What's Next Once I Complete 1972 Topps?

I placed an order on Sportlots last night for a major card that I was missing in the 1972 Topps set. The seller filled the order earlier today, so hopefully the card will arrive in the mail by the end of the week. Once the new card arrives, I'll be just 8 cards away from completing the 1972 Topps set, a feat I deemed nearly impossible for a while due to the major cards I was still missing.

While 8 cards is still 8 cards and the set has not been completed yet (I'm aiming for it to be completed around Memorial Day at the latest), I'm always looking ahead. I enjoy collecting and pieceing together sets for a number of reasons, but mainly because of how the set you're putting together can truly take you back to that time period once you really start to put it together.

Like I said, I'm looking ahead to the future and while I have 3 other sets I'm working on completing (1975, 1976, 1979), I would not be opposed to adding another set or 2 to the list. '75 is one of the last true years of vintage and '76 and '79 singles are available for relatively cheap. I'm looking for more of a challenge like what 1972 was, but still a set that I have a fair amount of to start so it wouldn't be impossible to complete.

I've narrowed it down to 4 sets and would like to choose 1 or 2 at the very most. It's based on a number of factors, mainly what I currently have and how much I like the set.

1961 Topps

At first glance, 1961 Topps appears to be one of the least popular sets of the golden age of Topps that was the 1960's. But if you take a closer look, you'll see how many strong points the set has. A major example of this are the good quality pictures in the set like the one here of Johnny Callison. A lot of 60's photos can be really drab and poor quality, but this one along with many others in the set are ahead of its time. And while I don't have Mantle's card from this set which will likely take me 4-6 months of earnings from Sportlots sales (if I'm lucky), it's a risk I'm willing to take for I set I have come to like and appreciate for what it is.

1962 Topps

1962 Topps is one of my favorite set of all-time and most likely my favorite set from the 1960's. It has a lot going for it, mainly the distinctive wood borders with the end of the card made to look like a poster or picture peeling off the wood. The set is certainly stunning, and I actually have Mantle's card from this set which will save me a lot of money, but there's still a problem I have with it. Unlike 1961, some of the photos in the '62 set are pretty bad and are honestly not something you'd want to look at too much. It picks up where '61 lacks in terms of set design, but drops image quality which is leaving me at a crossroad between these 2 sets.

1970 Topps

I certainly don't have as much 1970 Topps as I do the other sets included on this post, but that hasn't stopped me from appreciating this sleek grey-bordered set. The design is very iconic with the noticeable grey border accompanied by the black cursive writing of the players names. Best of all, the set is chock-full of incredible images, some of which are my favorite cards of all-time like the one of Tony Taylor getting his bat in the dugout. The one thing holding me back in terms of collecting 1970 Topps is that unlike '61 and '62, I don't have a whole lot of it. And when collecting vintage sets, the more you have to start, the better.

1977 Topps

1977 Topps is very different from the other 3 sets I'm considering for a number of reasons, the main one being it's not true vintage. While I am a big fan of the set, especially how Topps designed the team name, I have to say it's not super high on my list of sets to collect considering 1976 and 1979 are also late 70's sets that are on my radar. It would, however, be a cheaper set to collect over the other 3 by a mile, but I'm not necessarily sure this set is the direction I'm looking to go in for my next set to collect after 1972.

If I had to choose one now, it would be a toss-up between 1961 and 1962 Topps because of the positive qualities that each set possesses. 1970 and 1977 are also sets I will definitely have to think about because of the superb set design. I still have time to choose since I won't be starting to collect any new set until 1972 is completed. But I believe the sooner I can decide, the better.