One down, two to go!

Over the weekend I was able to pick up one of the three remaining 2011 Gypsy Queen autographs that I need to complete the set. The Ryan Howard card is the only autograph in the set that isn't on card. I'm not a fan of the card and wouldn't have purchased it if not for the fact that it is part of the set and I don't want one card missing out of 44 cards that comprise this insert set. I had been on the fence as to whether or not I was going to chase the relic autographs from this set but finally decided not to pursue those cards. There are 20 cards in that insert set numbers to 25 copies each. Out of the 20 cards only 8 are autographs that wouldn't be duplicates from the 44 card autograph set (Brian McCann, Bernie Williams, Clayton Kershaw, Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, Jay Bruce, Jonathan Papelbon and Miguel Cabrera). To me, it just wasn't worth it trying to acquire those cards. Besides, out of the two remaining autographs that I need to acquire from the 44 card set, they're the two most expensive cards in the set: Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax. I'm still kicking myself for selling the Koufax a year ago. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to have that set completed by the end of 2022.

Rainbows and Unicorns

That's what I've been chasing lately. I'm currently at 76 unique Votto rookie cards and the ones that are missing from my collection either haven't been seen in months, sometimes years, or they're so overpriced on eBay that I'm not even going to attempt to make an offer. Hopefully I can snag some more unicorns before the end of the year but prices for Votto rookies have skyrocketed ever since he passed the 300 home run mark earlier this season. As for rainbows, I've been working on putting together a fun little collection of Votto refractors for my collection. I'm looking at trying to acquire 90 different Votto numbered parallels. So far the majority of my refractors are of the gold variety so I guess you could say there is a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. I do have an orange, a green and a couple of blues. If your interested in seeing what cards I've acquired you can hit the Votto Parallel Universe Project link in the navigation.

End of an Era

 I found out today that Topps will no longer have an MLB license at the end of the 2025 season. While some collectors might be happy about this news, I think I'm on the other side of the fence on this one. I haven't been much of a fan of Topps flagship products the past few years but I've always collected the Reds sets with due diligence. It's just something I've done since I started collecting in 1986 and pursued once more after my hiatus from the hobby from 1995 to 2001. This is the end of an era for Topps and I wonder if it's the final nail in the coffin for the company in general. I'm also wondering how this is going to play out for our hobby in general. With Fanatics being the sole proprietor of MLB cards and the fact that they have no experience in the production of trading cards could this be the beginning of the end for our hobby as it relates to future cards? I guess only time will tell. Maybe I'll stop purchasing product at the end of the 2025 season if I don't like where things are going with this new direction. After all, it all comes down to money and I feel that the only reason Fanatics threw their hat in the ring is to cash in on the hype that's engulfed our hobby once more. If they decide to cater strictly to the high tier enthusiasts of our hobby and not create a great product at an affordable price, then I'm out. I'll be content with tracking down vintage product. If you're interest in reading the article that's posted on ESPN, here's the link:https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32052284/fanatics-strikes-deal-become-exclusive-licensee-mlb-cards 

Closer to Completion

The 2011 Gypsy Queen set is one of my favorite sets Topps has ever produced. I put together the base set and many of the insert sets years ago. The sticky fingers, wall climbers, home run heroes, future stars, and great ones are amazing. I decided to track down two other insert sets and I'm on the fence about one other set. I decided to chase the autograph and relic inserts since that seemed achievable. I'm still deciding on whether to chase the autographed relic set since those are numbered out of 25 and over half of the autographs are already in the standard autograph set. Anyway, I was able to land one more autograph I needed from this set. The above pictured Halladay puts me at just needing 3 more to wrap up that subset (Hank Aaron, Ryan Howard and Sandy Koufax). I'm still regretting that I sold this subset last year since I had the Koufax at that time. I like how all of the cards, with the exception of Ryan Howard, all all on card and they all use blue ink. Hopefully within a year I'll have this knocked out. I still need two relic cards but those won't be difficult to get. Now I just need to concentrate on finishing up some of my vintage Reds sets that I've neglected since the pandemic started.

And Then There Were Two

For the past 18 years I've been working on completing a set that has been a thorn in my side. The company is no longer around and it's taken me what seems like forever just to pick up a card that I need. That changed this past weekend when I acquired not one but two of the four cards I needed to complete the 2003 Fleer Authentix set. Comc.com had a listing for a Bobby Doerr card that I had only seen once (as in only once in the 18 years I've been working on this set). I couldn't buy that card fast enough. It was less than $2 and the last time I ever saw the card listed years ago the seller was asking for $20. In addition to picking up the Doerr, I decided to bite the bullet and get the last autograph I needed from the set. This Jeter completes the trifecta of autographs that Fleer put out in this set back in 2003. I already had the Barry Bonds and Nolan Ryan so adding this card was a nice addition even though the price was steep. As I said, with those two cards acquired I'm down to only needing two more cards: Chin-Feng Chen in the base set update and a Hometown Heroes Johnny Damon. 

Forgetting the First Rule of Collecting

Collect what you enjoy. So many times I think we have a tendency of forgetting that when it comes to this hobby. I know I have and I've regretted it. Case in point, over the past year I've purged my collection of three projects that I decided either didn't fit into my collection or that I just wanted to fund purchasing something else. Those three projects were the 2015 Topps Update All Star Stitch set, the 2015 Topps Strata Shadowbox set and the 2008 Votto Rookie collection. The first two weren't a big deal, but getting rid of my Votto rookies....what was I thinking?! Once those cards left my collection I knew I had made a huge mistake. I decided a few weeks back that I would decide to pursue not only 90 different Votto cards once more, but also the All Star Stitch and Shadowbox set as well. I really like the design of those cards and I need to remember that when it comes to collecting I should acquire cards that I like. Also, I need to remember that when it comes to collecting, this is a marathon and not a sprint. The greatest joy I get in this hobby is when I complete a project that has taken years to reach the finish line. I've added links to the pages I've created for these projects and I know that these projects will keep me busy in the years to come.

Getting a Mask for the Man Cave

With COVID still raging around the country, I'm hopeful that things will get back to "normal" later this year. I'm scheduled to get my second vaccination this Wednesday and by the beginning of May our household will be completely vaccinated. I've been wanting to purchase a mask for my man cave for quite some time but never got around to it. That changed last week when I found this listed on eBay. Granted it's no N95, but I think it's a fantastic addition and it's red! Now I just need to find a place to put it. I'm thinking about placing it with the various baseball gloves I've acquired but not sure yet. On the card front, I've been working on a couple of projects and I'll probably post an update soon about what I've been doing but for now make sure you keep wearing a mask in public.