General Forum

Hi all - 

I've been considering getting into set collecting; I think it's the part of me that likes completion coming out! I had a quick question for those set builders out there.  When it comes to corrected error cards or variation cards, which do you prefer for your set? Whichever you can get your hand on? The rarest version? The most common? All versions? Just curious to hear some other input.  Thanks!

Jason

I'm not that big into set collecting, but I recently got a bunch of cards and tried to build the sets.  What I do initially is get whichever one I can.  Then I will try to get all the variations and such, only if they are worth it.  If I can't find the card or don't want to pay 10 bucks because they missed a decimal point, then I would be happy without it.  Some exceptions are made though if they are players from my favorite team (Royals), but that is mainly because I'm a team set builder first.  I'd also try to get all the varities of cards like the Billy Ripken or the Alex Gordon (non/pre) rookie, but again only as money becomes available.

I can't wait to see the responses though, as it is something I was curious about as well.

Personally I try to complete the set first then add the corrected error cards or variation cards later.

Case in point is my 81 Donruss set. I completed the set but now I am adding the error cards to the set as well.

I enjoy trying to complete sets, all part of the chase I quess. 

Back in the 80s, if it was a true error/correction type thing, I tried for both (or all). Now, I, too, get whatever I can to say I have card #x, then will get the variations. These new sets that have intentional variations for variation's sake, forget it. Whatever is the base card version is fine with me. With my older sets, I will put whatever variations I have in with the set in the pages. I have stopped seeking them out these days. Whatever I have, I have, and I'm happy with that. If I find a variation in my commons boxes, I pull them to put in the set. I think I only have 1 version of the Billy Ripken card. I'm not going to go chasing the other ones. I have better cards to go looking for that I have zero versions of.

WELCOME to the group again.  Josh and I did a trade already and he good trader.

   I have been collecting cards since the summer of 1964. I have kept those cards and moved them many times.  In 1967 I found out I could order the seventh series out of the back of THE SPORTING NEWS. I collected what came in the packs and One for set and another broken down by teams, so when I listened to game on radio I could have the players in front of me. 

   Now I collect what is known as the command card and if possible the error card. ei. the 1967 checklist. most of them where different in the previous series (so we knew who was coming next month) and the current one.  This was caused by two different layouts of printing sheets. I just tossed those aside. But it got to me in 1969 when I got a Clay Dalrymple first as a Phillie and then later that month as an Oriole. and also a couple others how this happen but I kept them.  I done this thru the years never knowing what was a variation as I didn't notice a birth date or stat corrected.  

     When the error craze took off in 1981 and 82 and ect I said " This is just a money grab, I not chasing them unless they cheap.  Who remembers 1989 when just because FUTURE STARS was a mm lower it made it a $10 card. I said this was intentional as Topps saw the craze and wanted to sell more cards then the other card companies.I swear they made the errors on purpose.

   I stopped in 2007 collecting Just as the SP started (Topps saw craze in Heritage over them) another money grab.  I got married and started a family.  In 2014 I got back into them as TOPPS Heritage was the 1965 design.  First set I had all the cards as a 9 yo kid. The SP where a nice find but to me I will not chase them

  As I filled the holes of 2008 to 2014 I only collect the base cards, I will take a SP and add it. Nice to have. 

Same with the varition.  To me they are an insert, not part of the set. Now every year they find a need to have all these short print of your fathers stars. To me these are inserts too. Only ones I chase are Phillies and Phila. A's. But I am not paying $25.00 for a Robin Roberts or Richie Ashburn. I can buy a vintage for that.

     As the prices dropped I did go after the 2005 Heritage SP  and I also chased the 2015 Heritage Varitions but not the rarer ones. I watched eBay for them. Found dealers that offered volume discounts and free shipping.

     So what you need to do is collect what you are happy with,  Me there are to many inserts and varition on the inserts. Heck the drop down menu on the ADD CARD PAGE on some sets is longer then my computer screne. These I mostly only collect 1 card from each as an example for years to come. But news and history ones I do have a soft spot in my heart for them.

      Okay I getting off soap box, Going to sit down and wait for the 2017 Heritage to come out and wonder how did I buy over 72 packs and only got 2 Phillies cards?  This is while some one I know in Washington state didn't get a complete set too and a little better on Mariner cards.  Is this another money grab?

Robert

PS  any chance Phillies go 161 and 1 this year?

i haven't been a set collector, just focused on certain singles, but this past year i started with baseball.. 2016 bowman/ bowman chrome and topps chrome, along with some vintage- which is going very slowly; and for the football, shooting for the 2106 contenders.  as far as the newer sets,, i've tried to get everything -- variations, errors, etc.. i'm finding it can be hard and in some cases , costly. so keep up the good trading if you can and good luck!

Whichever you can get your hand on is best for me

mark

I've collected sets my entire life. And, of course, it's whatever works for you. I really don't care about variations. I seek one card of each number the company produced. If there are weird errors or variations, I really couldn't care less. If I stumble into a variation, I'll usually keep it, but I'd never seek one out. And, as I've said on here before, I don't go for the modern purposeful shortprints. So for all my Topps Gypsy Queen "sets," I have only 300 cards (instead of 350) -- the complete set of non-shortprints. As someone alluded to above, it really doesn't matter to me if I have both the card with and without the extra decimal or whatever. Some of the more blatant errors, I'm glad I have. 1979? Bump Wills, for example, with two different teams. Those cards look very different. If I didn't have one or the other, I'd still consider myself to have the complete set. I was also pleased when I bought a factory Topps set a few years ago for $60 and found an error card that I sold for $75 and replaced for $1. Some people love the error cards. And that meant more cards for me!

Sounding like the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz, just follow your heart....

v3

It's no mystery to any member that I enjoy collecting ERR/VAR/COR cards. I found many collectors that are also into these cards, on eBay as well as many TCDB members. BUT, I do agree that just like set building, and card collecting in general---- this took an unrighteous move in the early '90s. Many of the "recent" SPs are a bit crazy to collect. So, I guess it's safe to say, collecting changed dramatically in the early '90s for me, granted I still look for new ERR/VAR/COR versions but will not break the bank for them. Remember the Fred Marion card selling for $300, now that was crazy! At last, if you have ERR/COR/VAR cards to trade, please send them my way. lol.

~BOB~

I'm a set guy, always will be...to me it is the only way of collecting that feels "right". I loathe intentional variations, and I usually don't know if they even exist. (I found several in my duplicates box when I entered my collection on here and they were listed- I had no idea). I keep my collection records by card number and if my records show I have that number, than that's that.
With errors and corrections I usually try to get both, but I consider my set complete if I have just one example, both are not needed. Some of them I didn't know about either and again found in my duplicates box upon entering my tradelist, including notably one where the athletes name was spelled wrong and corrected and one where the wrong athlete was pictured on the card back and it was later corrected.

For me, if I have every number, then the set is complete.

I will add intentional variations to my collection if I stumble across them but I do not go out of my way to search for them as a general rule. And I will not pay an inflated price for them.