Last May, I posted about finally receiving the John Elway card of this set after a shutdown challenges journey from Australia. That was the seventh card of the 2005 Topps Chrome Golden Anniversary - Golden Greats Refractors set that I finally had. The set is 10 cards and SN100. But let me digress a minute. Like so many on this site I took many years off from collecting. I loved collecting BB and FB during high school in the 80's. I was "rich" as my parents insisted I always worked and except for buying my Schwin 10 speed, I was living high off Mom and Dad. Topps was a top ten word in my vocabulary. And then I went to college and paid for a large part of it myself. Life was still good, but all my work money went to tuition and books. Cards dissappeared and after college I travelled for my job and years went by before I looked at my old collection again. Those were primarily the 90's and 2000's so I didn't really care. When I started collecting a bit again, it was for graded cards and Michael Jordan. That worked out well and after selling most of these years later I was basically back to my high school collection, but I had missed many fun sets. Obviously ebay and other sites helped me look back through time in sports cards (it took a few years to be able to say PA-NI-NI out loud, but licences are licenses so I got over it). But this site, with its dilligent cataloging really got me going.
Like every kid, I made or bought sets in school. But as I had always travelled and didn't have time or space for set building, I shifted to inserts. Chrome cards and refractors really enthused me. Still do. I rationalized that I would just collect desried parallels and inserts of favorite players. Well that gave way to the RC cards (if reasonable) and HoFers in the set. Which has finally become a full blown case of "could I ever finish that set." And a year ago I found these outrageously designed cards in a Las Vegas motif. I am more of a Topps Chrome / Panini Prizm collector, but this set was awesome so I began searching for all four of these Refractor sets - Golden Nuggets, Hidden Gold, Glistening Gold and especially the Golden Greats. And found none.
There were many of the chrome insert GA cards, but then the refractors for Joe Montana, Joe Namath and Gale Sayers all came up for auction. I won each for $7 in March 2020. Then the Tony Dorsett a couple weeks later. And then a childhood favorite that I still distinctly remember seeing live at Cleveland Municiple Stadium popped up and I had Earl Campbell. A few days later, John Elway began his journey from Australia. At this time, I had five cards in hard and one on the way. I was confident, but these refractors were just not listed anywhere and no one on TCDb had any from the Golden Great Refractor set. So I went from a prosperous March to getting Lawrence Taylor in April. The Elway finally got delivered in mid-May but I was stalled. Nothing for months. Except the Elway, all these cards were easily under $20 and I was fully committed to finishing this mission. The idea of patiently waiting years to collect this set was giggling behind me.
The end of September. Gasp. Barry Sanders shows up for a sky-high price with option to make an offer. Barry Sanders collectors are always the worst. Radicals. I have lost many desired cards to their "I'll pay anything for that Barry card" mentality. I knew I was in trouble and this was a strategically critical point in my mission. I made sure the wife wasn't in the room and made an offer. Hurry accept it and let me get it paid before its seen. Success! I had now officially joined (well RE-joined) the legions of collectors over-paying for Barry Sanders cards. But Ronnie Lott remained. Defensive stars in limited SN sets like this can be really difficult years after the set release. Not big money, so they don't get listed. October, Lott comes to me and I feel special. Of course another Ronnie Lott lists two weeks later - not so special.
Now the hunt is desperate. #GA7 Refractor is still out there like Jim Brown himself is evading my defenses. I have the chrome card and it's a great shot of him (used in eTopps classics and probably others) and the Cleveland Browns uniform coordinated with the set colors perfectly. But the refractors look soooooo much better. SN100, it has to be out there. Prayers lifted. Wait.
March 2021 almost exactly a year later the #GA7 Ref Jim Brown lists. 7 day auction, but I can't wait. I send a generous offer, but no response. But the secret is out and people are bidding, I can't wait and have to enter a starting bid. Days later the seller very nicely responds that the actual seller wants the auction to go all the way. Nuts, but I respect it. Auction closes in the midlle of the day and I'm ready. Slightly higher bid in and wait. I know the competiton is out there, but how desperate are they? I am.
Seconds left and I lay down the covering bid and the screen goes blank as clearly several bids came in at once. Waiting... VICTORY!!! And less than I offered for a BIN. Mr. Jim Brown arrives in mint condition. Today I add the scan and complete the set in my collection and on the site. I have several insert sets I am working to complete, fortunately only a few as frantically as this one. This has been fun. Here is the link to the set gallery.
https://www.tcdb.com/Gallery.cfm/sid/40270/2005-Topps-Chrome---Golden-Anniversary-Golden-Greats-Refractors
Greg
