General Forum

Hi,

   I think my plan to back collect the Heritage sets may have ended. Why?

I received a huge lot of 2016.... mixed from 1-425 [base set?] now I need 75 SPs to reach 500. OK decided to pick up the hi set 501-700 [base set].  but now need 25 more SPs to reach 725. There are also a number of VARs and SPs in the base sets. Meanwhile, all the specials, subsets and the like, this is crazy......even if I decide to collect ONLY base sets, I'm still hunting for hard-to-get VARs and SPs. Collecting new stuff is impossible, think I will return to vintage card collecting and finishing those sets.

Thanks for the vent!, ~BOB~

I feel the same way, Bob. I was excited to collect Heritage, only to discover it had so many shortprints. They are still on my wantlist, and I pick up one on occasion, but, why even put out a set that the average collector can't finish without busting into his 401k? many times the SP's are the star players of the team. I purchased the Detroit team set from 2017 Heritage, of course it didn't include 6 SP cards....and who were they? Verlander, Kinsler, Upton, Cabrera, Fulmer & Norris!

It's not all modern sets.  I only collect base sets and they come in factory form.  A 700-card factory set with the 5-card rookie variation bonus pack and the 300-card Update set does it for me--finished.  I don't do Heritage.  If I want the '68T set, I go after the '68T set.  I have enough trouble collecting the real short prints--especially '66T and '67T.  I like Heritage; I just think it's whole purpose is to bring new collectors back to vintage through modern appreciation (or vice versa, I guess). 

I have never really been a set collector just b/c I don't like the hunt for ERR/COR/VAR and then the SP cards. I started collecting in the mid-80s and the sets were huge for a child to complete with miniscule funds. Then there were all the Error and Corrected cards in the late-80's and early-90's. Those really turned me off to trying to complete sets and drove me to just collect teams and players. Then came the short-printed cards that are intentionally hard-to-find. Then came sets that were smaller, say 100 veteran cards, but there were another 100 or more of RC's and SP's to complete the actual base set. For example: I consider my 2004 Flair MLB set complete at 60 cards. I don't have any of the 22 RC cards of SN799 and have no desire to track them all down. I have several NASCAR sets of 70-100 cards but I don't have the short-printed VAR cards and I don't care. I have many sets (or Series') with several hundred cards from MLB and NBA releases from around 1992 to 1998. But I only decided to try to complete them when I realized how close I was JUST from pulling cards from packs/boxes. Getting close to a complete set from one hobby box (or two) OR getting close with a bunch of blaster boxes is about the only thing that ever drives me to go after a complete set. None of those sets have SP's, etc. OR I just don't count those in my set. Right now, I can only think of 2 sets that I still want to complete and neither has SP's and such. Those would be 1993 Fleer MLB Series 1 (I think it's 310 cards) and 2011 Topps Rising Rookies NFL. Both are missing less than 10 cards and each set is around the 300-card mark. The NFL set is listed in my collection on here (added last night) and I only need 6 cards (of 200), but my wantlist also shows cards that I want duplicates of for my PC. I mostly chase people and teams, but some sets make me want them all! I've never felt that way about Heritage (or Archives).

I have felt this way about set collecting for many years,and why I concentrate on the older sets.  When I go look at cards, be it a card show or an ad for "older cards", I look for true older cards from1980 or before. Yes,I do pick up new stuff if at a really good price for a large lot but I do not chase individual cards trying to put together a set, for exactly what you have described.  But I do not let any of it frustrate me in my hobby.

This hobby sure can frustrate you if you let it. Just enjoy it guys.

I agree with just about everything said here. I think it's just a matter of deciding what you collect, what constitues a "complete" set to you, and coming to peace with it. I collect Topps base sets. Which to me means one of every number of the set. I do not seek ERR, VAR, SP, etc. If I get one, great, I'll keep it. If I have the ERR, instead of the non-ERR, great, I've got that number. If there are 60 variations of a single card number, I want one of them. Because otherwise it gets ridiculous and expensive and, for me, not fun.

I mostly run into the problem with Gypsy Queen. I do not collect the Gypsy Queen purposeful SPs. I have the "complete" sets of non-short printed Gypsy Queen from 2011 to 2017 -- 300 cards per year. That satisfies me. I admit to being annoyed that all the HOF GQ cards in 2017 are shortprints, because that means I'm not getting any of them. If they do that again in 2018, I might give up on GQ, but whatever.

In the end, because of what the companies have done to the hobby -- for better or worse; I don't know -- you get to decide for yourself what constitutes a "complete" set. Just go with it.

v3

Amen to that.

My name is Chad, and I'm a set builder. I think that's how you're support to intrduce yourself in a support group. I try and tell myself I  only collect Topps Football base sets from '69 to '89. Those are pretty easy years for a set builder and you can complete each of those sets without drawing money from  the 401k. But my collection contains way more cards than those in the base sets. I received a couple '69 4-in-1 cards in a lot I bought a couple years back and now I feel the need to get them all before my '69 set is complete. Same story for the '70 and '71 poster inserts. Its the similar story with 1972 series 3. Its a short print series whose numbering picks up where series 2 left off leaving me feeling incomplete with adding each of them to my collection. Is it considered a part of the base set or not? My point is, even us vintage collectors get stuck chasing obscure pieces of paper and cardboard.