Perks of Joining the Team Collectors

For years now, I've struggled to find a balance between Red Sox team collecting and my Red Sox player collections. I've accumulated impressive PC totals of multiple Red Sox players that I collect, but I haven't done much when it comes to everything else that's out there for Sox cards.

When I purchase Red Sox cards at the show, they usually consist of the usual player collections like Wade Boggs, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia. While I'm constantly building up my Boston Red Sox player collections in addition to all the others, I still have tons of miscellaneous Red Sox cards that can't go unnoticed.

Even though I've struggled to find a way to properly organize them (other team collectors, please give me some advice), I've always considered myself a Red Sox team collector. All I've needed is some easy way to acquire new Red Sox cards in addition to my various player collections, and I'm pleased to say that I've found the perfect way to do it.

Recently, I joined The Team Collectors, a group of collectors dedicated to boosting the team collections of fans of every MLB team. When I saw they had an opening for a Tier II Red Sox collector, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. If you have any questions, I highly 

I knew that this was the perfect way to start adding to my Red Sox team collection. What I didn't know was the sheer variety of cards that I'd get in return for sending out a few team bags of cards from other teams.

I've always seen the appeal of both vintage and modern cards, leading me to ask for both types of cards with my first Team Collectors order. 

Since I'm a Tier II collector, I receive all my Red Sox cards from the Tier I Red Sox collector, who made certain to include some nice new vintage Sox cards, including a '67 Lee Stange from the Impossible Dream team.

From the Impossible Dream to 2018, all sorts of different years, players, brands, and products were represented throughout this 100+ card order. It included a nice variety of cards from 2018, including my first card of prospect Michael Chavis as well as a few cards from members of the 2018 World Series team.

David Ortiz and Andrew Benintendi were a couple of names that evaded me when I opened my blaster box of 2018 Topps Fire. With the help of the Team Collectors, I'm able to make additions to 2 of my Red Sox PCs with some awesome and colorful cards from the Target-exclusive set.

I personally love almost all shiny cards and refractors, so I made a small request for some chrome stock cards and refractors if there were any available. Needless to say, I was not disappointed whatsoever. I instantly took notice of the variety of different sets, even as far as chrome cards go. Speaking of which, that Juan Marichal card has to be one of my favorite cards of the entire package without a shadow of a doubt.

Numbered cards were also common in this generous package of Red Sox treasures. A Dustin Pedroia from 2015 Panini Donruss (#/400) and a Will Middlebrooks orange refractor from 2013 Topps Finest (#/99) are 2 of the standouts as far as numbered cards go. 

In fact, the Middlebrooks card is exactly why I'm so fond of colored refractors, particularly in Topps Chrome and Finest.

The inclusion of several different oddball cards was a bonus on top of everything that I asked for, and I'm not complaining in any way. 

It's hard to pick a favorite out of these 4 crazy cards. The High Voltage Nomar, Die-Cut Mo Vaughn, and an oddly-shaped Action Packed Jose Malave are all standouts. But the best of the group would have to be the Drake's Big Hitters card of Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.

J.J. Nissen may not have had the MLB license when producing these 1989 Collector's Edition set, but that doesn't stop these 2 oddballs of Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks from being some of my favorite cards of the whole package. After all, it's not every day that I get a new card of either Greenwell or Burks.

If they're well-done, minis can be one of the most fun things to collect in the hobby nowadays. I was able to land 2 minis from the generous package of cards to help boost my Red Sox collection. 

Acquiring so many Red Sox cards all at once has inspired me to become a more dedicated team collector. I should come up with some organization method similar to what I do for my player collections as long as I'm making these trades on Team Collectors.

I didn't include any autographs when I sent my package out to be distributed to other collectors, so I was pleasantly surprised to find autos included in my Red Sox-only package. Will Middlebrooks recently retired just a few days ago after a career that included 17 homers for the 2013 World Champion Boston Red Sox. 

I haven't acquired a ton of Red Sox autographs during the time that I've been collecting, so to my knowledge, this is my first auto from a member of their 2013 World Series team.

I made sure to save the best, numbered card for last, a Kevin Youkilis gold refractor from 2010 Bowman Chrome. Numbered 34/50, this card will join the other 40+ cards in my Kevin Youkilis collection, including some other numbered parallels. 

A card numbered to 50 isn't the lowest numbering for a Red Sox card in my collection. That title would go to one of my Xander Bogaerts cards which is out of 25 copies.

I'm very limited in my collection when it comes to cards from 1952-1956, having only a handful of cards from Topps' first 5 Flagship sets. It's pretty awesome to be sent a new, original card from the 1956 Topps set as one of the many new Red Sox cards in my collection. 

