What am I doing?

 

I've mentioned a few times that I'm trying to collect the Fleer flagship sets from the 1980s. I've also mentioned how I've been fighting disinterest in trying to wrap up the last few -- specifically 1985 and 1986. And I haven't even started on 1987.

So it would be foolishness, borderline dumbery to start another set pursuit very similar to those above, from a baseball card brand I have even less interest in than Fleer.

Yet, here I am, accepting 1989 Donruss cards.

What is wrong with me?

I knew this day would come. Although I've always joked about how I like these cards but I'm not collecting them, I've considered '89 Donruss an underrated set in a sea of junk wax mediocrity. Donruss wasn't exactly putting out classics during this time and immediately after '89 it would fall into a three-year funk. But '89 is something different. At least to me.

 

I like the rainbow treatment at the top and bottom, the color spectrum theme is totally underutilized and also makes me wonder if there is a pattern to this whole set. I also like the black borders and when you contrast black with bright colors, well you've sucked me in.

So when Marc announced that he was looking to get some '89 Donruss out of his house, I hesitated ... and then I signed up. "I don't believe I'm saying this," I think I said before volunteering.

My goal was maybe to get really close to finishing the thing in one shot. I had more than 400 cards from the 660-card set -- 411 to be exact.

I got closer but not close to finishing. I now have 480 of the cards. Marc sent a lot more than 69 cards -- which would've been nice -- but there were a number of doubles. And then there's the whole matter of the back variations, which I was made brutally aware of as I tried to file these new cards into TCDB. I really wish that site didn't care so damn much about that stuff.

So I have a bunch of cards that a couple of years ago I would consider out-and-out dupes that I have to figure what to do with -- I know I'm sure not collecting an extra set of '89 Donruss just because there's a missing period  after "Inc."

But anyway, some of that was a tangent. You want to see the new '89 Donruss -- er, maybe someone does. I'll show what I needed in easy-to-swallow 12-card images:

All right, that's slightly more than 69 cards, I don't know how that happened (one of them is from the separate MVP set).

 

But crooked and somewhat blurry pictures aside, I think that shows why I kinda like this set.

 

 

These are the cards that I have already but, gee, I don't have the version where the word "Denotes" doesn't have an end quote! Excitement! Please tell me what to do with these. (TCDB says the master set to '89 Donruss is 2,534 cards! That is officially bonkers).

 

 

 

Here are the Warren Spahn puzzle pieces Marc sent. I've got several of these sitting in a box, so it's time to see if I can put Puzzle Spahn together.

 

I don't have a want list up for '89 Donruss yet but I'll get there. Once it's up, there are two ways this could go. One, someone sees that their prayers have been answered and overdoes it and ships me six palettes (I will ship it right back, I swear!). Or, two, the want list cards sit there wondering whether I've forgotten them, much like 1986 Fleer's want list, and then you read me groaning for five posts about how I should really finish off those few '89 Donruss cards.

Isn't collecting cards from the '80s fun?

Marc also sent me some Dodgers -- I'm sure to take the edge off of all that junky wax.

Here are the ones I needed:

And I set aside one because it's special.

It's one of the SPs from this year's Gypsy Queen set. Speaking of languishing on a want list, GQ SPs are mothers. It's so nice to have this one.

So that's where I am -- basically closer to not being able to explain myself.

This means I need yet another binder and then I got to find shelf space and you know someone is going to ask me if I plan to complete 1988 Donruss, too (no comment).

It's a lot to take on for something like Donruss.

But at least it's easier to complete than 1967 Topps.