New Year, New Card Collecting Goals

A yearly tradition that I've maintained throughout each full year that I've been blogging, setting card collecting goals is an excellent way for me to set some sort of parameters for how I'll be collecting and allocating funds for the hobby across the next 12 months.

I set achievable goals in both 2018 and 2019, though I did a little better in accomplishing them the first time around. Each year, I tried to include goals that were both specific and general: challenging and slightly easier so that I'd have a wide variety of tasks to keep in mind.

This year, though I have 1 fewer goal than years past, is no different. I did, however, try to learn from my mistakes from last year and set goals that I not only feel are feasible but also work well with my collecting habits.

If there's anything about Baseball cards that 2019 taught me, it's that you can never quite predict how I'm going to collect or how much of a given product I'm going to buy. Instead, it's more of a case-by-case type of thing where I assess where I'm at before heading to the card show or purchasing another Chronicles blaster.

That's part of the reason why I didn't set a goal like "complete any year of Topps Heritage (2016-2019) like I did last year.

After all, I have no clue how much Heritage I'm going to end up purchasing in 2020, so it wouldn't be wise to create a goal that's dependent on my spending a certain amount of money on this product.

I'm entering the new year with 6 card collecting goals that will guide me through shows, online shopping, trips to my LCS, and strolls through the Target trading card aisle. Hopefully, I can give myself a perfect 6/6 at the end of December this year.

#1 Actually reach 500 Nolan Ryan cards

I actually set this goal back in 2019 as well without knowing that, by the end of the year, I had ridden all 264 of my player collections of duplicate cards. As a result, virtually every player collection experienced a setback, some more than others, and Nolan Ryan was no exception.

However, now that the Ryan PC is free of duplicate cards, I actually think that reaching the 500-card mark is feasible in 2020. I'm currently sitting at 414 total cards, but I haven't done a dime box haul in a while, so that could be just what I need to get back into the swing of things as far as Ryan and all my other player collections are concerned.

#2 Catalogue my Red Sox and Cubs collections on Google Sheets

The next objective of mine has less to do with card collecting and more to do with organization. I'm looking to do for my Red Sox and Cubs team collections what I did for my individual PCs a few years back: create a detailed online inventory using Google Sheets.

The process of doing this is rather tedious and boring, even if I turn on a Basketball or Football game at the same time. I still, nonetheless, believe in the importance of getting this done, so I'm urging myself to do so before the year is up.

#3 Prioritize player collections

Each year, I've listed some variation of "focus on player collections" as a goal and, each year, I've ended up accomplishing it. That's because, as I've said before, my player collections are my #1 priority, and I'm constantly taking steps to add to them, no matter where I am or what I'm buying.

This year, however, prioritizing player collections is even more important because of the recent and previously mentioned project to remove all duplicate cards from my PCs. It's imperative for me to get my player collections back to where they were and then some, making goal #3, arguably, the most important of them all.

#4 Choose when to buy hobby vs retail

I'm not saying that impulse purchases won't be a thing for me when it comes to card collecting in 2020, but I do believe there's a better way to go about allocating funds. Some products are better in the hobby format whereas others are superior retail products; my job is to deceiver between the 2 and to make wise decisions going forward.

There are some products, like Topps Heritage and Panini Chronicles, that are personal favorites of mine to rip as hobby boxes. Others, like Stadium Club and Archives, aren't necessarily high in value, meaning that retail is a better option.

If I can make a smart decision for each new product that piques my interest, I think I'll easily be able to accomplish this goal.

#5 Complete 1976 and 1979 Topps: make progress with '61

The screenshot below shows the missing cards, featured on my want list, from 1961, 1976, and 1979 Topps. My major set-building card collecting goal for 2020 is, in some ways, a 3-parter. I'm looking to complete both '76 and '79 while, simultaneously, making significant progress with '61.

If I remember correctly, I'm 38 cards away from finishing 1976 Topps up while only 48 stand in my way of completing '79. These sets aren't necessarily easy to find at the show, but giving myself 12 months to track down 86 cards is fairly reasonable.

As for 1961 Topps, I envision making this set a reasonably high priority of mine when I attend the 2020 National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, for that's where I know I'll be able to find the best prices.

