2014 Topps Series 2 is done--here is my top 10

Two in a row!  Believe me, I was very thankful to get this set off the want list the other day.  Going through the cards last night made me realize that there were quite a few solid photos in this set, and picking out 15 cards was a bit difficult.   In the end, the horizontal photos won a place 7 times in this top 10, including spots 1 through 6.   Sometimes to get a great photo on the card, vertical just doesn't do it.

Here's the next installment of the set completion files, 2014 Topps Series 2.  Enjoy!

#10:  Card 343 Nate Freiman

The timing on the chest bump with Jed Lowrie was just a bit off, but at least I can give them an A for effort.  If Bob Walk had his way, we wouldn't have seen a card for Nate in 2014.

Anyone else notice that Nate's last name breaks the I before E rule?

#9:  Card 509 Brandon Phillips

Remember Carlos Gomez last night?   Same thing for me with Brandon Phillips on this card.  I've watched him quite a bit over the past few seasons on Pirates telecasts, and the guy is a competitor.  Smiling all the time as well. 

#8:  Card 594 Justin Maxwell

I had to hit the Trading Card Database just to make sure that this wasn't one of those short print pie in the face cards.  Sure enough it wasn't, so I included it.   The powder blue uniforms help the cause also.

#7:  Card 538 Jon Jay

The timing on this jump with Matt Holliday was a lot better than the Nate Freiman card at #10, so it gets a better position on the countdown.  It just fit nicely at the 7 spot because of Holliday's jersey number. 

#6:  Card 637 Freddy Galvis

Let the run of horizontal cards begin.  If Freddy can keep his spot at short stop, this might be the last time we see him listed as a second baseman on a card.  This is a great shot of a home plate celebration, and some of the reactions on the other players faces are priceless. 

#5:  Card 598 Marco Estrada

Any time that a card features a player signing for kids, it'll find a way into one of my year end countdowns.  I'm awaiting Estrada's first flagship card featuring him as a Blue Jay, which I hope will appear in series 2.

#4:  Card 436 Eric Young Jr.

There is quite a lot going on in this picture.  What made it really stand out for me is that you don't often see two players from the same team running the bases on one card, which makes this shot even greater for me.  Add to that the Brewers player getting ready to pick up the baseball, while keeping Eric as the focal point of the card makes this card outstanding in my eyes.  I don't think we'll see shots like this very often.

#3:  Card 339 Cody Ross

There were a couple of other play at the plate cards in my top 15 ( 360 Russell Martin, 399 Hector Sanchez), however this card, much like Eric Young at #4, has a lot going on.   You have Cody Ross coming in for the drop kick.  You have the catcher about to apply the tag without the ball in his glove, and you have the third base coach (Matt Williams I believe) watching on in the background.  Another fantastic shot.

#2:  Card 357 Lorenzo Cain

Honestly, I think that this photo might have been better served if it was positioned vertically on the card.  Having said that, this card is one of the many I've shown on the blog featuring outfield larceny.  Great catch, even though the coach in the bullpen doesn't seem to be too concerned/impressed.

#1:  Card 587 Dee Gordon

Absolutely, positively fantastic!!  The art of bunting featured prominently on a card doesn't happen often, and the concentration on Dee's face is evident.  Add in the pink eye blacks along with the baseball absolutely frozen in the frame, and this is easily the best card of the 2014 set in my opinion.

Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section.   Any other cards that I should have included?  Something in my top 10 that shouldn't be there in your opinion?  Let me know....

thanks for reading, Robert

A good way to start the weekend.

Outside of playing chauffeur for three women (which really isn't that bad), I'm having a pretty good start to the long weekend.  With two of my wife's friends in town, I have carte blanche to do whatever I feel like until Monday afternoon.

I decided to keep on going with the great cleanup of the cards on my computer desk, part of which is a nearly one foot high stack of Blue Jay cards that need to be cataloged.  I was able to get through about 100 of them last night, and I figured what a better way to get in a post than to count down the ones I went through, 5-4-3-2-1 style.

Let's start with 5 Roberto Alomar cards...

No, they're not crooked because I've been drinking

Later this year I'm planning to go through my Blue Jays cards and do some kind of countdown.  You can be sure that a couple of these will be in that list.  The '93 Upper Deck in the top row center might be one of the best base cards I own, what a great picture!

