I just went through and counted my binders as they relate to sets and my team collection.
I have 26 binders devoted to my Dodger collection.
I have 44 binders dedicated to sets.
I've never had any doubt that I am a set collector first, but that confirmed it.
Another thing that confirms it is that when I receive cards that fill holes in sets that I am building, I get all giddy. It's a feeling I don't get when Dodger cards come to the door or when I receive cards for my other collections -- not that I don't appreciate those immensely.
But it's definitely a different feeling. The excitement level is higher and I cannot wait to get those cards into my set binders.
I recently received a package from gcrl of cards as I see them. As you know, he's a fellow Dodger fan and faithful Dodger card collector. But the majority of the cards that I received were for set completion, not for the Dodger collection. And that is quite all right.
In fact:
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The 1981 Fleer Rod Carew card, obviously, is for the 1981 Fleer set completion task.
There is another Carew. These two are for the 1983 Fleer set completion goal.
And there's Rod Carew again!
These all go toward the 1985 Fleer completion bid.
That's jolly good fun.
Now for some cards going toward pie-in-the-sky completion quests:
You don't see 1956 Topps needs appear that often in card trade packages. But this is a nifty white-back card of Red Wilson, who split time behind the plate with Frank House for the Tigers throughout the 1950s.
And here are the cards from the package that made me the giddiest of all. Three more 1975 Topps buybacks for that impossible set completion attempt.
This brings me to 244 total 1975 buybacks. It's great fun collecting cards that I first collected when I was 9 years old. Both the Bruce Ellingsen and Lindy McDaniel were prominent cards during that first collecting year (the Ellingsen was possibly the most unwanted card of the whole set).
So, Jim, did send a couple of Dodgers:
Here's catcher of the future Keibert Ruiz.
An oversized Fleer 1994 Extra Bases card. I really need to do an accounting of what I have for these cards. Because they're an odd measurement, I tend to lose track of them.
And here is a truly monumental oversized card:
The supersized Topps cards from 1984 were very interesting at the time. This was long before parallel madness hit the hobby and we became immune to any shape or color. These were genuinely eye-opening, everything about it: Purchasing one card at a time, the monster-sized print on the back (something I really appreciate all these years later).
Again, I need to double-check all the oversized card checklists to see what I still need.
I also received a few cards that don't exactly fall into my major collection categories. Although I love minor league cards I was a bit puzzled why these showed up until I realized that the Triple A All-Star Game -- of course! -- was in Buffalo that year.
I was living in the city back then and the new stadium had just opened as one of the first retro-style parks that became the rule throughout the 1990s. Buffalo was still hoping to get a Major League Baseball team at the time and everything about baseball was electric then. This was the first Triple A All-Star Game and it was at Pilot Field (since named North AmeriCare Park *gag*, Dunn Tire Park and now Coca-Cola Field).
There's one of those cards with a Dodgers connection now.
I have a few of the Dukes cards in my Dodgers binders, but now that I think of it, I should probably try to complete this entire set instead of separating out the Dodgers.
After all, that really is where hobby heaven is for me -- collecting sets. And that would be another set to attempt.
Weeee!
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