#6 Attend my local card show more frequently

Even if it's just to pick up supplies at can't beat prices, chat with the vendors, and pick up a gorgeous $2 Sammy Sosa card that I still can't get out of the screw-down Toploader, I'm pledging myself to attend my local card show more frequently in 2020.

After all, it's quite rare for a card show to set up every single week (aside from Sunday holidays and the Shriners show dates), and I've been going there for well over a decade. There are cards for everyone, no matter one's budget, and even if I'm not feeling particularly inspired, I always return home with a haul that I'm content with.

I'm not going to always have this show at my disposal, so taking advantage of it while I can is essential, and that's why I set this goal for myself in 2020.

The New Frankenset: Page #1

After a brief hiatus between my 2 frankensets, the series has made its return with 74 brand new pages and 666 unique cards waiting to be introduced.

Truth be told, the ~3 weeks in which I didn't write about a single frankenset page felt odd, to say the least. This feature has been apart of my blog since March of 2018, so the break was a little weird. After all, frankenset pages are my go-to option for a quick, easy, and entertaining blog post.

I think the thing I'm most excited about regarding my 2nd frankenset is the opportunity to explore a new batch of players, products, and set designs.

The last ~200 ish cards of the first binder featured primarily Topps/Donruss/Fleer base cards, so it's very refreshing to look at the page above and see inserts, as well as smaller sets and oddballs, make their return.

I fully expect to keep the same schedule for the new frankenset as I did for the original: 1 post every week or so, give or take. And with all that out of the way, nothing is stopping me from getting this series started.

Page 1, as you all know, features cards 1-9 in the 666-card set. I don't want to wait any longer, so let's begin.

#1 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini Mike Trout

If you ask me, any sort of Mike Trout card is an excellent way to begin the frankenset. While I'm glad that Gypsy Queen has found its identity over the last couple of years, cards like this make me miss the old days with framed parallels and a mini in every pack.

While I'm on the topic of Trout, I'm stoked to announce that the once in a lifetime autograph pull was sent out to Beckett over a week ago and, if all goes as planned, I'll get the grade and the card by the end of this week.

I'll know what grade it receives before the card comes back in the mail, but I'll wait to get the announcement until I have it back in hand. Until then, the suspense will continue to build.

#2 2015 Topps Opening Day Franchise Flashback Ryan Braun

There have been several sets (Gypsy Queen, Stadium Club) that have shown today's MLB players in throwback uniforms, but only the Franchise Flashback insert set from 2015 Topps Opening Day has paired them with a retro-style design as well.

Aside from the unnecessary "Opening Day" logo towards the bottom right of the card, I love everything about these cards. While I don't really collect insert sets for the fun of it, the Franchise Flashback cards are inspiring me to start.

#3 2015 Topps Opening Day Franchise Flashback George Springer

I'm not too keen on featuring cards from the same set on 1 page, let alone back-to-back, but there isn't going to be many opportunities for cards as unique as the ones above to be featured later on in the set, so I was willing to make an exception.

Plus, the Springer card pairs the vibrant set design with one of the greatest uniforms in MLB history, the "rainbow" Houston Astros jerseys, introduced in the late 1970s. Once again, aside from the OD logo, these cards are close to perfection.

#4 1991 Topps Toys R Us Rookies Carlos Baerga

From what I remember, several things attracted me to this Carlos Baerga Toys R Us oddball when I was created the 2nd frankenset; the black border only enhances the colorful aspects of the card, especially the company logo, and the photo, especially for the 90s, is a nice quality shot of the Indians 3rd baseman.

I've had this card in my collection for as long as I can remember, yet I've never come across another card from this set. Though I don't collect either one of them, I like the looks of Larry Walker and Frank Thomas' cards from what I've seen on COMC.

#5 2001 Bowman Heritage Bartolo Colon

The media and fan obsession with Bartolo Colon, in my humble opinion, has gotten a little old, but I won't let that discredit the fact that he has an excellent 2001 Bowman Heritage base card. Upon seeing this black-and-white photograph-based set, I'm hoping that I've included a few more of these cards across the remainder of the new frankenset.