A set that I couldn't afford back when it came out, the '92 Topps Stadium Club, is one of the best sets in my opinion of the 90's.  Here's 4 of the Blue Jays from that set...

Pat Tabler might be the only member of the '92 World Series team that I haven't featured on the blog at all.  Tabler was a first round draft pick of the Yankees, and was once traded for a pair of decent pitchers (Bill Caudill and Jay Howell).  Tabler was known as a clutch hitter, and was a career .489 hitter with the bases loaded.

Remember the cards in a can, Pinnacle Inside?  Not the greatest idea ever to come to the hobby, but at least somebody was trying.   Here's three Blue Jays from that set for you...

Boy, I remember the Jose Cruz Jr. hype.  He was going to be the next big thing in Toronto.  Jose was a 30-30 man in 2001, and left the club that year via free agency.  Jose never approached 30 in either category again.  Shawn Green also had a 30-30 season in Toronto in 1998.  The next year, he was a 40-40 man.  the following year, he was a Dodger.  The Jays had to decide which of Green or Delgado they could sign, because both of the sluggers were going to demand big contracts.  Delgado wound up remaining a Jay until 2004, and still holds the club record for most homers in Toronto with 336.

What would a post be without a couple of parallels?  How about a couple of 1994 Score Gold Rush cards

Jack Morris just a little under 68% of the vote in last year's HOF balloting.  254 wins, 3 times a 20 game winner, and an incredible 11 seasons with 10 or more complete games are a lot of numbers that in my opinion should have helped get him in the HOF.  The 3 World Series titles shouldn't hurt either.

Last but not least, one of Bowman's Best.

I like the card, that's the only reason Green is being shown twice.

Hey, only a few more hundred Jays to go through!  Ahh, the joys of collecting. 

Thanks for reading, Robert

1977 Topps: My top 20 5 through 1

The final 5.  I'm sure that there are some people that have looked at #'s 20 through 6 and thought that I could have made better choices.

I like what I like.  Enjoy the top of the crop....

Card #5:  #277 N.L. Championship 

This is another card that I've featured on the blog in the past, and it's probably the second best "action" card in the set.  Pete Rose rounding 2nd heading for 3rd, passing Larry Bowa on the basepaths while Bake McBride throws the ball in from the outfield.

Like I said in the past, I still hear the train whistle when I see Rose running on this card.  Mike Schmidt better be ready....

Card #4:  #6 1976 Strikeout Leaders 

Probably the two greatest pitchers of my lifetime featured on the same card.  You bet this is going to be in the countdown.  All the strikeout pitchers seemed to be on the same team in both leagues...

The top 2 in the AL were Ryan and Frank Tanana, both on the Angels, while 3 of the top 8 strikeout pitchers in the NL were on the Mets (Seaver, Koosman, Matlack).

Card #3:  #295 Gary Carter 

Name me a guy who enjoyed baseball more than Gary Carter did during his time in MLB.  Tough to do, isn't it?  Love the catchers pose, with the bags of equipment lying on the grass behind him.  Just reminds you of little league, doesn't it?

It's a shame that we had to lose Gary so young.  It's also sad that he was appreciated more after he was gone. 

Card #2:  #500 Dave Kingman 

Another first overall pick, Kingman was taken by the Giants in the 1970 draft.  The very next season, Dave hit the first of his 442 career HRs , a grand slam off of Pittsburgh's Dave Giusti.  I can almost see him admiring the flight of the ball on this card, I'm sure that one of his 37 HRs from 1976 is pictured here.

You don't mess with "Kong", or at worst, you didn't throw him a pitch in the middle of the plate, unless you wanted it sent into orbit.

Card #1:   #640 Carlton Fisk 

Is it the fact that he's tagging out a Yankee (Willie Randolph) in the photo?  Yea, that's a big part of it.  But for a set that doesn't have a large amount of action photos, to have this card among them easily makes it the top of the list, at least in my view.

Of all the career stats that Fisk obtained, the 24 seasons, 376 HRs, 11 All Star Selections, Rookie of the Year, etc etc, I would like to meet the over 100 people that left him off of their Hall of Fame ballot. 

I hope that you enjoyed my top 20 countdown of what I thought to be the best '77 Topps cards. 

