(How much you wanna bet Pete is checking on the ponies?)
I have been trying to update my want lists on the blog for three years now.
It's slow going because it's super tedious and not in the "fun tedious" way like updating a binder.
Mostly what I need to update are Dodgers team set wants. I've been working my way backwards and I'm at the tail end of finishing the 2002 wants with Upper Deck and a few randoms to go. Working on these sets makes me realize how many evil sets were created while I wasn't collecting in the first part of this century. There are so many sets where half the team set is short-printed, rookies you never heard of are short-printed, just really annoying stuff. Do I even have the energy to track down an SP'd card of someone named Rick Roberts? Those are the things that go through my head when I'm updating these lists, and then I get deflated, lie on the ground and groan and stop.
I still have 2000 and 2001 to go and then most of the '90s as well (Much of Topps is done for that but almost nothing else). It seems insurmountable and I've started to wonder whether there is a point. Do people even look at blog want lists anymore?
More and more I've seen collectors talk about loading their wants on TCDB and checking other people's wants on TCDB. It seems to be the place where people check out wants, not on somebody's blog.
But I'm going to press forward -- mostly because that's what I do. But also I get periodic reminders that people do look at this.
These just arrived from gcrl and they are all off my blog want lists.
My recent decision to publicize my 1986 Fleer pursuit and compile a want list has been very productive. My incoming stack of '86s are piling up with no place to go because I haven't had time to find a binder that will house both the '85 and '86 Fleer sets (they are permanently linked up in my mind because of all the confusion over the two sets in the past).
Almost all of the above are stars and superstars (sorry, Fred Toliver) and, lucky me, I got to delete numbers off of my own want list!
Looks like gcrl found one of the few non-Topps want lists I've made for '90s Dodgers. I pay special attention to the Ultra gold medallion cards, even for the ones I don't like much (2002 there).
Staying with Fleer with this 1971 Laughlin World Series card. You know I love these. Laughlin did a lot with very little help from Fleer and the MLB Players Association.
Saved these three for last, not because they're the best but because they're three blowhards (gcrl also sent the Pete Rose card up top, another irascible ballplayer). But all of these are 2005 Topps/Topps Traded needs. Set-collecting does not discriminate! Even though I'd like it to! These people on The List are crossed off the list!
Thanks for checking out my wants, gcrl. I'll be doing the same for you.
Next up is a batch of cards from Wax Pack Wonders. I doubt Jeff consulted my wants for these, because I have them all already. (But it's not like my '90s lists are complete).
You don't HAVE to consult my wants to send me cards. Blog trades allow for more than "this-for-that" trades that defines trading sites like TCDB or whatever forums still exist. I still prefer the random sends because you never know what you're going to get, and often-times dupes are useful. I read people complain about so many extra duplicates (heck, I do that. Anybody want some Dodgers???????????), but really it's not a big deal unless you have a move in the near future.
Jeff checked the wants when it counted, and did it ever count with these two 1970 Topps cards. They are the highlight of my recent mailings from bloggers.
Fifty-year-old cards of players on the verge of an MVP season just don't show up in envelopes unannounced very often. This is why the want lists are up on the blogs. YOU NEVER KNOW.
It's incentive to keep plugging away at my want lists updates even though it feels like homework.
Comments
TCDB is great but is a behemoth and overwhelming. I prefer the blog want lists, although links to TCDB are ok, too.
Enjoy!