If the me who made this set 2 ish years ago feels the same way about these cards as I do now, I don't think there will be a problem.

#6 2015 Topps Heritage Then & Now Koufax/Kershaw

Though the comparison is made somewhat regularly, it's hard not to contrast Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw, the 2 greatest pitchers in Dodgers franchise history. I don't follow the team enough to formulate an opinion, but Kershaw still has many years to eclipse the 3-time Cy Young award winner.

Seeing a Heritage insert from a few years back only makes me more excited for what's to come later in 2020 when Topps pays homage to the '71 design. My luck in 2019 may not have been as stellar as years past, but Heritage, nonetheless, remains one of my favorite releases.

#7 2012 Topps Archives 1969 Deckle Edge Joe Mauer

He may have been one of the most dominant players in Baseball in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but Joe Mauer will likely fall just short of Cooperstown due to the injuries that plagued his 15-year career.

This is to be expected from a catcher, as many of them had either shortened careers, injuries, or both throughout their time in the MLB. Once he moved away from that position, however, it seems like he didn't miss quite as much playing time.

#8 2003 Upper Deck 40 Man David Eckstein

The previous year of Upper Deck 40 Man featured flimsy cardstock and a sub-par set design, so I must say that I'm rather impressed with the 2003 release in terms of how much Upper Deck improved the look of the cards as well as the sturdiness.

Of course, it's the 2002 design that I have an abundance of cards from whereas I only own a handful of cards from the 2003 set. The Upper Deck equivalent of Topps Total, as far as I know, didn't last too long afterward.

#9 2012 Topps Gold Futures Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson was a member of a dominant Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff from the early 2010s that also featured Matt Garza, James Shields, and, of course, Cy Young award winner David Price.

Hellickson may not have had the "Gold Future" promised by Topps back in 2012, but he's been a serviceable pitcher for many teams since leaving Tampa Bay. Despite his 6.23 ERA last season, he still won a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals.

Optic Opulence: Card Show Recap #26 Part 2

I've been teasing the 2nd of my card show recap posts from last Sunday's show since, well, last Sunday, but I ultimately decided that the end-of-year posts, like set rankings and analyzing my card collecting goals, would take priority.

Now, several days later, I'm ready to finish up my card show recap posts and before getting right into 2020 by setting roughly 7 card collecting objectives for the new year.

Although it may be January 3rd, think of today's post as a transition between 2019 and 2020, and what better way to do it than by showing the highlights from some packs that I brought back from Sunday's trip.

As you can tell by the title, the post is centered around Panini Donruss Optic, 2018 to be exact. I did not, however, buy a hobby box of this stuff. Rather, it's a retail box of 12 rack packs, each containing 16 cards.

You've probably seen one of these online instead of at your local Target/Walmart. Regardless, the price of this retail box was extremely fair, especially given the caliber of the 2018 rookie class, and I thought it would be an enjoyable alternative to the traditional blaster and hobby boxes.

Once I took off the factory seal, moreover, I learned that each 16-card value pack contained 4 purple parallels. As you can imagine, I ended up with a large stack of them that I'll get to towards the end of the post.

The design, as far as non-licensed cards go, isn't too shabby. The set design certainly works a lot better for Optic than it does for standard Panini Donruss. Usually, I'm not overly fond of Panini's card backs, but they did a respectable job with the 2018 Optic set.

Despite the sleek, silver lines that run across the card and the grey banner on the lefthand side, the cards aren't too busy, in my humble opinion. A fair amount is going on, but that's what's supposed to happen when it comes to chrome cards.

Obviously, these cards would be elevated to another level if they had logos, and just because it's a new year, it doesn't mean I'll stop pleading for Panini to get the MLB licensing rights.

Another nice touch is the inclusion of retired players in the base set, and a large number of them to boost. Whether you're looking for 70s stars like Reggie Jackson or 90s Hall of Famers like Barry Larkin, Panini's got you covered with a base set featuring dozens of legends.

I always love to see Tony Gwynn get some love, but the Jackson card is easily my favorite of the group. Despite the blankness of his helmet, the angle is perfect so that you almost can't notice the missing logos. Not to mention, the gold and green look spectacular on chrome card stock.

