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.

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.

What I've Been Up To

One of the things that I find most interesting about card collecting is that there's never any shortage of projects, large or small, or any other tasks for me to perform to enhance my collection and how it's organized.

Over the last number of years, I've moved my player collections from binders to boxes, cataloged them online on Google Sheets, developed tiers to organize them, and begun collecting a plethora of new players.

Not to mention, the projects I listed above involve only my player collections. I've also constantly worked to organize my card room and complete other tasks, from organizing singles numerically by set and re-doing my entire Red Sox and Cubs PCs.

My most recent undertaking is one that I'm not exactly keen on doing, but it's necessary for my collection going forward. Currently, I'm in the process of removing all duplicate cards from my player collections.

Up until the beginning of 2019, I would add cards to my player collections even though I already had 1 (or more) of the card cataloged beforehand. Why I did this, I cannot say, but upon realizing the error of my ways, I stopped the process.

I knew, however, that I'd eventually have to go back and remove all the duplicate cards from my player collections to make things right. However necessary it may be, this change will affect almost every player that I collect, but last weekend, I bit the bullet and began the necessary changes.

Basically, the process consists of my going to each player collection online inventory and deleting all duplicate cards. After adjusting the total on both the spreadsheet and the tiers list, I remove the previously mentioned cards and place them in a box labeled "player collection dupes."

At this point, I'm finished with players whose last names begin with A-G, so I'm just over 1/3 of the way through the project. Again, it's not necessarily something I want to do, but I can watch box breaks on YouTube or listen to music all throughout, so I suppose it's not all that bad.

Some players, understandably, are affected by the removal of duplicate cards more than others. Usually, the gold tier PCs with over 100 cards lose around 10-20 cards whereas smaller player collections are impacted less substantially.

The 2 Hall of Famers shown above, Johnny Bench and George Brett, are upon the most affected by this project of mine. The former's PC lost just over 30 cards while Brett's total went from 143 to 121.

Interestingly enough, one of my top 3 largest player collections, Ken Griffey Jr, didn't lose all that many cards considering the total, going from 280 to 264.

Certainly, card collecting, for me, is not fixated on totals and placements on a tiers list, but the numbers give me a better idea of where each of the ~260 players that I collect stand. For that reason, I began keeping track of the totals over a year ago.

The only players not impacted by this substantial change are the new additions to my player collection list, guys like Ronald Acuña Jr and Javier Baez.

When I began collecting cards of these guys a few months back, I made sure not to include any duplicates so that, going forward, I wasn't repeating any of the mistakes I've made in the past.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't reached the 40% mark of this project, yet I already have almost 1 row of a 2-row box filled with player collection dupes, including a vintage Hank Aaron staring right at me.

Given how many more player collections I have to get through and the fact that I have another small stack of dupes from the past few months, it may be best to get a 4-row box so that all the cards can fit at once. Plus, it should give me some excess space for the future.

The 1970 Topps Hank Aaron card is just one of several vintage duplicates that I've placed in the box, uncertain of where else to put them. Speaking of uncertainty, I have no clue what I plan on doing with all these cards when all is said and done.

There's not anything insanely valuable, so I don't think selling is my best option. They could be used in trades, sent to bloggers, or donated, but I've yet to develop any concrete plans. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm more than welcome to hear it.

Certainly, this isn't a project that I wanted to undertake, but I deemed it necessary to complete going forward with my collection. Because I prioritize my PCs above virtually everything else, ridding them of all duplicate cards is essential.

Now, figuring out what to do with all these excess cards is another story, but I have another ~60% of my player collections to get through before I have to worry about that too much.

My Major Player Collection Purchase; 2019 National Recap Part #1

Last year, I had an absolute blast writing posts recapping my time at the 2018 National in Cleveland, Ohio. At that moment, I had never experienced something so exciting as it pertains to cards, and I was equally ecstatic to share my pickups right here on the blog.

This time around, I'd go as far as to say that The National in Chicago was even better than the Cleveland convention. Because Chicago is such a major sports city, there appeared to be more vendors at this show with a greater appeal to collectors like myself.

Of course, I came to the show not knowing exactly what I wanted to purchase, but I made sure to set some parameters for myself so that I wouldn't be completely all over the place. My 6 goals seemed achievable at the time, but I haven't assessed myself on whether I accomplished them or not since I returned.