Go ahead, have your fun, ask me why I didn't include a particular card.   I'm sure I'll have a reason for you.

Thanks for reading, Robert

1977 Topps: My Top 20: 10 through 6

We hit the top 10 today, I hope you've enjoyed numbers 20 through 11 so far.

Three of today's 5 feature uniforms as part of the reason the cards are in the countdown.  Here we go:

Card #10:  #273 Eric Soderholm

Another card featuring the great uniforms the Sox had at that time.  I probably went overboard putting two of these in my top 20, but for some reason, these uniforms really work for me.  For those of you who didn't know, Soderholm was a first overall pick of the Twins in the '68 draft.  Eric hit his first major league homer just 3 years later off of Diego Segui.

After doing a little more research, it's interesting that Soderholm had a card in the '77 set, since he missed the entire '76 season with a knee injury.  Soderholm was AL comeback player of the year in '77 with 25 HRs and a .280 average.

Card #9:  #514 Cliff Johnson

I've had some fun with Cliff Johnson on the blog in the past.  This card sums up several of his different issues, Cliff looking at the catcher, and almost daring the umpire to call a strike.  The rainbow Astros uniforms were great back then, and would be something I would welcome back on a regular basis.

Would you want to call a strike on this man?

Card #8:  #550 Randy Jones

Combine the classic mustard and brown uniform, with one of the greatest hair styles on a ball player back then, and you have a great card.  Jones had just come off a 22 win season the year before and earned the Cy Young award.  Imagine a pitcher completing 25 games this year.  Can't do it, can you?  Randy did that in '76 and pitched 315.1 innings. 

Those days are gone for sure.

Card #7:  #600 Jim Palmer

When they coined the term "in the stretch position", I'm sure that Jim Palmer was the one they had in mind.  I didn't do this on purpose, but Jim's '76 campaign almost mirrors Randy Jones.  22 wins with 315 innings pitched earned him the AL Cy Young award.

The reddish orange jerseys didn't hurt this card either.  Where have all these great styles gone?

Card #6:  #347 George Foster

 

Even better than the look on Cliff Johnson's face a few cards back is the menacing stare of George Foster on this beauty.  '77 would be George's career season, hitting 52 HRs while knocking in 149.  George also led the National League in runs scored with 124 and OPS with 1.013.

I'm guessing that this photo was taken in spring training, because I don't remember old Riverfront Stadium being natural grass.

Tomorrow, the final 5.  Hope you're there...

Thanks for reading, Robert

1977 Topps: My top 20, 15 through 11

For your amusment, here's the 2nd group of 5 cards in my top 20 1977 Topps card countdown.

Enjoy.

Card #15: #648 Jim Spencer 

The first "action" shot of the countdown, featuring what appears to be Bill North striding back to 1st base on a pickoff attempt.  So what you say?  I'll tell you why I have this card in the countdown.

The all black uniforms.  Fantastic.  What brings out the uniforms more for me is that the White Sox are the team that my Blue Jays faced on April 7, 1977, day 1.  They wore the all blacks that day, one that will stand out in my mind as long as I live.

See, told you a lot of memories created this countdown!!  There's still one more of the vintage all black uniforms to come in the countdown.

Card #14:  #120 Rod Carew

I found it highly ironic that one of the greatest hitters that I watched during my youth, is featured in this set in a fielding pose.  The '77 season for Carew at the plate would be his greatest.  .388 average, 239 hits, 16 triples and 100 RBI's would all be career highs for Mr. Carew, and '77 would be his only MVP season as well. 

Card #13:  #60 Jim Rice 

Don't let the gentle look fool you, this guy was a killer at the plate.  '77 was the first of 3 consecutive 200 hit seasons for Rice, which surprised me considering I always thought of this guy as a power hitter. 

Someone has to help me out though, I see that Rice is wearing his home uniform, but I'm sure that he's not standing in Fenway Park for this photo.

Oh, and it's high time that the Sox bring back the red caps.

Card #12:  #180 Dave Lopes: 

Another blast from the past for me here.   Remember when guys used to use two bats to warm up in the on deck circle?  I'm sure a lot of you don't.  Today's hitters have donuts and metal tubes for extra weight to loosen up. 

You didn't have that in the 70's.  Davey shows you how...

