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.

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 the Sets of 2018

January 31st marked the beginning of the 2018 Baseball card collecting season with the release of Topps Series 1. In the months that have followed, predominantly Topps as well as Panini have combined to release dozens of products, ranging from something as simple as Series 2 all the way to the super high-end Panini National Treasures product.

All in all, the year 2018 was a major improvement when compared to 2017, a year full of half-baked products. 2016 wasn't much better with one of the worst Flagship sets of all-time being released. 

Therefore, I suppose you could say that 2018 as a whole was one of the best years for collecting in a few years. Even with an excessive number of sets being released, there were a number of products that hold their own, resulting in their placement on my list.

Just like last year, 16 products ended up on my list, 2 Panini sets, 2 Bowman products, and 12 Topps sets. I intentionally left out the beloved Panini Chronicles due to there being too much going on for me to form a coherent opinion on the set.

With that being said, I'll start off with my least favorite set of the year with a product that held this honor in 2017 as well.

#16 Panini Diamond Kings

Once again, Panini Diamond Kings was a disappointing product in 2018. The checklist was one of the few strong points with a nice balance of old-time players from the early 20th century along with today's stars as well. However, the set design was only a bit more exciting than last years' set, and the card backs were pretty lackluster once again, using the same images on the back of the card as the front for the 2nd year in a row.

#15 Bowman

The card backs from 2018 Bowman weren't the problem as they've become somewhat expected over the last few years. Rather, it's the front of the cards, featuring cut-off logos, that fueled my mild dislike for the set. You'd think Topps would learn from 2016 Topps to never include cut-off logos in their products again, but apparently not. I don't mind Topps continuing to take a more modern approach to the most of their sets. However, in the case of 2018 Bowman, it should've been done differently.

#14 Topps Fire

Coming off a fairly well-received debut in 2017, Topps Fire took a major step back in terms of their 2018 set, mainly due to the lackluster 3 designs that the set is composed of. Unlike last year, the different flame patterns in the background of 2018 Topps Fire are barely distinguishable whereas last years' set featured unique patterns that each had their own strong points. It wasn't a total train wreck, but needless to say, Topps Fire took a step down in 2018.

#13 Panini Donruss/Optic

I surprised even myself by placing 2018 Panini Donruss/Donruss Optic above sets like Fire and Bowman, but I couldn't ignore the fact that Panini put out their best Donruss set yet in 2018, even if that's not too bold of a statement. The backs are still pretty disappointing along with the overwhelming number of variations. However, I appreciate the effort that Panini put in to improve the Donruss set.

#12 Topps National Baseball Card Day

If you're doubting if 2018 was indeed that much of an improvement for Baseball cards from the shaky 2017 season, take a look at the Topps National Baseball Card Day set, showing that even promo sets improved drastically from year to year. Like I said before, many 2017 sets appeared half-baked, and last years' NBCD set was no exception. Even if the 2018 release didn't set the world on fire, the simple and modern design was a major improvement from the 2017 promotional product.

#11 Topps Gypsy Queen

The Gypsy Queen product continues to decline in my eyes with the set coming in at #11 in 2018, another low placement for a set that used to be my favorite yearly release. The Gypsy Queen card backs have never been standouts, but the irritatingly small card numbers cause me to squint in order to see each card number. Even though the base set design isn't terrible, the color is basically a repeat of 2016, causing the set to blend in with previous releases instead of being able to stand out.

#10 Topps Finest

Despite my unfamiliarity with the Topps Finest set, likely due to the fact that I've never opened a pack from the product, the few cards that I was able to acquire via the dime bins helped the set sneak into my top 10. Like Gypsy Queen, the card numbers are unnecessarily small. However, the ultra-modern card fronts and backs are appealing to me, more so than seeing the same type of Gypsy Queen set year after year.

#9 Topps Chrome

Let me preface this by saying that 2018 Topps Chrome was much, much better than the 2017 set. However, up against some tough competition from other 2018 Baseball card products, the highest place I could give the set on the list is #9. This year, refractors were multitudes better than they were last year with colors taking up the entire background instead of appearing as spiky triangles scattered throughout the card. 