Inserts ran at approximately 1 per pack and, like the retired players' cards, I ended up with a wide variety. As far as I know, these cards are based on inserts from the initial '18 Donruss release, only they're enhanced with beautiful chrome card stock.

Seeing these in past trips to the dime boxes as well as pulling them from packs has given me an idea of which 2018 Donruss Optic inserts I like the best. The Long Ball Leaders cards are a vibrant, unique take on an ordinary idea, but if I were to choose a favorite, it would be Out of this World.

The Ken Griffey Jr insert from that set, in particular, is magnificent and can be found at the top of this post.

As I mentioned earlier, purple parallels were the rack pack-exclusive in 2018 Donruss Optic, running at 4 per pack. Thus, I ended up with 36 refractors at the end of the break, and despite the absence of logos, I find this shade of purple superior to the one used in Topps Chrome.

There's a purple parallel for every base card in the set, including Diamond Kings, Rated Rookies, All-Stars, and veteran base. As I opened the packs, I was searching mainly for big-name rookies in addition to players I collect.

Here's a closer look at one of the rack pack-exclusive purple parallels which is more of a magenta shade while Topps Chrome is definitely pure purple.

Because Topps Flagship hasn't had borders in years, Chrome refractors have appeared significantly different than how they did in the first half of the 2010s. Panini, however, uses borders in Donruss, so by the time Optic rolls around, the colored parallels look more traditional, and that's another thing I appreciate about their cards.

Optic parallels may not carry as much value as Topps Chrome refractors, but if there's one veteran you'd want to pull above all others, it's Angels superstar Mike Trout. In addition to the purple parallel on the right, I landed a holo refractor of the same card which, to my knowledge, is also an action image variation.

After checking with COMC, I can confirm that neither one of these cards is all that valuable whereas a Topps Chrome base and pink refractor would be worth a little more, but this retail box was also significantly cheaper, so I'm not going to complain.

Both 2018 Donruss and Optic were loaded with variations that were noted with a filled-in Baseball on the back of the card. You can also tell a variation by the front, such as Mickey Mantle's "The Mick" and Clint Frazier's "Red Thunder."

Variations, as a result, were not only prominent among the base cards in the 12 rack packs that I opened, but in regards to the purple parallels as well.

Seriously, imagine trying to explain the words "2018 Panini Donruss Optic Purple Parallel Mickey Mantle "The Mick" Variation" to someone who hasn't collected cards since the 1980s. They'd be absolutely lost, and understandably so.

Like I said before, there's not a whole lot of value with Optic or many unlicensed cards come to think of it, but any type of Ronald Acuna Jr rookie card is pretty sought after, so I was stoked to land a purple parallel of his base rated rookie.

I also ended up with a handful of Albies, Ohtani, and Torres cards, but it just so happens that Acuna Jr is one of the hottest players in the game.

People are expecting him to be a perennial MVP candidate for the next several years, so high value or not, this card will be an excellent addition to that player collection.

Let's See How I Did

So this is it. Happy New Year (and decade) everyone, and greetings from 2020.

In just over a month, we'll have our first Baseball card release of the decade and, to say the least, there's a lot to look forward to in regards to 2020 Topps Series 1.

Cardboard Connection has detailed the release which includes a retail-exclusive Turkey Red revival, inserts that pay tribute to the past decades of Baseball history, the reprinting of the 1985 Topps design, and, above all, 25 Celebration of the Decades tickets randomly inserted into packs, promising an unprecedented experience.

It's almost as if Topps knew that the 2020 design is the worst we've seen since 2016, so they have to compensate with a whole bunch of other stuff.

I still have a few posts to get to acknowledging the end of the year/beginning of a new year. I have to set card collecting goals for 2020, get to the 2nd part of Sunday's card show recap, and, possibly, get to that year/decade recap that I've hinted at creating.

However, before I can select some new card collecting goals to go after in 2020, I have to check in with the 7 that I created and, somewhat, accomplished for 2019.

If nothing else, analyzing how I fared with last year's goals will teach me what I need to change this time around. I'll do my best to build off what worked and changed what didn't so that, 1 year from now, I can say that I accomplished virtually all of what I set out to do.

