Blog Bat Around Update: Current Collection Projects

Got a bit off track this past week after a visit to a friend's out of state, a rough ride back, and a full life schedule until now.   At least I have four days off to build up the post queue.

Updating last year's Bat Around post on current collection projects, just like NPB Card Guy did.  I knocked off a lot of my major vintage sets that I was in the midst of a year ago.  Let's run down the list...

Actually, the first three finished projects were documented in detail back in July when I killed 1960, 1970, and 1972 all in the same show.  These are the last cards I needed to cap 'em off....

1964 Topps

This set is coming along swimmingly too.  I'm down to about 60 base cards (mostly in the 400's) and 30 high numbers.  The majority of these are big names like Willie Mays, Pete Rose, Koufax, and the Ken Hubbs memorial etc.  I've got an extra one of the card shown here that I'd love to trade for a star or two that I still lack.


1950 Bowman

I've got these in a binder now, neatly displayed in those special 12 pocket sheets for stickers.  They fit quite nicely.  I'm going to have to redo the last 75 or so that appear with and without the copyright lines on the back.  I didn't make two spaces for each card when I put them in initially.


1963 Fleer

Also done and documented earlier.  Found good ol' Smoky Burgess to kill it at my local monthly show in September.


Other Set Builds

Besides vintage, there are plenty of other wantlists in flux throughout the year.  I started - and just about finished - 1970, 1971, and 1972 Topps football in the last few months.  I'm down to very few cards on very radically different sets, like 1987 Hygrade All-Time Greats, 1990 SportFlics, 2017 Bunt blue parallels, 2018 Holiday snowflakes, 2009 OPC black, 1995 Fleer, 1994 Donruss, and 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers.

Still rumbling along on several Topps Heritage sets, the last couple flagship sets and inserts (those that I've selected to do), a few Allen & Ginter, GQ, and Upper Deck products. 

Plus crazy stuff like Star Wars (orange series will finish them), Charlie's Angels, bunches of Space sets, lingering football and hockey sets, and on and on.


T205 New York Giants team set

This one is still at the point I had reached a year ago.  No new purchases have whittled down the last seven cards as yet.  Will keep an eye out for these when I go to the National in July, especially a Mathewson under $400.


Player Collections

 

These are ongoing and ever-expanding as usual.  I don't think I ever make a shop purchase or a show run without hitting at least something for one of my player collections.  With such a ridiculous amount of them, it's hard not to.


Moon & Space binder

Made a nice spine graphic for the binder itself from culled pictures online.  An A&G box topper about JFK and his speech proclaiming the moon landing project fits nicely in front.

A sample page of the oddball singles with some recent additions.  These are in the front and precede the whole sets...

 

...which have grown significantly since I found those Space Shots and Brook Bond Tea series.


Washington Redskins

Another continuous input stream, but at a slower rate than most of my other collections.  Since managing a list of everything I have is so tough, and I don't generally carry the list with me to shops or shows, new Redskins are rarer.  There's a whole monster box at a shop that I might try to visit this weekend, but going through every card might mean flipping through dozens of pages back and forth to figure out which ones I need.  It would basically take an entire afternoon by itself. 


Errors & Variations

With every set I start, there is a good 30 to 40% chance that there will be variations or errors involved.  The latest ones would be the 1980 Baseball Immortals, 1977-78 Topps hockey, and 1970 Topps football.  (Still need a black name Hill).


Etc.

A little bit of everything....