Card #11:  #355  Lou Brock 

What's the difference between #12 and #11 you ask?

Come on!!  Striped helmet, of course!  Someone bring back the powder blue road Cardinal uniforms please. 

#'s 10 through 6 tomorrow night...

Thanks for reading, Robert

1977 Topps: My top 20 20 through 16

I waited a long time to complete this set.  The first set that I ever collected as a boy.  And now, that I have all 660 cards in hand, and have had a chance to look at them all in their glory, I've decided to try and rank them.  I looked them over, and found 20 cards that I felt were better than the others.

This is totally based on my tastes, with a lot of the reasons that I ranked them as such based on a yearning for the past.   A poor reason I'm sure, and no doubt there are a lot of people out there that will disagree with some of the cards I've chosen.

But while the cat's away, the ranks are here to stay.   I hope you enjoy the countdown, which I will split up into 4 posts, one for each day that I'm on vacation.

Card #20:  #384  Darrel Chaney

I'm sure you all are thinking "why in the world would this card be in a top 20 countdown?"  If I were a baseball player, such as Darrel was back in the late 70's, I'd be happy as hell like he was.   Why not show it on a baseball card?

I also don't recall the old style scripted "a" on the Braves caps, so that helped the card hit the top 20.

Card #19:  #147  Jackie Brown

Combine the red Indians unis from the 70's with the name of an unheralded Quentin Tarantino movie (see here if you don't remember), and then add in a pitcher doing a pose that looks like it should have been on the "20 minute workout" show in the 80's, and for me you have a card for the ages.

Welcome to the 70's friends...

Card #18:  #33 Wayne Garland

More 70's greatness here on Mr. Garland, A hairstyle of a poodle, combined with one of the best porn mustaches on a baseball card, and you have the next card in my countdown.

This hairstyle reminded me of my buddy Chuck, his hair wasn't as bushy as Wayne's, but close enough.  The airbrushers did their best to get rid of the Orioles colors on Wayne's jersey, alas they didn't do a very good job (at least from where I sit...).

Card #17:  #454 Andy Etchebarren 

The 70's version of Wally Moon.   Moving on....

Card #16:  #518 Chicago Cubs Team Checklist

The first multi player card in the countdown, and the only team checklist featured in the top 20.  The floating heads still freak me out, but combine 31 floaters with a manager named Herman Franks (where's Billy Beane when you need him?), and you get a classic card that deserves a place in the countdown.  There's a few names on the back you might recognize, Bill Buckner, Manny Trillo, Bill Madlock and Ray Burris to name 4.  The '77 Cubs finished right at .500, but still were 20 games behind the East division champion Phillies.

Hopefully I haven't lost any of you out there... 15 through 11 tomorrow

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets: Epilogue

I will say this.  Over the past few weeks, I've enjoyed writing, as well as reliving, some of the sets that I have built, or am building currently.  I've learned a lot over the past few weeks as well.

1.  There are a lot of sets out there.  I realized that while writing a bunch of posts one day.  Not only have I barely scratched the surface on a few 60's & 70's baseball sets, there are a lot of hockey sets that I would like to try and complete from that era as well.  Am I becoming a vintage freak...well

2.  No, not entirely, because there are a lot of modern sets that I would like to chase after as well.  A decade of just dabbling in hockey sets has left me wanting, especially for a lot of great Upper Deck hockey sets that were released over the past 10+ years.  I'm sure that there are some baseball sets from the late 90's through to the mid 2000's that would be worth chasing after as well.

3.  I like doing countdowns.  I would say that this has been the easiest month I've had out of the 17 so far for generating posts, largely because of the countdown.  Because of this, I'm going to have my first 40+ post month since the beginning of 2012.  With 2 sports that I enjoy so much, there should be no reason for me to be less than a post a day on average.  I'm hoping that countdowns don't become my crutch when I'm out of ideas.

I do also have to sit down and get some thoughts together for 2013, I'm sure that I will not be the only person in the blogosphere to have some goals set out for themselves.  Cleaning up the catastrophe that I call a desk should be one of those goals...it's kind of tough though when you have so many cards, and yet so little time on your hands. 


