Want List Pickups; Big and Small

Given that my Baseball card want list is roughly 6 pages long, it often appears unlikely that I'll ever complete certain base or insert sets that I've been piecing together for years now, like 1976 Topps, for instance.

Besides my player collections, the want list exemplifies virtually everything else that I collect, from the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set to the last 3 (almost 4) sets of Topps Heritage, and everything else in between. 

The problem is; with multiple different sets to focus on, it takes longer to complete the products on the want list. It's somewhat frustrating for somebody as impatient as myself, but the wait is most definitely worth it when I place that final card of the set into its respective sheet.

On the occasions when I can't find everything that I'm looking for at the Baseball card show or for a fair price online, trading with other bloggers has become my go-to option for checking cards off the want list. 

All it takes is leaving the list on my blog and initiating some trades with fellow bloggers as well as viewers. If not for the generosity of my trading partners, I'd be much further away from completing the sets on my want list.

Recently, I completed a trade with Greg of Night Owl Cards in an effort to acquire more cards from various sets on the want list. 

The package arrived in the mail earlier this week, a few weeks after we finalized up the trade, but honestly, that wasn't the end of the world. Thanks to Greg's generosity, I've made progress towards completing certain sets.

For example, the 2015 Topps set which has maintained the title of my favorite Topps base set of the decade in light of the somewhat recent release of 2019 Topps Series 1. To me, 2015 Topps is a much-improved version of the 1990 Flagship set.

My decision to start collecting this set was based on the fact that I had already accumulated a couple hundred of the cards, mainly through Fairfield 20-pack repack boxes. Now, I'm only 121 cards away from completing the greatest Flagship set of the century. To put this into perspective, I'm roughly 83% of the way there.

The color-centric borders are paired with equally impressive photography to create a set that remains quite difficult to beat. The attention to detail is evident, leaving many of the cards, like Jose Quintana's, looking as if they belong in Topps Stadium Club. 

Even though the cards are fairly common pickups, it'll still be very rewarding to complete this product after almost 3 years of piecing it together.

Much like the standard frankenset posts that I post roughly once a week, I'm also in the process of creating an Allen & Ginter mini frankenset that I'll likely create a series for once it's finished. I have 350 spots in the checklist, meaning I'm encompassing base cards and SPs, and I've already filled somewhere around 1/3 of the spots. 

When I initially began this project, I debated on adding Gypsy Queen minis and thus having an Allen & Ginter and Gypsy Queen mini frankenset, allowing me to complete the set faster. However, Greg has sent me minis for the frankenset on multiple different occasions, and because of the cards that he's sent me, I'm determined to keep this frankenset exclusive to A&G mini cards.

This Stephen Piscotty mini was likely my favorite of a group that encompassed both Baseball players and non-sport individuals as well. A&G minis aren't typically something that dealers sell individually at Baseball card shows, and they don't turn up too often in the dime bins, so it seems likely that I'll be counting trading and COMC to get this frankenset completed.

The older Topps sets are where I begin to run into trouble when it comes to completing sets, though my completing of 1972 and 1975 Topps last year has made me more confident in my ability to complete 2 other 70s products, those being 1976 and 1979 Topps.

The main issue with completing 1979 Topps lies with how many cards I need to track down, not necessarily many major name rookies or high-number veterans. The checklist consists of around 720 total cards, and I've managed to complete roughly 1/3 of the set over the last couple years. 

Like A&G minis, I don't see too much of this set at the card show, but that doesn't mean I won't be looking when I (hopefully) head to the Mansfield show tomorrow.

The 1976 Topps set is a similar story, though the 660-card checklist is definitely less daunting. Even though it's not as widely-loved as some of the other 70s sets, '76 Topps ranks in the top 10 of my favorite Topps sets of all-time without a doubt. 

Despite my best efforts, I understand that it's going to take a while before sets like '76, '79, and 2015 Topps are completed, but if I've learned anything, it's that completing a set of cards is an incredible goal to accomplish, no matter what the product is. 

As long as I keep trading and buying a reasonable number of cards from the sets that I'm piecing together, I should be able to complete at least 1 major set of cards from my want list this year.