Set completion (and what's next)

I knew a couple of things would happen when I announced here that I wanted to finish off the 1991 Topps set.

First, I knew that I would wrap up the set pretty quickly. Announcing that you want to complete an overproduced set in a "room" filled with generous card bloggers is a lot like standing in a McDonald's and saying that you're hungry and have a thousand dollars in your pocket. You're going to get all the Big Macs you want.

Secondly, I knew the Walt Weiss card would be one of the last cards to come to me. No one wants to give up the '91 Weiss. It's probably the best card in the set. Even better than Santiago or Clemens or Boggs or all the other great shots. It's certainly the best action shot in the set.

Fortunately, Bo of Baseball Cards Come to Life! had some duplicates to share. And he sent me the last two cards I needed to finish off '91.

Eddie Whitson is the other one I needed. Another nice card. Whitson pitched well in both stints with the Padres. It was his time with those other teams that messed up his career.

So, now that I have finished off the 1991 set, it's time to look at the Topps flagship sets that I have completed. I'll put the last card or cards I needed to finish off the set in parantheses:

1974 Topps (Sparky Lyle)

1975 Topps (Rod Carew)

1980 Topps (Ralph Garr)

1984 Topps (bought complete set, but Todd Cruz -- I'll post on that some day)

1985 Topps (bought complete set)

1986 Topps (Joe Orsulak)

1988 Topps (bought final two-thirds of set)

1989 Topps (Craig Biggio, Mike Scott, Gary Ward, Claudell Washington)

1991 Topps (Walt Weiss, Eddie Whitson)

2006 Topps (Andy Pettitte)

And here are two sets that I have completed, but I really need to update a couple of nasty looking cards for me to consider it truly complete. Nasty cards in parantheses. If you can help me out, let me know.

1978 Topps (#535, checklist 485-605)

1983 Topps (#107 Mike Jorgensen, #210 Jack Clark, #294 Dave Engle)

That leaves me to consider what other sets I'd like to complete. Bo helped me out with two other sets. I have over two-thirds of each, so I really should go after the rest.

Here are four guys you've never heard of from the 1979 Topps set. Even though I have more than 70 percent of the set, I have a lot of work to do here. The cards are well-handled, and I'm not liking the design, so the incentive isn't there. But it's a set from my formative collecting days, so I should make an effort some day.

I'm a lot closer to finishing off the 1981 set. With the addition of the cards from Bo, I need 37 more to complete the "hat set" (wait a minute, is that a "define the design" name? I think it might be. I'll think about it a little bit. OK, done thinking. That's what it will be called).

So I have added the 1981 set in the introduction in my want list post as one of the sets I'd like to finish. That puts '81 right up with the sets I REALLY want to complete, like 1971, 1972 and 1976 Topps and this year's Topps. Oh, and 2008 Topps Heritage. I keep forgetting about that one. Short-print bastards.

Also, if that's not enough, I am collecting any cards from the following sets:

1977 Topps

1982 Topps

1988 Score

1993 Upper Deck

1995 Topps

1997 Topps

2003, 2004, 2005 Topps Fan Favorites

2008 Upper Deck Timeline

And in the "when I win the lottery" category, I'd love to collect the 1956, 1965 and 1967 Topps sets.

I don't have any of the above on my want list yet (except for 2004 Fan Favorites), because I need way, WAY too many cards from all of those sets. 1993 Upper Deck I have a head start on, so I'll have to get that on the want list soon. But the rest, pick a card, and I probably don't have it.

So, that's the up-to-date status of my set collecting. Fascinating, huh? Many thanks to Bo and all the other folks who sent me '91 cards. After 18 years of collecting the set, I polished off the final 100 or so cards in a matter of three months. Thank you.

But I'm not finished with Bo's cards, yet. In the next post or two, I'll feature some other cards he sent. Dodgers and night cards and (*gasp*) Yankees. But it's OK. I can feature Yankees. Nick Swisher pitched last night. Hee-hee.