One thing that I'm also pretty sure about, and it's that there's probably a few of you out there who thought that some of the sets in my countdown, well let's just say I was daft for putting them in there.  Well, to be honest, I just may be.  But to be fair, each of the posts were titled "my top 25 sets", not "the top 25 sets".

I do not, nor will I ever, claim to be the be all and end all when it comes to cards.  If you ever see that on this blog, you will know that the Mayans have won.

As I progress into 2013, and start to move towards putting some older sets together, such as the 80's O-Pee-Chee hockey, the late 60's and early 70's baseball, and maybe something from the early 2000's as well, there will be more sets for me to reflect on, and thus the countdown should be more "enhanced" from a quality standpoint next December.

As to why I never thought of making it a top 30 (to coincide with the blog title...), I'll never know. 

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas, I know that I did.

thanks for reading. Robert

P.S.   One card rule still applies

Got Em Spiegel...thank you!!!

My top 25 sets #1: 1977 Topps

Set  1977 Topps
Number of cards in set: 660
Affordability: 8
Key RCs:   Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Bruce Sutter
Is the set built?: need less than 60 to complete the set

What I like about this set:   I will always love this set.  It is the first set I collected as a child, and thus is one that is near and dear to me.  The card front is simple.  The player's position located in a pennant in the upper right corner of the card.  In the case of Randy Jones above, the N.L. All-Stars notation is in a blue bar below the picture.  The team name in big block letters across the top of the card, in the team's predominant color.  Simple, yet great, at least for me.

The backs have the players name in large lettering across the top, standard biographical information, full career stats, and where there's room available, there's also an interesting statistic below the career stats.  Each card also has a cartoon on the left hand side of the back as well.

 
What I don't like about this set:   Nothing.

This is the first baseball set that I ever remember collecting, and when I saw images of players such as Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan on these cards again, the memories just came flooding back.

The strangest memory about this set for me is the Carl Morton card.  I don't know why, but it's the one card that I've always associated with putting this set together.  I had to actually look up Carl's history, and it turns out he was a fairly decent pitcher who won the NL rookie of the year award in 1970.  Carl also died too young, dying of a heart attack while jogging, at the age of 39. 

I hope that everyone out there at least enjoyed reading these posts, I will post a brief epilogue to this series tomorrow to sum up my thoughts regarding the previous 25 posts.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #2: 1984-85 OPC hockey

Set  1984-85 OPC
Number of cards in set: 396
Affordability:  7
Key RCs:   Cam Neely, Steve Yzerman, Doug Gilmour, Chris Chelios, Pat LaFontaine
Is the set built?:   It was once, read on for the story


What I like about this set:  Mimicking the 1983 Topps baseball design with the added player photo featured on an inset circle, and with a top shelf crop of RCs, this ranks as the best 80's set that OPC released.  The color of the border matches the prominent team color, always a great feature in my book.  There are also some very undervalued RC's of some great players.  Dave Andreychuk and Pat Verbeek, $6.  Tom Barrasso, $5?

The card back is also very uncluttered and easy to read.  Complete career stats, and in some cases a lengthy bio printed both in English and French are available.  The silhouette of a hockey stick on the back does not really interfere with any of the wording as well.  The players name is contained in a rectangular blue box, and the rest of the back has a pink/red background with dark blue lettering. 

 
What I don't like about this set:   That the complete set I once had is no longer in my possession.  I stupidly sold it a long time ago when I was in need of money.   I really should have sold something less important, like a kidney.

This set is another where memories play a big part of the reason why the set is ranked really high.  This set is one that I never started collecting until the card boom of the early 90's.  I bought a couple of packs of it, I want to say for around $8 at a card show, and instantly fell in love.  When I lived close to the US border in the early 90's, I would actually drive across the border into Niagara Falls, NY, to the LCS there to pickup packs.  This is at a time when the dollar was maybe 70 cents American, so that made the trip a little more pricey.  But in the end, this set was well worth it.   When I moved to the US, like any other newbie, I was strapped for cash, so assets were sold, including this beauty. 

Never again.  I will rebuild it sometime, and do my best never to let go again.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #3: 1973 Topps

No C in the middle

Set  1973 Topps
Number of cards in set: 660
Affordability:  6.5
Key RCs:   Mike Schmidt, Rich "Goose" Gossage
Is the set built?:  216/660 so far

What I like about this set:   I love the mix of posed shots with game shots.  I love the font that the players name and the team name is written in.  Shots like the George Scott card above are what makes this set different from any other set that contains action photos.  Instead of a more close up shot that would have made George the prominent figure in the card, a lot of the action photos could leave an unseasoned collector guessing as to who the actual player is in the photo.  Different. 

