(Y'all know what an appreciation letter is, don't you? It's one of those letters you write after going on a job interview to express gratitude for the honor of being interviewed. It's basically a "please, please, please, PLEASE hire me" letter. I recently came across an old appreciation letter from an employee who doesn't work for me anymore. If I'm being accurate, though, it was more bullshit than appreciation. In the end, I was the one doing the appreciating when this employee got a new job. Anyway, that's a long way to go to say: cards never BS you. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 54th in a series):
Ladies and gentlemen, Topps 2010, Series I is complete. Georgie-Porgie here was the last card I needed to finish off the set.
I actually landed two Posada cards on Monday. One was pulled from a pack. Then the mail arrived and Jorge showed up again, wagging his enormous ears at me.
A big thanks to Mr. Dog Faced Gremlin for being the first to send me the Jorge card. I have the feeling at least a couple more might be headed my the way. Posada will bip me yet.
It took me slightly over a month to complete Series 1. That's not a very long period. It doesn't feel like that much of an accomplishment when the set is broken up into series and you're only collecting 330 non-shortprinted cards at a time.
The times when I was collecting 660 cards or more at once are the moments that highlight that last card you need for the set much more. I've mentioned some of these "final cards" already. But for posterity, here they all are in one place.
Last card needed for:
1974 Topps:
The birthday cake-sitter Sparky Lyle.
1975 Topps:
Former cardboard appreciation subject Rod Carew.
A little unpleasant story about Carew: My former boss left to take a job at another newspaper on the west coast. He was a very jolly, enjoyable guy to be around. Always pleasant. Always. Well, he was at an Angels practice where Carew was coaching. Carew was sitting in the dugout. My former boss, working on a story, also sat in the dugout, half thinking about talking to Carew for the story. Carew immediately got up and said to my ex-boss, "If you think you're talking to me, you can *@#$!&*!"
Classy.
1980 Topps:
The Roadrunner.
1986 Topps:
The elusive Orsulak.
1989 Topps:
Gary Ward. Actually, it was Ward, Claudell Washington, Craig Biggio and Mike Scott. But Ward was traded to me last in a two-day flurry of deals. So I remember him as the last card.
1991 Topps:
Walt Weiss. Oh, and Ed Whitson. But the Weiss is way too cool not to be remembered as the last one I needed.
2006 Topps:
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Andy Pettitte. Yes, I know that's not an '06 card. It's the only Pettitte card I have scanned right now. Who do you think I am, Wrigley Wax?
There are other sets that I have completed in which I finished off the set by acquiring several cards at once. Those sets include 1978, 1983, and 1988 Topps, among others. And there are other smaller sets that I have completed (Allen & Ginter) that, while satisfying, don't reach the feeling of accomplishment contained in wrapping up large sets.
A big thanks to all of you who sent me 2010 Topps cards. I've never recieved so many sealed, unopened packs in the mail in my life. And now I have some breathing room before tackling Series 2, and anything else that catches my fancy (National Chicle is starting to look very fine).
Now, there's still the matter of 2008 Heritage. ...
So, how about you? Do you remember the last card you needed to tie a bow on a set? Or am I the only one who carries a grudge over the last piece of elusive cardboard?
Ladies and gentlemen, Topps 2010, Series I is complete. Georgie-Porgie here was the last card I needed to finish off the set.
I actually landed two Posada cards on Monday. One was pulled from a pack. Then the mail arrived and Jorge showed up again, wagging his enormous ears at me.
A big thanks to Mr. Dog Faced Gremlin for being the first to send me the Jorge card. I have the feeling at least a couple more might be headed my the way. Posada will bip me yet.
It took me slightly over a month to complete Series 1. That's not a very long period. It doesn't feel like that much of an accomplishment when the set is broken up into series and you're only collecting 330 non-shortprinted cards at a time.
The times when I was collecting 660 cards or more at once are the moments that highlight that last card you need for the set much more. I've mentioned some of these "final cards" already. But for posterity, here they all are in one place.
Last card needed for:
1974 Topps:
The birthday cake-sitter Sparky Lyle.
1975 Topps:
Former cardboard appreciation subject Rod Carew.
A little unpleasant story about Carew: My former boss left to take a job at another newspaper on the west coast. He was a very jolly, enjoyable guy to be around. Always pleasant. Always. Well, he was at an Angels practice where Carew was coaching. Carew was sitting in the dugout. My former boss, working on a story, also sat in the dugout, half thinking about talking to Carew for the story. Carew immediately got up and said to my ex-boss, "If you think you're talking to me, you can *@#$!&*!"
Classy.
1980 Topps:
The Roadrunner.
1986 Topps:
The elusive Orsulak.
1989 Topps:
Gary Ward. Actually, it was Ward, Claudell Washington, Craig Biggio and Mike Scott. But Ward was traded to me last in a two-day flurry of deals. So I remember him as the last card.
1991 Topps:
Walt Weiss. Oh, and Ed Whitson. But the Weiss is way too cool not to be remembered as the last one I needed.
2006 Topps:
_NEW.jpg)
Andy Pettitte. Yes, I know that's not an '06 card. It's the only Pettitte card I have scanned right now. Who do you think I am, Wrigley Wax?
There are other sets that I have completed in which I finished off the set by acquiring several cards at once. Those sets include 1978, 1983, and 1988 Topps, among others. And there are other smaller sets that I have completed (Allen & Ginter) that, while satisfying, don't reach the feeling of accomplishment contained in wrapping up large sets.
A big thanks to all of you who sent me 2010 Topps cards. I've never recieved so many sealed, unopened packs in the mail in my life. And now I have some breathing room before tackling Series 2, and anything else that catches my fancy (National Chicle is starting to look very fine).
Now, there's still the matter of 2008 Heritage. ...
So, how about you? Do you remember the last card you needed to tie a bow on a set? Or am I the only one who carries a grudge over the last piece of elusive cardboard?
Comments
Slacker!!
1976 Topps - Billy Williams. The story of how I got that one is also on my blog: http://baseball1976.blogspot.com/2009/08/topps-set-is-complete-thanks-dean.html
1977 topps (just completed) thurman munson
1970 topps al rookies (bill zepp and others) i wrote about that one on the blog somewhere.
pretty sure 2007 topps was frank catalanatto, but i'm sorry to say, i don't recall the others from 1979 - 2009
I think that the last 1989 Topps card I needed was a stinking checklist, and Steve from White Sox cards sent it to me.
I can't wait until my 1965 Topps set reaches "last card" status. I have a hunch it'll be Aaron or Mantle.
Actually, that would be because I don't remember. But I do remember searching through common boxes at the local card shop for 1990 Fleer baseball with my grandfather. It was fun, chasing that bad wax back in the day.
I am only a handful of cards away from the set too. Chasing inserts though makes it FEEL like a 792 card set. You should do it.
(because I have some to trade...)
verification word "poodis" which might be in response to the Fleer.
And to think I used to think Carew was cool. It is so easy to crap on newspaper people, even when "we" were at the height of our powers.
You know. Before the inter-thingamagig.