General Forum

I know it's only October, and I'm talking like it's the end of the year. But this year has been quite the year for both me and my baseball collection.

I met up with 2 different members to do trades and with a third to "deliver" their Secret Santa gift. Meeting members is always a cool thing. Both of the trades involved 1,500+ cards leaving my house.

I finally logged my inventory earlier in the year of 93,000+ cards.

I sent out one package that had 5,000 cards (plus "packaging cards") and another that was unlogged cards (about 1500-2000?).

I also jumped back into selling on ebay.

I finally unearthed my Star Co minor league cards (which also unearthed some Promos and the AU cards & sets). I listed all my extra singles, which already got me some trade & sales action. Moved a couple sets, but still have plenty available.

I filled in a couple of missing Topps sets from the last couple years and just got the 2023 S1/S2 set (waiting for me at the PO right now) so I have all the Topps base sets (including update sets - with one Chrome set substituting for a ridiculously-priced update set) from 1973 to present. I would say I'm still working on my 1972 set, but I'd have to be working on it somewhat to be able to say that. I have 770 of the 787 cards to complete that set, but the missing 17 are some of the highest-valued cards in the set (of course). But 1973 to present is 51 years of Topps sets. Almost as many years as I've been around.

I finally got my first 1951 Topps Red Back (the lone Phillies player in the Red Backs).

I finally got the 1963 Topps #553 John Herrnstein rookie for my Phillies collection. (He shares his RC with Brock Davis, Jim Gosger, and Willie Stargell.)

And now, earlier today, I purchased the 1966 Topps #591 Bart Shirley / Grant Jackson RC for my Phillies collection.

My Phillies collection now contains ALL of the base cards from 1953 Topps to present day (including shared rookie cards and League Leader cards) and Bowman 1954-1955. While I know others have larger and more diverse collections of their team (great for them, seriously), I am really thrilled with my collection. At the beginning of this year, I could only say "I have almost all of the Phillies base cards from 1954-present, minus 2 from the 1960's". I finally got those 2 very, VERY tough cards.

The year isn't done. Hopefully, I can get a few more sales in there to build the paypal account back up so I can knock off some other milestones (I still have a couple of other sets I'd like to complete along with the 1972 Topps set). As a kid in the 1970s, it was always almost "fantasy land" to think of owning a Topps Red Back (or Blue Back) or a T206 card. So I guess landing one of the T206 Phillies cards will be next on the "to do list". Looking back on how things were for me as a kid collecting cards and how it is now, it's amazing to think of where I am. I am very grateful and fortunate.

I know that was a lot, but like I said, milestone year for me. Anyone else have any hobby milestones they hit this year that they would like to share here? Please, I'd love to read about them.

Congrats Dan. I am a bit green with that having the complete sets 1973 on up. 

Great accomplishments Dan!  Echo the envy on the 1973-present base sets.  I completed 1977 and 1980 last year and next up are 1976, 1978, and 1979.

I truly understand the trouble some rookie cards / league leader cards can cause.  I have all the base Topps Orioles from 1954-present with the exception of 5.  This year I was able to add the 1962 Topps (1961) Home Run leaders to get Jim Gentile (card also had some guys named Maris, Mantle, and Killebrew) and the 1969 Rookie Stars card of Bob Floyd (with some kid named Rollie Fingers on it).

Great to hear your success stories!

Congratulations Dan on reaching your milestones.  

Awesome story - I'm so glad I could be part of it.

Congrats on finally getting that Jackson/Shirley RC earlier - I know that's been on your list for a while.

And I'm sure I echo so many folks here - thanks again for all you do to help us, and for the TCDb community as a whole.

Congrats sir !!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE reading post like this one :). 

Congrats on the milestone(s) Dan!  Always feels good to be able to say "I have xxx" with no asterisks!

Since you asked, I'll reflect on my collection achievements.

I was thinking that I hadn't made much progress on my collection this year because I haven't found anything from my highest priority want lists.  On further review I realized that I did hit one milestone; I completed my Doyle Ford collection.  OK, those 17 cards aren't really worth bragging about...LOL!  The fact that I didn't have all of these cards before was more of an oversight than anything.  There was one parallel that I forgot to 'chase' years ago (1996 Pinnacle - Foil #83), and it was only recently, when I acquired another much tougher parallel (1996 Pinnacle - Winston Cup Collection #83) that I realized I was missing the foil version.  It's not a particularly valuable card, but it wasn't until last month that a reasonably priced one showed up on eBay.  (Now I have to get on scanning that Winston Cup Collection card... I thought I had done that already)

I did hit a major milestone in my #1 PC a few years ago; an achievement that I think of as a plateau, not just a milestone.  My primary collection, the whole reason I even collect trading cards to begin with, is my Ted Musgrave collection.   At the beginning of 2020 I scored the proverbial 'white whale' when I acquired a 1995 Upper Deck - Electric Gold #175.  With that addition, my Musgrave collection now includes all known non-unique cardboard.  If I don't count 1/1s, my want list consists of three Fine Silver Pinnacle Mint coins and an R&N China porcelain card that may or may not have had a production run.  It feels good to have this collection built to this level, but now it's going to be a game of wait and see if anything I'm missing ever becomes available.  I'd love to get those Pinnacle Mint coins someday and be able to say I'm only missing the 1/1s, even if that dang R&N China issue continues to be a dangling asterisk!

-Tom

Congrats on your milestones.      my achievement.

My 11,000th Cornhusker football card is in the mail and should be here tomorrow.     So 11,000 out of 32,074 is not bad if you take out all the 1/1s and cards out of my price range.    I do not think I would have made it if it was not for all of the Var.   That and becoming the #1 collector of Ahman Green here.

Those were top on my list for this year.

Wow, You have been busy Dan, Congrats on quite the feat

Congratulations Dan! Your collection goals are very similar except I collect Tigers. I've been having fun expanding my collection I to some minor league cards lately, but work has been hectic so it has been put on a back burner for a while. Thank you for all you do for this site.