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.