The "Why am I wasting my time/money" thread

Harliduck · #1 07-22-2021, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

1971 Topps Greatest Moments

They are really cool looking, majestic cards, but holy heck is it a nightmarish set to make headway on!!! Since they are oversized, the natural inclination is to buy them already graded, because storing or displaying them is very problematic indeed. The only 'cheap' ones are cards that were seemingly quintuply printed, but all of the other ones go for crazy prices. It is a ridiculous undertaking, but I still stay the course for some reason. Pathetic.

I keep seeing the ones posted here, took a look on Ebay at a few...they are BEAUTIFUL cards...certainly have me tempted. How were they made available...gum packs? Considering I was 1 years old I have no memory...lol. I did not know these existed until net54...never came across one of these as a kid and I had seen most things come through the school yard...

Seven · #2 07-22-2021, 06:42 PM

While it doesn't exactly fit what you're asking, I am wondering how I am going to continue one of my major collecting goals, but at the same time I don't want to stop. I'm doing a Mantle Major Set run, with a couple of secondary issues sprinkled in there. All that said, I shudder at the thought of buying the 52 topps.

I can't afford it now, I'm saving for a House, but I wonder if a PSA 1 is 30K now, what is it going to be in 20-30 years from now, when I could conceivably buy one? But at the same time I don't want to stop this journey. It's difficult.

Eric72 · #3 07-22-2021, 07:17 PM

Not post-war; however, I am slowly building a T206 set. The cards I chase are generally well-centered in VG condition.

I have no problem shelling out money for HOFers. The commons, though, are becoming absurdly priced. What I used to pay for a graded VG 3 will only get me a heavily creased raw card with major paper loss.

Cmvorce · #4 07-22-2021, 07:31 PM

I ask myself this question about the 52 Topps high number commons all the time. In fact I remember one night on eBay recently where I was the winning bidder on one, $180 or so for someone I never heard of and didn�t care about, where as soon as the auction ended I said out loud �what the f&ck am I doing?!�

Anyway, the desire to complete the 52 set is strong, but without the Mantle why am I spending so much on average condition coach cards?!

gustomania · #5 07-22-2021, 09:26 PM

I feel the same way collecting all the Koufax leader cards graded�but then I either get pulled back in when I find a nice one or threads like this make me realize I don�t have to buy a 52 Mantle so in a way feel lucky.

But still, most of them I could get for $5-$10 or less each but I keep looking for PSA 7 and 8s that cost way more�..seems silly, but for some reason I keep doing it LOL

Then once I have a bunch, I�m like damn, if I just collected those leaders raw I�d have a couple more low grade 55 Koufax RCs�.ah, the circle of collecting.

KCRfan1 · #6 07-22-2021, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric72

Not post-war; however, I am slowly building a T206 set. The cards I chase are generally well-centered in VG condition.

I have no problem shelling out money for HOFers. The commons, though, are becoming absurdly priced. What I used to pay for a graded VG 3 will only get me a heavily creased raw card with major paper loss.

True that.

JollyElm · #7 07-22-2021, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I keep seeing the ones posted here, took a look on Ebay at a few...they are BEAUTIFUL cards...certainly have me tempted. How were they made available...gum packs? Considering I was 1 years old I have no memory...lol. I did not know these existed until net54...never came across one of these as a kid and I had seen most things come through the school yard...

Same as you, never saw them before I ventured here. Conventional wisdom has them as a test issue that didn't have much distribution at all. Not sure if any extant (nice word usage) wrappers have been discovered.

jmoran19 · #8 07-23-2021, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Same as you, never saw them before I ventured here. Conventional wisdom has them as a test issue that didn't have much distribution at all. Not sure if any extant (nice word usage) wrappers have been discovered.

One 1971 Greatest Moments wrapper is known. Nice article about the set just posted by David

http://www.thetoppsarchives.com/

I still need 18 of them after all these years and since I’m a sucker for punishment I’m trying to complete the 1971 OPC set too. Finding cards #524 thru #752 is going painfully slow.

John

ALR-bishop · #9 07-24-2021, 08:18 AM

I have met another guy who says he has a wrapper. I think Larry Serota has or has a scan of a box. Although I do not think they were retailed, I have seen posts where people say they have cards with gum stains. I think they entered hobby through the Card Collectors Company or other source who ended up with un marketed product. Maybe Dave Hornish knows more.

My set is all ungraded and most of it was acquired before grading became the rage it is now

ALR-bishop · #10 07-24-2021, 08:23 AM

From Dave's Blog

https://www.thetoppsarchives.com/sea...test%20Moments

frankhardy · #11 07-24-2021, 09:07 AM

For me, I guess the thing that fits the original topic is....I am actually considering spending several hundred dollars on a 1956 Topps.....wait for it...wrapper! I have completed my Topps set run project from 1953 to present. I have a pack for each set down to my birth year of 1975. I have settled for a wrapper from each year to finish the rest. I still need 1953 and 1956. I think it is a neat addition to each set....but....really? It's a wrapper for crying out loud!

Having said all of that, this topic makes me think of my reasoning for participating in this hobby in the first place. I have often thought....why in the world do I collect cardboard pictures of baseball players? I have come to one conclusion. I love baseball....and I love history. I was not good enough to play professionally. To me, this is my personal attachment to the history of baseball. It is my personal historical archive. That is the way I look at it. As far as the financial aspect goes....generally speaking, these little artifacts hold their value. To me, I can be another form of money. If I needed the money, I could just turn around and sell them. Hopefully that doesn't ever happen.

So, with all of that in mind....why would anyone EVER spend ANY amount of money on a 1988 Topps set? Because if you want the complete run of sets, you have to have it. I am just OCD enough for it to drive me crazy if I had a hole like that in my run. As I have said before....I'm just glad they didn't make a Topps set in 1952!

homerunderby · #12 09-11-2021, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankhardy

For me, I guess the thing that fits the original topic is....I am actually considering spending several hundred dollars on a 1956 Topps.....wait for it...wrapper! I have completed my Topps set run project from 1953 to present. I have a pack for each set down to my birth year of 1975. I have settled for a wrapper from each year to finish the rest. I still need 1953 and 1956. I think it is a neat addition to each set....but....really? It's a wrapper for crying out loud!

Having said all of that, this topic makes me think of my reasoning for participating in this hobby in the first place. I have often thought....why in the world do I collect cardboard pictures of baseball players? I have come to one conclusion. I love baseball....and I love history. I was not good enough to play professionally. To me, this is my personal attachment to the history of baseball. It is my personal historical archive. That is the way I look at it. As far as the financial aspect goes....generally speaking, these little artifacts hold their value. To me, I can be another form of money. If I needed the money, I could just turn around and sell them. Hopefully that doesn't ever happen.

So, with all of that in mind....why would anyone EVER spend ANY amount of money on a 1988 Topps set? Because if you want the complete run of sets, you have to have it. I am just OCD enough for it to drive me crazy if I had a hole like that in my run. As I have said before....I'm just glad they didn't make a Topps set in 1952!

I totally get the wrappers- it captures the excitement of seeing these on the shelf in the drug store. And these days actually unopened it prohibitively expensive so wrappers make a lot of sense.

Before the hobby got big (think 1981) collecting wrappers was pretty popular, at least more popular than now. Check this out, there was a guy who had a magazine just focused on wrappers. Amazingly he still publishes it!
http://www.thewrappermagazine.com/

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