Reviewing My 2018 Card Collecting Goals

I've been getting ready to write a recap post about 2018 in Baseball and cards for a couple of days now, but every time I begin formatting a post in my head, I'm unable to conceptualize a coherent idea. Therefore, I've been delaying this post until I'm certain it's exactly what I want it to be.

This time last year, I had barely been blogging for 4 months. I was still trying to figure out what exactly I was going to do with the blog. The quality of my posts wasn't great, I was kind of all over the place, and I was still getting in the groove of things.

Flash-forward to the end of 2018. Okay, I'm still all over the place, but I'm pleased to say that I've remained dedicated the blog and through that, I've been happy with what I post. I guess I wasn't too certain about the type of collector I was even as recent as last year. Now, I'm still collecting a ton of things at once, but I'm having a blast doing it, and that's what card collecting is really all about.

The reason I'm talking about all of this now is that I wouldn't have made this much progress if I didn't set goals for myself. I knew I wanted to put out posts almost every day a week, I wanted to focus on player collections, and most of all, I wanted to have fun with the blog. It feels great to have achieved all of those goals in 2018.

Similarly, I set 7 card collecting goals for myself back at the end of 2017. In order to achieve my ultimate goal of having fun while collecting cards, I needed a basic outline for what I wanted to accomplish. Today, I'll be reviewing the goals I set for myself roughly 1 year ago today.

#1 Complete the 1972 Topps set

Accomplished? Yes

We start off with the goal I'm proudest to have accomplished, and that's completing the 1972 Topps set back in July. It was a process that took my Dad and me 46 years, but it was 100% worth it. Towards the end, there were high-numbers, team cards, and rookie cards that made the odds of finishing the set seem grim. 

Through it all, however, I was able to complete the set before leaving for The National which proved to helpful since I was able to complete 1975 Topps while I was there, a goal that wasn't even on my list in 2018.

#2 Complete 1969 and 1970 Topps Seattle Pilots team sets

Accomplished? Yes

With the completion of the 1969 and 1970, Topps Seattle Pilots team sets very early in the year, I'm now 2-2 for goals completed thus far. Since I first started collecting vintage, Seattle Pilots cards have always been on my radar, and it's taken quite a few years to finish off these 2 team sets. 

With the Topps base team sets done, 2019 could be the year in which I track down some oddball Pilots cards to further boost my collection.

#3 Continue to focus on player collections

Accomplished? Yes

The development of the player collection tiers was the major breakthrough that I made for my always-expanding player collections in 2018, quite possibly the focal point of my collection. While it can be difficult to measure how well I was able to concentrate on PCs, the tiers provide proof of how much I choose to focus on the players I collect when I'm at the show or anywhere else purchasing cards.

With 38 player collections currently at 100 cards or more, it's safe to say that I accomplished my goal of focusing on player collections in 2018.

#4 Control impulse purchases

Accomplished? Eh

Like the player collections goal, the idea of controlling impulse purchases isn't very objective and thus, there could be different opinions on if I truly kept myself from buying too many card products or not in 2018.

I will say this, however. There were many times in which I went into Target or my LCS and walked out because there wasn't a product that appealed to me and that I was willing to spend money on. Other times, this did not happen, and I ended up over-buying certain sets. 

I do believe that I made progress with this goal, but I would not refrain from putting it back on the list of goals in 2019 as well.

#5 Continue to trade and eliminate cards from my want list

Accomplished? Yes

My want list certainly has expanded over the last 12 months, but thanks to generous viewers and bloggers, I have been able to consistently acquire cards that go towards completing some of these sets. 

One of the many cards I traded for in 2018 was this dual patch of former Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. I completed the trade with Bob Walk the Plank who retired from blogging in 2018. He joins the list of many retired bloggers whose writing I adored and have inspired me to start my own little card blog and join this community.

#6 Complete my player collection project

Accomplished? Yes

It took a bit longer than I would've liked, but I was able to finish the process of moving all player collections from binders into boxes while also adding newly-acquired player collection additions to their new homes as well. It took a year, thousands of penny sleeves, and a lot of categorizing, but the process was completed in 2018.

It's very simple. Sheets were not working for me as they were collecting copious amounts of dust and becoming old, damaging the surfaces of the cards. I see the boxes as a solution for many many years because of how little space they take up and how cheap penny sleeves are. After all, they are called penny sleeves.

#7 Buy a Topps NOW card

Accomplished? Yes

In addition to purchasing individual cards of Rafael Devers for his grand slam against the Yankees and Brandon Phillips for his historic home run in Atlanta, I purchased an entire Topps NOW box set, commemorating the 2018 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox. 

Even with the faith I had in this team back when I made this list of goals, the Yankees appeared incredibly formidable, and I wasn't expecting Boston to pull off what they did this year. I still think the individual cards are over-priced, but the idea is excellent and the cards are very well-made.

While I'm on the topic of the 2018 Red Sox and the progress I've made with the blog, I'm ecstatic to say that I've finally found the perfect background for the blog. It's taken me well over a year, and I've gone through multiple themes, but come on, once I got these Topps NOW cards in-hand, it was an easy choice for the background of the blog.

