They'd been very tight with the cards all summer, holding strictly to whatever the purchase requirement was I think maybe a drink bought with anything else?
It was pretty close, my sister an brother helped, as they got cards too when we went for the once a week Pizza outing. The last or next to last week of the promotion we got three duplicates, and I figured that was it. But maybe I could get a bit closer if they'd let us swap cards for ones we needed. I had my brother ask, as he was the youngest. To our surprise they handed us one of the the buckets they kept the cards in and said to take what we needed and bring the rest back. Finished the set, and gave the rest back.

A few weeks later I got one of the ads from the register. It had fallen down behind, and I'd asked earlier but the ads were supposed to be returned to the main office (A likely excuse for "sorry, we're keeping them ourselves") One had gotten behind the register and I got it but it took the manager clearing it.

First big set I think was a three way tie, 1982 Topps Fleer and Donruss. But I bought them instead of putting them together.

I'm not sure if I finished the 78 Topps before or after 82 I know I was close, but seldom really worked for those last few cards. I may not have finished that one until 89 or so.

Great set if only because the Yaz just says YAZ. No need for anything else. The player selection for the non-Sox is a little odd.

[PowderedH2O]

I was 12/13 years old in the summer of 1978. For whatever reason, I really went after that set strongly. I kept my cards by teams, so when I was keeping track of the cards I needed, I always had about 40 or so that I couldn't find. Then one day, a friend of mine tells me that the cards I am looking for are the ones on the Rookie Cards. Boy, I felt stupid. It turned out all I needed was Greg Luzinski and Jeff Burroughs. I got them in probably August in a late summer desperation purchase at the local Woolco. I finished 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Now, it is just too costly to do it anymore. I miss those days. I still have my 1978's, so it is almost 40 years since I completed my first big set.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Great set if only because the Yaz just says YAZ. No need for anything else. The player selection for the non-Sox is a little odd.

Nobody can spell Yaz?@#!%&*ski including the printer of the set. Does he really deserve kudos for being average?

[JustinD]

First full set was 83' Topps but that would seem to be cheating as it was a Christmas gift I had circled in the sears wishbook.

First small set was 1985 Wendy's Tigers set. Certainly wasn't hard to eat all those kids meals and frostys, but it was hard to talk mom into buying that many for my brother and I.

First actual pack built full set was 1987 Topps. Pack after pack till all 792 ( and additional 791 dups) were collected.

I still have all of these.

so knowing how much I loved those Wendy's trips I take the 33 years on that one,lol. But if we are going semantics with big sets, I can deal with the 31 for 87'.

[71buc]

My 1974 Topps set was completed with my weekly $2 allowance in 1974 and I still have it 44 years later.