#1 Make significant progress with 1976 and 1979 Topps
Accomplished? Yes

Though my progress kind of plateaued following my trip to the 2019 National, I definitely made progress when it came to 1976 and 1979 Topps, a duo of sets that I've been trying to complete for a couple of years.

Set building, however, isn't my #1 priority in card collecting, so I'm glad I didn't tell myself to "complete '76 and '79 Topps" when I created these goals last year. A lucky day at the card show followed by a COMC purchase is all I really need to complete both of these sets in 2020.

I have 38 cards left on my want list from the '76 set whereas I'm 48 away from completing '79. Those 86 total cards can be found in several places, though I'll likely stick solely to online due to how scarce they can be at the show.

#2 Complete any year of Topps Heritage (2016-2019)
Accomplished? No

I definitely spread myself a little too thin when it came to goal #2. Not only did my interest in Topps Heritage die down slightly in 2019, but it's not like past Heritage SPs and inserts are on my radar every time I purchase Baseball cards.

If I had instructed myself to complete a non-Flagship set from the 2010s, that would've been much more feasible as 2018 Archives and Chrome are both worthy options. But the price point of Heritage SPs is too high, and the product simply doesn't interest me as much as it used to.

#3 Continue to focus on player collections
Accomplished? Yes

I should stop listing this as a card collecting goal because I focus on player collections in almost every single Baseball card purchase that I make. They're the foundation of my entire card collection, and I've taken huge steps not only to add to them but better organize them as well.

The filtering of duplicate cards out of my player collections was a massive undertaking that I just completed yesterday. Now, I have 2 2-row boxes of PC dupes plus another stack that didn't fit in the box. Throughout 2019, moreover, I also boosted every player collection, from Glenn Beckert to Nolan Ryan.

Speaking of Nolan Ryan...

#4 Obtain 500 Nolan Ryan cards
Accomplished? No

Yikes, I'm 2/4 for accomplishing my goals thus far, but in my defense, the Ryan PC lost roughly 70 cards thanks to the removal of all duplicate cards which, back in January of 2019, I counted as part of the player collection.

If not for this transformation, I'd be at around 490 cards right now instead of 415, so it's not that the objective wasn't possible, I just didn't envision removing 15% of the entire player collection.

Ryan still reigns supreme as my largest player collection, and I see no way that this will change in 2020. Perhaps this will be the year that I bring the total to 500 cards, but we'll have to wait a few days to see if I challenge myself with that goal.

#5 Sell and trade more cards than I did in 2018
Accomplished? Kind of

I sold a lot on eBay during the first few months of 2019, but then the sales gradually decreased. That, combined with the new online sales tax, has made selling a lot more challenging, though I do make some sort of sale every so often.

I didn't trade as much as I wanted to in 2019, but it wasn't nonexistent. I did Secret Santa and sent out a few cards/packages here and there. Goal #5 wasn't a definite "yes," but I also can't ignore the parts of it that I actually did well at.

#6 Collect more oddballs
Accomplished? Yes

The National definitely played a key role in my accomplishing the #6 card collecting goal for 2019.

Whether we're talking about Fleer Ted Williams cards, Fleer World Series cartoons, or even the Milwaukee Brewers combining with the city police department in the early 1980s (yes that actually happened), collect more oddballs receives a resounding yes.

#7 Collect only what I'm interested in and have fun doing it
Accomplished? Mostly yes

I don't think I'll ever be able to master collecting only a small range of products as I like to explore and sample sets as long as the price point is reasonable. At times, I went a little overboard in my purchases, but I never picked more of the product off the shelf unless I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Topps Allen & Ginter, Panini Chronicles, Bowman's Best, and Topps Archives all fit the bill for this one. These were some of my favorite releases of the year, so I purchased more than just a sample rack pack or blaster.

On the other hand, sets like Series 2, Bowman, and Donruss didn't receive quite as much love.

Overall, I'd say I did pretty well with my card collecting goals for 2019. There were only 2 that I flat out did not accomplish, but that's due, in large part, to my making one of them completely unreasonable

I'm excited about all the new releases that'll come our way in 2020 as well as the more feasible goals that I'll create for myself and, ideally, see through to the end.