Thank you to everyone for a great 2018 for the blog. I'm proud to be one of many sports card blogs out there, and I can't wait to see what 2019 brings for us collectors.

Ranking Topps Sets by Decade; 1970s

I've now reached the golden age in terms of Baseball cards, the 1970s. In addition to numerous memorable Topps sets, Kellogg's made a name for themselves and their iconic 3D card sets throughout this decade as well. I've already completed 2 Topps sets from this decade (1972 and 1975) and am currently piecing together 2 others (1976 and 1979).

Even with the 1970s containing more well-designed sets than nearly any other decade, I was able to decide the order for this list fairly quickly. There are a couple of so-so sets, a few incredible products, and finally, 3 sets or so that will go down in history as some of Topps' best efforts.

Additionally, one of the main themes of the 1970s, not just for Baseball cards, was the wide range of bright and bold colors. Each and every set makes an effort to include different colors depending on the team with some sets, like 1975 and 1976, having more color than others. 

Sets like 1970 and 1971, on the other hand, feature recognizable silver and black borders respectively.

#10 1978 Topps

1978 Topps appears to be the only set that doesn't fit in with the rest of the 1970s set, mainly due to is sub-par set design and its inability to excite collectors. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of well-executed cards within the set, and the card backs are fairly strong. However, an image with a white border and a cursive font do little to amaze me given what else is available from this era.

#9 1974 Topps

It's not that the 1974 Topps set has the worst set design of the 70s, that would be 1973, but this set, in addition to 1978, does little to stand out. With nearly every set across the 70s decade being a winner in one way or another, each set is in need of 1 particular factor that sets it over the edge. While it's a respectable all-around set, 1974 Topps doesn't necessarily have that "it" factor to set it over the edge.

#8 1973 Topps

If not for the abundance of awesome images and a wide variety of different angles for said photos, 1973 Topps would end up dead last on this countdown. No matter how much I try, I can't get behind such an uninteresting set design, no matter how intriguing the images are. However, the top tier photos do their part to elevate the 1973 Topps set, a product that would be lost without cards like the Ed Acosta card above.

#7 1979 Topps

Just like 1960 Topps seems to fit in better with the 1950s Topps sets rather than the 60s, 1979 Topps has more of a 1980s style rather than a 70s base set design. As you can tell, Topps began to shy away from using too much color towards the end of the 70s, the exact opposite of what they did in sets like 1975 Topps. My favorite part of this set is easily the old-school Topps logo placed on the Baseball in the bottom left corner. 

#6 1977 Topps

As we saw in this years' Topps Archives set, 1977 Topps is certainly an above-average product with big, colorful team names in addition to a variety of different photos. However, in a decade like the 1970s, simply an above average set doesn't get you much higher than 6th on the list, a testament to how strong the decade remains, even to this day, for Topps Flagship sets.

#5 1970 Topps

Now that I'm into the top 5, I've reached some of the greatest Topps sets of all-time in addition to the best products that the 1970s has to offer. In terms of the 1970 Topps set, I'm incredibly excited to see this grey-bordered set return for 2019 Topps Heritage. I've always loved the simplicity of the grey-bordered design, even if it does become slightly repetitive in the 720-card set.

#4 1976 Topps

I really wish this set got more attention, because 1976 Topps, to me, embodies the 1970s as a whole more so than nearly any other product released that decade. I love the All-Star stars especially, something that we should see more of since All-Stars players are supposed to be considered stars The amount of color on the card is perfect, but it's the photos, especially Johnny Bench's card, that make the set what it is.

#3 1975 Topps

1975 Topps would likely crack the top 5 on my countdown of favorite Topps sets of all-time, but in a decade like the 70s, the highest I can rank it is #3. The best thing about the set is that because of how many color combinations there are, I can never find myself bored while looking at 1975 Topps cards. Nearly every part, from the size of the team name to the position on the baseball, is frankly brilliant, a testament to the peak of Topps' greatness in the early and mid-1970s.

#2 1971 Topps

If Topps could execute another black-bordered Flagship set as well as they did back in 1971, it would easily become the best selling Flagship set of this century, and rightfully so. Simply put, the 1971 Topps set is a stroke of genius in many different ways. The borders are just the right size while there's nothing too crazy going on. Each tiny bit of space is maximized while also making sure that the card isn't cramped. 

Plus, who doesn't like black borders?

#1 1972 Topps

Not only is it the best set the 70s has to offer, but 1972 Topps will forever hold the title as my favorite Topps set of all-time, a true masterpiece of a set. Even without including the player's position on the front of the card, 1972 Topps is a beautifully designed set with a perfect balance between the color, team name, and image, all taking the shape of an arch.

The font that the team name is written in combined with the shading is very 1970s, the best compliment I can give a sit like this. Not only is it the best-designed set I've ever seen, but it's the first Topps set I ever completed myself, I milestone I reached earlier this year.

The 1970s had more fantastic sets to offer collectors than any decade in Baseball history. Next up, I'll go over the 1980s, a decade that for better and for worse, changed Topps Flagship sets forever.