The card back for the '73 Topps set is probably my favorite card back out of all the sets I've collected so far.  The black lettering on a dark yellow background is very easy to read, the cartoon at the top is small yet big enough to contain enough pertinent information about the player.  Scott's card back cartoon says that his nickname is "Boomer", and it doesn't take over the card.   The players name and biographical information is right below the cartoon, and very easy to read as well.  Even the card number, contained inside a baseball, is big enough that it can be easily read.


 
What I don't like about this set:  The cheap ass in me hates that all the big name stars in this set are priced at double digits ($10+), but what do you expect for a set this old with that many quality players?

This is the one set where one particular aspect of the card (the card back), vaults it quite a few spots ahead of others.  There is something about these card backs that just drew me to the set, even though many may consider it very plain.  The Mike Schmidt RC books for $150 in NM, and will probably be the last card in the set that I will need to pickup.  It will be interesting to see how this set ranks as I obtain more of these cards, but so far I really like what I see, and with a bunch of Hall of Famers still to pickup, I imagine that my impressions of the set will only improve.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #4: 76-77 OPC hockey

Set  1976-77 OPC
Number of cards in set: 396
Affordability:  7.5
Key RCs: Bryan Trottier, Dave "Tiger" Williams
Is the set built?:   Don't have an official count, but it's less than 75 cards from completion.

What I like about this set:  Again, it's the simplicity that I love about this set.  The  majority of the photos are posed shots with a generic blue background.  But there are some game shots, such as the Clark Gillies one above, that really do stand out.  (The Gillies stands out for me because I don't think I ever saw him without his mustache.).  I like the team logo not overtaking the entire card, and the players name and position at the bottom have letters that are easy to read.

The back of the card is a dark green with blue lettering, which is an interesting combination, but it works.  The bio is contained in a box on the lower left portion of the card, and it is much easier to read with the background being a light grey instead of green.  The cards also have a cartoon on the lower back in the right corner, containing some kind of interesting fact about the player.  (Clark's nickname is "Jethro")  The player stats only feature the recent season along with the career stats, but that helps to keep all the card backs in the set similar.

 
What I don't like about this set:   Outside of the usual OPC production issues with their older sets (miscuts, centering, etc.), there's absolutely nothing wrong with this set.

There are really only two cards that will set you back a decent amount of money in this set.  The Trottier RC, at least in my opinion, is still a great buy if you can find one in NM.  It's even better if you find it at the "listed" price of $60.  The Bobby Orr in this set has a substantial price tag of $50, but it's a great card of him in a BlackHawks jersey for the first time.  I still need one for my set.  This set contains all the classic subsets, team leaders, record breakers, team photos, etc.  It will always be remembered by me as one of the first hockey sets I ever collected, and after purchasing a box of these from Dave at Wax Stain Rookie for $20, it took me weeks just to start sorting them, because every time I took them out of the box, all I wanted to do was look at them and relive old collecting memories.

That's what it's all about...isn't it?

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #5: 1964 Topps

Set  1964 Topps
Number of cards in set: 587
Affordability:   4
Key RCs:  Phil Niekro, Tony Conigliaro, Lou Piniella, Tommy John
Is the set built?:   230/587

What I like about this set:   It's simplicity.  The design is not fancy, there's no wild colors or team logos that dominate the front.  The card is simple, clean and easy to read.  The photos are classic 60's photos, which I've featured many times on the blog. The RC's are usually dual player cards, with some interesting combinations, such as Phil Niekro/Phil Roof.

The backs are a nice bright orange, with the stats being printed in a white background to make for easy reading.  Topps for the first time made the cartoons a rub off, meaning in order to obtain the answer to the question, you had to rub a coin over the area next to the question to reveal it.  Some dealers charge a premium for cards that don't have the cartoon revealed.

 
What I don't like about this set:   Whine time, but if you're going to collect anything pre 1977, you're going to have to be prepared to pay a premium for some of the big names.  The '64 set is no exception.  The Mantle will cost you around $500 in NM, and a NM 2nd yr Pete Rose running around $250.  There are also several cards in the set that are $100+, making patience in collecting this set a premium.