I recall that one of my objectives for the show was to add to my player collections without focusing on them too extensively. Since PC cards are widely available online as well as at Baseball card shops and shows, it wouldn't make sense to focus too heavily on them at The National.

However, by the time Saturday came along, I realized that I hadn't made one strictly player collection purchase. Luckily, I found a vendor who was selling hundreds of parallels, rookies, and numbered cards, ranging from $1-$3 each.

Thanks to those boxes, I was able to land a ton of cards for my player collections, all in 1 giant purchase.

One of the greatest things about attending The National is that the prices of Red Sox cards aren't insane like they are at the shows in Massachusetts. I'm not saying that I blame the dealers at the shows I attend for jacking up the prices, but it's refreshing to pay reasonable prices for cards of my favorite players.

5 of the 9 cards above are serial numbered, and one of them is a Benintendi rookie from The National 2 years ago. Each of the cards above cost me just $1, something you'd never see here in MA. 

Though this wasn't intentional, my Red Sox cards haul was mainly centered around 3 players (Benintendi, Betts, and Sale with 1 card of Bogaerts). I also grabbed a few cards of Devers, but I ended up not showcasing them in this post.

Even though he's not shown as a member of the Boston Red Sox on this card, the dealer had a die-cut of Craig Kimbrel available for only $1, a price that I couldn't resist. 

The card is from 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter and is designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the set, hence the X design (10 in roman numerals). 

This has been an extremely challenging year to collect Craig Kimbrel because of how long it took him to sign a major league contract. Hopefully, 2019 Topps Update will be the beginning of a much better time for The Kimbrel Collection.

The show being in Chicago resulted in a high number of White Sox, Bears, and especially Cubs cards throughout the entire show. However, the Cubs cards in the bins that I searched through weren't priced any higher than the others.

From the Kris Bryant image variation to the Anthony Rizzo refractor (#/499), the Cubs cards were priced extremely fair. Being that they're my 2nd favorite team, and I saw them beat the Brewers 6-2 at Wrigley last Friday, I was pleased to boost some of my Cubs PCs without breaking the bank.

There were also a plethora of low-numbered cards across these sensational boxes as well. Though almost every card in each bin was serial numbered, cards #/50 and below were quite prominent and, once again, priced fairly.

The Fergie Jenkins refractor from tribute (#/50) was the most expensive card of the bunch at $3 while the Andre Dawson (#/25) has a lower print run yet was less money. 

I've been collecting cards of these 2 Hall of Famers for years, but it's The National that provided me with the lowest-numbered cards for each of the respective PCs.

As soon as I realized that this would be my significant player collection purchase of the entire show, I realized that I needed to go all-out with the best possible cards of my favorite players. Thus, I decided to stick primarily to serial numbered parallels, preferably chrome cards or high-end products.

Purple parallels and refractors of silver/gold tier players that I collect adhere perfectly to this rule. 3/4 cards above are purple parallels from Topps Triple Threads, a high-end set, while the 4th is a refractor from Finest, both a chrome and high-end product.

As excessive as looking through 3 boxes of parallels and rookie cards could've been, setting these basic rules for myself promotes quality over quantity which can be beneficial when each card is priced between $1-$3 each.

9 times out of 10, I'll take a Topps card over its Panini equivalent, but there are some instances in which Panini does such a phenomenal job that I have to give them the respect they deserve and praise their cards. 

I did this when 2018 Chronicles and 2019 Prizm were released, and I want to do the same thing regarding Crusade, a spectacular and colorful Panini product featuring a surplus of Hall of Famers and MLB legends.

This brand was featured in 2018 Panini Chronicles, but I hadn't come across the initial Crusade cards until this show where I picked up purple and gold parallels (#/50) as well as red and yellow refractors (#/75).

In fact, there were a ton of high-end and HOF Panini cards scattered throughout these boxes, some of which I didn't even recognize. For example, I'm not at all familiar with these Etched in Cooperstown cards from Panini's 2015 Cooperstown set, but I, nonetheless, grabbed a couple for my PCs.

These cards seem like a crossover between the Ted Williams Card Company's Etched in Stone cards and the Skybox Metal Universe cards of the late 90s and early 2000s. The design is incredibly interesting, and Panini did a nice job of covering up the logoless caps with the positioning of the banners.