Bolling's card will join a small stack of Red Sox cards from 1954-1956 in my collection. As I've previously mentioned, I have yet to acquire my first 1952 or 1953 Topps card, something I hope to accomplish this year.

But hands-down, the best card from what was an incredibly surprising and generous package of Sox cards was this 2014 Topps High Tek auto of Mike Napoli, signed on-card by yet another member of the 2013 World Series team. 

Not only was this my first ever autograph from the high-end Topps High Tek set, but, along with the Middlebrooks auto, I now have 2 autographs from members of the 2013 World Series team in addition to well over 100 other unique Red Sox cards that I get to add to my collection. 

Not only am I completely thrilled, but it feels awesome to join something like the Team Collectors where, finally, I can give my Red Sox team collection the attention that it deserves.

Ranking Topps Sets by Decade; 1950s

As a nice way to close out 2018, I'm going to take the final few days of the month to go decade by decade throughout Topps history, ranking the Topps Flagship sets produced based on solely the base set design. 

Part of what inspired me to begin this mini-series was my post on underrated Topps sets from a few days ago. When I was exploring sets to place on that list, I started to ponder where each set would fall on the all-time list. However, it's pretty difficult to compare sets from the 50s to sets from the 2010s, so I thought going decade by decade would work much better.

Starting with the 1950s, I'll be ranking the Topps Flagship sets from each decade until the end of the year with a couple of breaks in between. The criteria for each sets' placement on the list will be the base set design alone. 

Hopefully, these posts will give me a bit of a better idea as to what my favorite Topps sets of all-time are as well as the sets that aren't so high up on my list.

For the 1950s, I won't be including the red backs cards from 1951 since they're technically not a Topps base set. Instead, I'll be starting with 1952 and continuing throughout the rest of the decade.

#8 1957 Topps

It's not that I don't see what Topps was going for with 1957 Topps, it's just that the basic and simple set doesn't really work with the 50s style of cards. It's the one standout set out of all the 50s products with every other year featuring a much larger variety of color.

It reminds me a lot of a Topps Stadium club set given the very minimal base card design. However, it lacks the high-quality images due to when the set was produced in. Without the top-notch photos that most sets with simple designs have, 1957 Topps is unable to be a standout in the 1950s.

#7 1955 Topps

While it's fairly similar to the 1954 and 1956 sets, the 1955 Topps set includes the less-desirable elements from both sets, ultimately resulting in a set that blends in with all the other sets that Topps has made. 

There seems to be a lot of background space that's not really being used, leading me to believe that 1955 Topps could possibly work as a vertical set rather than horizontal. Perhaps if that happened, it would be placed higher on the list.

#6 1954 Topps

With a design that resembles a vertical version of the 1955 set, 1954 Topps has a bit more to offer with the 2nd photo being in black and white rather than color. It utilizes the space provided to it quite well, something that cannot be said about the '55 set. 

However, with the team logo cutting off part of the cap and the background image located on the shoulder of Olson's foreground photo, there's literally no room for anything else on the card. Even with '54 Topps resembling the 1955 set to a degree, the 2 sets are opposites in a couple of ways.

#5 1952 Topps

I still don't have my own original card from 1952 or 1953 Topps, something I most definitely hope to change in 2019. Despite not owning an original copy, that hasn't stopped me from having a solid knowledge of the 1952 Topps set, the first base set ever released. The first of anything is typically remembered fondly, and Topps' first base set is no different. Even though it's not the best product from the 50s, the all-around design and photos guarantee that it's far from the worst.

#4 1958 Topps

Because Topps Heritage is my favorite brand, I've been able to discover vintage Topps sets from the 1950s because of that very brand. Specifically, the first year I was heavily invested in Topps Heritage was 2007, the year that 1958 was used for the set. There's a lot to like about the set. It's one of a few sets from the 50s to not include "real" backgrounds. Every card is a picture of a player in front of a unique color, a feature that differs from card to card. 

Due to '58 Topps being one of Topps' first set, there are a few minor mistakes that were eventually fixed in Topps Heritage. That's not to take away from the creative and interesting set that is 1958 Topps.

#3 1953 Topps

As I previously mentioned, I really hope that I won't have to use a Topps Archives card for 1953 Topps any longer. Rather, I'll be looking in 2019 for my first original cards from both the '52 and '53 sets. Additionally, while Heritage helped me discover some of my favorite 50s sets, another set, Topps Living, helped me learn about what a beautiful set 1953 Topps is.

Although I only own 1 card from the living set (Clemente), I see enough online to know how eye-catching the artwork is. That's in large part due to how well-made the original product is with countless iconic cards taking up spots on the checklist, including Satchel Paige and Mickey Mantle, just to name a couple.