2018 Topps Chrome was able to benefit from a better Flagship set than 2017, something I'll be expanding on shortly.

#8 Topps/Opening Day/Update

If not for changes being made to the 2018 Topps parallels, the much-improved refractors of Topps Chrome would not have been possible. In addition to stepping their game up with the parallels, Topps designed a base set that's undoubtedly better than 2016 and 2017 by far. The card backs, although they don't include the full stats, include a nice splash of color. Still, it's the front of the cards and the fantastic photography that catapults 2018 Topps to the #8 spot on a list with tons of well-designed sets.

#7 Topps Big League

Although it spelled the end for Topps Bunt, the Topps Big League product delivered everything that many collectors have been wanting for years now. It's a 400-card set, a large enough checklist to include bench players and relief pitchers, that's incredibly affordable and includes a base set design that's different from that of Topps Flagship. I hear there are talks of this set taking Opening Day's place and all I can say is I can't wait for that to happen.

#6 Bowman Platinum

My lack of familiarity with 2018 Bowman Platinum did not stop the set from closing in on the top 5 of my ranking of 2018 sets. With a black background (YES!) and the inclusion of swirls of blue, orange, purple, and pink, Bowman Platinum stepped its game up in 2018. Next step, don't make this set or Topps Gallery a Walmart exclusive nor Topps Fire a Target exclusive. They'll have to make more cards, but Topps should definitely expand these products to both stores so that anyone who wants to is able to buy these products.

#5 Topps Heritage

We know what to expect from Topps Heritage year after year, so it's hard for the set to do a ton to impress me. With that being said, the brand continues to be one of my most collected sets year after year, and 2018 was no exception. 1969 Topps isn't one of my favorite Topps products like 1968 Topps is, affecting its placement on the list. However, Topps remained consistent with it's impeccable recreating of their past sets, causing Topps Heritage to make the top 5 once again in 2018.

#4 Topps Stadium Club

While 2018 Topps Stadium Club doesn't feature as interesting of a base set design as it did in 2016 and 2017, the high-quality images of players both past and present helped the set end up at #4 on the list, trailing just 3 sets with a slight edge over the photography-based product. 

Guys like Ted Williams, Tim Raines, and Anthony Rendon, whose card is shown above, were subjects of some of the many intriguing images of this years' set. Even with another year of "meh" card backs, Stadium Club continues to shine since being revived in 2014.

#3 Topps Archives

Deservingly so, Topps Archives was my favorite Baseball card product in 2017 with 1960, 1982, and 1992 Topps being the subjects of the set. This year, 1958, 1977, and 1982 Topps ran the show. With 3 sets that would make my top 20 of favorite Topps Flagship products being included in the set, Archives seemed destined to repeat as my favorite product of the year. 

While it was anything but a disaster, small details like font size for the players' names in 1958 Topps and the use of yellow flags for position in 1977 Topps were enough to change Archives' placement on my list. With the sets coming in at #1 and #2 being at such a superior level, it was these small details that moved Archives down to the #3 spot.

#2 Topps Gallery

I promise this is it for Topps Gallery for a long time, but I have to talk about how much I love this years' product one more time since I placed it so high up on my list. With some of the artwork being nothing short of breathtaking, Topps Gallery ironed out the few kinks it had in 2017 and presented a product this time around that's worthy to hang in a museum. The variety of different colors and art styles served to help the set as well since having a range of different artists resulted in a perfect mix of different styles of cards throughout the set.

In nearly any other year, Gallery would be at the top of this countdown. However, one set stepped up its game so much in 2018 that it narrowly beat out the art-based set for the #1 spot.

Here it is, my favorite set of 2018 is...

#1 Topps Allen & Ginter

Topps Allen & Ginter! I guess 13 isn't such an unlucky number after all since Topps' 13th consecutive release of the set is one of the best designs yet. While the card backs remain the same as they've always been, the base set seems to incorporate frames as the players' pictures appear to be inside an intricately-designed border. The color splashes in the background have become expected, but it's the A&G logo at the bottom that also helps to seal the deal.

It's hard to explain, in full, why I chose Allen & Ginter as my favorite set of the year. It's just something about the product that no other set this year had, resulting in it being my absolute favorite set of 2018, a year chock-full of fantastic products.