Another mainstay throughout these epic boxes was a significant number of cards from the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen set. The list from this product includes Fortune Teller minis and Tarot of the Diamond Cards as well as SPs and even hobby box exclusive chrome cards.

Over the last few years, the Gypsy Queen SPs have been challenging to come by (1 per hobby box). The 20-card short print checklist features primarily retired players who I collect, but I didn't see the SPs in-person before the show.

I'm certainly pleased that I was able to purchase all 4 of the cards above, but there's not a doubt in my mind that my favorite card of the bunch is Reggie Jackson. Everything about the card, from the helmet to the hair, is representative of the team he played for and the era he played in.

While the SPs were available in both retail and hobby packs of 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen, the chrome cards could be found only if you purchased a hobby box, for they were included as a box topper. 

Each 3-card pack had a chance for serial numbered cards and autographs, but most featured all gorgeous base cards like the 4 above. As far as I know, every player in the checklist has a chrome card, but I'm nonetheless shocked that these rare and hobby exclusive cards ended up $1 each at The National.

I've mentioned before that these cards are very similar to Topps Heritage Chrome in terms of the cardstock, but I have to admit that I like the Gypsy Queen chromes just a tad more. The set design is perfect for the chrome cardstock, and they're a bit more common than the Heritage versions.

Like the Gypsy Queen chrome cards, the negative refractors from Topps Chrome aren't serial numbered, but that doesn't mean they're easy to come by. In 2019, for example, these cards are 1:66 packs or almost 3 hobby boxes.

I've always loved the look of these cards, both on paper and chrome cardstock. While I wish that they were serial numbered instead, I can't complain about the refractors considering how low of a price I was able to find them for.

It's rather fitting, since my Dad and I were at The National in Chicago, that there'd be some exclusive Bowman Chrome cards from 2017, the last time the show came to The Windy City. Personally, I prefer the 2017 Bowman Chrome prism refractors because of how bold and noticeable they are.

Maybe Topps changed the style of the cards, but the 2018 and 2019 Bowman Chrome National cards simply aren't as shiny as the 2017 versions. I also appreciate that each player's card pays tribute to some sort of anniversary (10, 20, 30 years, etc.)

I don't recall buying any packs of 2011 Topps Baseball cards, so I've never pulled any of the beloved parallels from this set. In addition to current players, there are Diamond Anniversary and Cognac cards for the retired player SPs like Reggie Jackson and Carl Yastrzemski.

As much as I love the Red Sox and Yaz in particular, Jackson's jersey works beautifully with the Diamond Anniversary card. Out of the dozens of PC pickups that I grabbed on Saturday, the Jackson parallel might go down as my favorite. 

It's hard to explain, but there aren't many cards from this lot that I'd take over this stunning parallel.

I understand that Jose Ramirez has been struggling across the 2019 season, but I'm not taking a huge risk by paying $1 each for his 2014 Topps Series 2. I already have one graded (BGS 9.5) that I pulled from a Fairfield repack box, but, like I said, I didn't see any harm in buying these 2.

In 2017 and 2018, Ramirez was a superstar and an AL MVP award candidate. I'm not sure what's been going on with him in 2019, but when he's at his best, Ramirez is one of MLB's brightest stars. I hope, for his sake, that he finds his groove and becomes the star we know he is very soon. 

It may not be the most flashy card of the group, but Xander Bogaerts' 2012 1st Bowman Chrome card ranks as one of the best pickups of the entire purchase. Given the magnificent season that the 26-year old is having, I didn't want to hold off any further on this card, especially since it was available for only $3.

It's safe to say that Bogaerts and Devers have been carrying the Red Sox team for most of 2019 season along with the perennial superstars J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts. It's frustrating that the team with the best batting average and most RBI probably won't make the playoffs.

If nothing else, however, this will shine a light on how much help the bullpen and, to a lesser degree, the rotation needs. I don't want to talk too in-depth about the dismal state of the Red Sox right now, because these posts are supposed to be about The National.

Plus, I got my hands on a Bogaerts 1st Bowman Chrome card, so it's far from all bad as far as the Red Sox are concerned.

Best Player Collection Pickups From the Shriner's Show

As usual, I made the most of last Sunday's Baseball card show and dedicated lots of time and resources towards boosting my many player collections. 