#2 1959 Topps

1958 Topps will always remain a favorite of mine due to 2007 Heritage being the first Heritage set I ever collected. However, the 1959 Topps set edges it out just slightly due to how it elevates the '58 set yet also develops an entirely new product. If you like the '58 design but prefer actual backgrounds, then 1959 Topps is the set for you. This time around, the placement of the logo was much better, and there's no wasted space nor does the card feel crowded.

This year, I was ecstatic to see 1959 Topps in the Archives set after it previously being included in 2008 Topps Heritage. Even though Topps wasn't able to execute a few minor details, the original set definitely falls in the top 15 of my favorite all-time Flagship sets.

#1 1956 Topps

It took Topps 3 separate tries, but finally, in 1956, they were able to perfect the type of set that they had been trying to create for 3 years from 1954-1956. Almost every single detail works together in harmony on this card, in large part due to the size of the cards in the '56 set. At last, Topps perfectly executed a set with 2 pictures of the player, 1 in the foreground and 1 in the background.

Additionally, they stayed true to the 50s with different colors for the player name as well as the position and team name. The card backs, although not shown, are another strong point of a set that has no shortage of them.

It may not have come to them right away, but thankfully, Topps was able to create a near masterpiece with their 1956 set.

My Ideal Topps Archives Set

With the baseball season officially over and the major baseball card releases not too far behind, I'm forced to turn my attention towards 2019. As it pertains to baseball cards, that happens to be what the sets might look like once next year comes along.

Though Topps Heritage is never a surprise release, I always enjoy reading Cardboard Connection and Beckett info articles about other sets like Gypsy Queen, Stadium Club, and Allen & Ginter as soon as they're released in order to see what the new year will bring for some of my favorite Topps products.

Similarly, I do the same for Topps Archives, but it's far less about the set design and more about what sets will be chosen. For many years now, Topps has chosen 3 sets to take up the 300 base card checklist. However, when you think about it, Archives is all about timing, more so than any other product.

You can't choose a product that's been done in Heritage recently or is going to be the focus of Topps Heritage in upcoming years. From what I've noticed, the wait time between Archives and Heritage seems to be around 8-10 years given the inclusion of the 1960 Topps set in 2017 Topps Archives.

Additionally, there has to be a balance between decades. As much as I love 60's cards, the whole set can't just be from that decade. There's usually 1 set from the 50's/60's, 1 from the 70's/80's, and finally, one from the 80's/90's as well. All of this while choosing the right players to be included in the product.

With all of this in mind, I've decided to create my own Topps Archives set using Topps sets from the past that haven't made their way into Archives yet or were represented in Heritage, but many years ago. What I've come up with is, I believe, the ideal Topps Archives set for next year.

As for the oldest product in my ideal Archives set, I went for a set that's become a collectors favorite that hasn't been seen since Topps Heritage way back in 2005. That set is the classic 1956 Topps made all the way back in the day when the dimensions of the average baseball card were larger than they were today. If you're looking to start something like Archives off with a bang, look no further than 1956 Topps.

As we saw with Topps Heritage in 2003-2005, there's no need to copy the exact size of the cards, making them the same size as they were in the 50's. Actually, it's easier to make these cards the same size as we're used to seeing nowadays so they can fit on a typical sheet or in a standard penny sleeve like the rest of the cards. Considering that minor setback was already handled back in '05, there should be nothing stopping Topps from putting 1956 Topps in an Archives set very soon.

For the set following 1956 Topps in my ideal Archives product, I chose an underrated Topps Flagship design that was last seen in 2010 Topps Heritage, nearly a decade ago. With the use of creative color combinations at the bottom of the card and the superb photo quality of today, '61 Topps has the potential to work out extremely well in a future Topps Archives set just like it did back in 2010, maybe even better.

To make things better, Archives sets typically include 1 design per year that isn't necessarily considered super exciting, at least compared to other eye-catching sets like 1977 Topps, for example. I presume Topps does this in order to have a way to show off even more of their top-tier photography while also giving that particular year of Archives a chance to stand on its own with a strong balance of sets.

It's hard to believe the most recent of the Archives sets is from 40 years ago, but trust me when I say I considered many options before making this decision. Keep in mind, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989 have all been included in Topps Archives sets beginning in 2012 along with 1990, 1991, and 1992. 

By the time 2019 begins, we will have been just 2 years removed from the over-used 1987 insert set throughout 2017 Topps, and 1988 Topps just isn't that exciting. Combined with the lack of 70's sets available, 1978 is the best option.

Granted, this Archives set will rely on vintage more so than any Archives product before it, but since when is that a bad thing? We have 9 years before 1978 Topps will be the subject of Heritage, and it's been a while since either 1956 or 1961 Topps were included in Heritage as well. Each set has something different to offer up for Topps Archives. and though I doubt this lineup will actually be chosen, it would have to be my 1st choice for an ideal 2019 Topps Archives set.