It's turning out to be a 1972-centric weekend. I couldn't be more pleased.
The other day I was filing some recently acquired cards and I slipped Tony Taylor -- bottom row, left corner pocket -- into position. As binder people know too well, adding the final card to a page is a feeling of satisfaction that you can't get in most areas of life, so I smiled and hummed a little Christmas ditty to myself.
But then I got curious.
After leafing quickly through the upper stretches of the '72 binder, where all of the colorful card combinations dissolve into high number hell and page-pocket emptiness, it occurred to me that I have not completed any page deeper into the set than this one.
In other words, I have cards No. 505 through 513.
I'm very happy about that.
This isn't any old set you know. There's probably no more difficult a set to complete in my target era of card purchasing than '72 Topps. The higher-numbered card that you obtain, the prouder the achievement. And the best thing about finishing off a page of '72s is all of the glorious psychedelic colors.
Amid the beautiful green, blue, yellow, gold and pink are classic cards of Mike Marshall pre-Dodger greatness, Fred Gladding the meanest glasses-wearer you ever saw, and Ted Williams giving Don McMahon the once over because McMahon dares to look older than Williams even though Williams had a dozen years on McMahon.
But, wait a minute, I lied.
I've also completed the reverse side, numbers 514-522.
Yes, I double-bag my sets. I'm trying to save money to buy high-numbered '72s here. I can't be blowing cash on pages and albums, no matter how cheap they are.
Besides, you get to see more pretty colors!
The highlights here are a second-year Bert Blyleven, Ken Brett clearly in a Red Sox uniform and birthday boy Alan Foster in a Dodger uniform with a horrid airbrushed cap. Please note the Dodger team card, properly positioned with team name pointing left.
So, I guess this is truly the highest completed page in the set -- both sides complete!
Watch out '72s, come 2016 you will all be mine.
And maybe then I can spring for more pages.
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