Thankfully, this set is one of the few of the 60's that doesn't contain any high priced RC's, otherwise this set might be beyond reach for some.  The high numbers (523-587) are tougher to find, and at $15 in NM condition, will also test the limits for the semi-serious collector.  My goal for this set in 2013 is to be between 350-400 cards complete.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #6: 1975 Topps

Set  1975 Topps
Number of cards in set: 660
Affordability: 7
Key RCs:  George Brett, Robin Yount
Is the set built?:  341/660 

What I like about this set:   Topps really let it go when it comes to the color schemes for the front border, showcasing 18 different color combinations.  That fact alone would easily carry this set even if there were no key players in the set.  But with RCs of HOFers George Brett and Robin Yount, along with others such as Gibson, Aaron and Robinson, this set is loaded with great cards.   Add in RCs of Gary Carter and Jim Rice, and a set in NM condition costs a little bit more for a guy on a budget. 

The backs of the cards are easily readable with the ink being a dark green.  The top of the back also has an information cartoon, a staple of Topps sets over the years.  Frank Robinson's cartoon is actually a pretty easy trivia question, as it asks "who is the only player manager" (at the time), which of course was Robinson himself.


What I don't like about this set:  There is nothing really wrong with this set at all that I can see. 

I am looking forward in 2013 to completing, or coming close to completing this set.  This set was released a couple of years before I started collecting cards, but a good deal of the players in the set are recognizable to me, which is what makes older sets even more fun to collect.  The combination of the card design along with the great RC/player selection is what will keep this set a classic for many years to come.  If you would like to see a real take on what this set is all about, take a look here. 

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #7: 2008 UD Masterpieces

Set  2008 UD Masterpieces
Number of cards in set: 120
Affordability: 8
Key RCs:  Evan Longoria, Max Scherzer
Is the set built?:   Need just 8 SPs to finish the set

What I like about this set:  The artwork is what separates UD Masterpieces from any other art related set.  The design is also great, with the border not really a distraction for the picture of the player.  The set/(s) is/are so good, there is one blog out there dedicated to it.

The backs of the cards are sufficient, the top half containing roughly the top 1/3 of the artwork on the front, then there is a short bio and a 1 yr stat line for the player.  The team logo is in a black box below the stats.
 
What I don't like about this set:  120 cards, 30 SPs.  1 out of 4 cards is not a good ratio for SPs.   200 cards would have been a fabulous size for this set.

I would have loved to have seen UD keep this set going, because the 2 years that the company released this set is just a tease.  The designs were great, the player selection was good, and the parallels were a great touch, even if in some collector's eyes there may have been too many.

Somebody, please bring back a set styled like this one...it would certainly get my attention.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #8: 1988-89 OPC hockey

Set  1988-89 O-Pee-Chee hockey
Number of cards in set: 264
Affordability: 7.5
Key RCs: Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Pierre Turgeon
Is the set built?: Need 11 cards to finish the set

What I like about this set:  The "push pin" set has long been a favorite of mine.  The set really gained some steam when Brett Hull starting pumping goals in a couple years after this was released, causing both the set prices, and Hull's RCs, to go crazy.  The set finally came back to earth a few years later.

I like the push pin on the top, it is something different and really works with the name plate.  Using the team logo on the top of the card helps as well.  Again, the back of the card is another favorite of mine, the orange background with the dark blue lettering is again easy to read, and contains full stats similar to the 87-88 OPC set.

The Mike Krushelnyski airbrush job is an absolute classic.  I wonder if he was called Casper afterwards.
 
What I don't like about this set: I still haven't found anything wrong with this set.  I'm sure someone can steer me in that direction...

This set was the beneficiary of the sports card boom of the early 90's, driving the set price to about $200, while the Brett Hull RC was up as high as $80.  Both the set price and the Hull RC have dropped to more "comfortable" levels.  This set is another keeper, and should be an easy build if you're looking for a medium priced set to chase.