The focal point of my entire Baseball card collection, I usually try to add cards to my player collections at every show that I attend. This never proves to be overly difficult, for the sheer number of players I collect combined with the millions of cards out there guarantees that, as a player collector, I'll never be bored.

Whether it's a search through the dime bins or a visit to my Baseball card show's case breaker, I'm looking for some new player collection cards virtually everywhere I go. They are, and will always be my #1 priority as far as my Baseball card collection is concerned.

Likewise, I was looking for cards for my numerous player collections throughout last Sunday's Shriner's show, no matter what vendor I was buying from. In some instances, I was searching solely for Red Sox PC additions. Other times, I kept my eyes open for whatever I could find to boost my 250 different player collections.

While I can't say that I've ever had an unsuccessful card show, I successfully added a few hundred new cards to my player collections last Sunday, something I don't accomplish all too often. I'm accustomed to purchasing roughly $20 worth of dime cards at every show that I attend, but I went above and beyond at the Shriner's show.

I bought cards for my player collections from every vendor that I did business with last Sunday. Needless to say, I wound up with some pretty stellar PC pickups, so I've decided to showcase those cards on the blog today.

The cards aren't in any particular order, but here are the greatest player collection pickups from last Sunday's trip to the Shriner's show.

First things first, I'm ecstatic to officially declare that the Pedro Martinez player collection has achieved the platinum tier mark following the Shriner's show. I now have 206 cards of the Hall of Fame pitcher, yet only 11 of them are Expos cards.

I don't remember exactly what I paid for this card, but it was far from unreasonable. I never quite realized how rarely I come across cards of Pedro on the Expos, and that made me appreciate this card even more.

The final vendor that I visited on Sunday was one that I do quite a lot of business with at the Woburn show which I frequently attend. He's a case breaker, and thus, he always has base cards, parallels, and inserts from the new releases.

I hadn't seen him since 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen was released, so my eyes were immediately drawn to the hobby box-exclusive chrome cards from this product. Not only did I pick up Scherzer, but I grabbed chrome cards of Jacob DeGrom and Nolan Arenado as well.

The GQ chrome cards are some of the most beautiful cards that I've seen in quite some time. It would've been foolish of me to pass up the opportunity to add a few of these chrome stock cards to my player collections.

I showcased this card yesterday during my PC overview of Reggie Jackson, but I'll gladly feature it on the blog once again today. This High Tek Orange diffractor card from 2018 is numbered out of just 25 copies. Topps, I've noticed, likes to keep it consistent with a majority of their colored parallel numbering. 9 times out of 10, an orange parallel/refractor will be numbered out of 25.

This is the first numbered card of Reggie Jackson in my entire collection, and it's everything that I love about modern cards. It's excessive, undoubtedly, but there's something magical about the combination of the orange background and the iconic gold and green A's uniform.

I've probably purchased enough of these 2001 Topps Combos cards to come close to completing the insert set, but I don't think I've bought one of the chrome versions until last weekend. 

Once again, I'm not sure how much I paid for this card. However, regardless of the price, this card is one of the greatest pickups from the entirety of last Sunday's show. The 2001 Topps Combos inserts, on their own, are appreciated by card collectors. With that being said, the chrome version elevates these fabulous cards to a much higher level.

The "Sweetness" card features arguably the 2 greatest overall hitters in Baseball history; Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn. While I collect both of these guys, the Red Sox usually take priority so this will be going to the Ted Williams PC.

Rest assured, the 2001 Topps Chrome card wouldn't be the last combo card that I picked up at the show. I added 2 additional vintage combo cards to my Al Kaline and Wille Mays player collections. Totaling roughly the price of 1 hanger box of Series 1/Heritage, the cards are from 1958 and 1960 Topps respectively.

Combo cards may not be as valuable as a base card of the same player(s) from the same set, but I've always loved the style and names associated with combo cards from the late 50s and 1960s. The Kaline combo card is one of many that I'm familiar with from the 1958 Topps set.

On the other hand, the Mays combo card from 1960 Topps could very well be the oldest card that I own of his. Although I'm not familiar with Rigney, I can only assume he's Mays' manager.

From funky modern parallels to classic vintage combo cards, and everything in between, I ended up with a huge range of different player collection additions from last Sunday's show. 

Truth be told, it's cards like the ones above that symbolize exactly what I love the most about being a player collector.

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.