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #9: 1987-88 OPC hockey

Set 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee hockey
Number of cards in set: 264
Affordability: 7.5
Key RCs: Luc Robitaille, Adam Oates, Ron Hextall
Is the set built?:  Just missing 3 cards  (15,53,163)

What I like about this set:   It's part of a classic run of great OPC sets that started in 79-80 and ended in 88-89.  The design is clean and easy on the eyes without taking too much away from the player photo.  The player selection in the last 66 cards is geared towards the Canadian collector, with all the Canadian teams having at least 9 cards included, including players who have horrible airbrushing jobs (Dale Hunter, Clint Malarchuk to name two).  The high numbers also afforded OPC to include some key RCs such as Damphousse, Vernon and Richer.

The back of the card is tremendous.  Very easy to read with a predominantly pink background and black text.  Full career stats are featured as well, and broken down into separate leagues if the player played in the WHA (as Gartner did for the Baby Bulls in 78-79)

What I don't like about this set:   Would have rather seen the team logo in the lower right corner instead of the black puck with the team name.  Other than that, this set is a winner.

I've had this set in a binder for a very long time, but just never got around to finishing it.  That's probably because the last 3 cards I need are some guys named Gretzky, Lemieux and Roy.  No biggie.  Anyone who is just starting out collecting 80's hockey sets should ear mark this one as one of the 2 or 3 key sets to work on.  It has a great look, and the key RCs will not blow your budget through the roof. 

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #10: 2011 Topps Heritage

Set 2011 Topps Heritage
Number of cards in set: 500
Affordability: 7
Key RCs: Darwin Barney, Freddie Freeman, Jeremy Hellickson
Is the set built?:  468/500 (missing 32 SPs)

What I like about this set:   I love the wood grain borders.  The copy of the 1962 design is a winner in my book, because the set is easily distinguishable from the other releases.  The photos for the most part are really nice, and the backs of the cards are an easy read.  The look and feel of this set is the main reason that I am working towards completing this set.  I've bought lots of Heritage in the past, but none of the sets have inspired me to complete them as much as the '11 set has.  I am a big fan of the '64 set, so we'll see if the '13 Heritage release inspires me like this one did.

What I don't like about this set:  I will whine and moan about this until Topps changes the number of SPs in the set.  I'm sorry, but 75 is just way too much.  Do the math:  75 SPs at a rate of 1 in every 3 packs, so in a perfect world, you would have to buy 225 packs to obtain all 75 SPs.  At 24 packs in a hobby box, you're buying a minimum of 9 boxes.  Those who have pulled the SPs are not letting them go easily, the $6 common price is still not far fetched almost 2 years after release.  Rant over....

I did a search for hobby boxes for this set while writing this post, and the disparity is alarming.  While hobby boxes on Dave & Adam's are going for $71, on eBay the prices are in the $85 range, while a 12 box case is up for $970 (just under $81 a box).  Unlike the '12 release which saw hobby boxes crash below the $50 mark, this set appears to have some staying power...so far anyhow.

thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #11: 1990-91 OPC premier

Set 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier hockey
Number of cards in set: 132
Affordability: Buy the set, 9..  buy the singles, 8.5
Key RCs:  Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, Sergei Fedorov, Jeremy Roenick
Is the set built?:   Yes it is

What I like about this set:  This is the first set that really introduced me to the concept of supply and demand.  It is also the first set that introduced me to the phrase "perception is reality".  Back in the day, at least in the part of the world where I was, this set was in high demand, but was thought to have been very low in supply.  Hence, the prices went through the roof, especially for the Jagr/Fedorov RCs, which if I remember correctly were in the $30-40 range.  (please correct me if I'm wrong)  Over the years, this set sank in value, now settling at the $40 current listing.

One of my favorite hobby stories revolved around this set.  I was in my LCS, still buying up packs of 90-91 UD hockey, and the buzz was all around this set, which was retailing for about $2 a pack (expensive at that time).  Anyhow, one day in the LCS I had a guy approach me and ask me if I wanted to buy a box of Premier for $40.  We were told to "take it outside", and this was the first box of cards that I ever bought out of the trunk of a car.  For all I know, those boxes could have walked out the side door of the factory, but I was naive and never stopped to ask any questions. 


What I don't like about this set:  132 cards.  More of an update set than a regular release.   For as scarce as this set was supposed to be, there is still a lot of it out there today, and I'm sure I could still complete a set today very quickly.

What was so big about this set at the time was that it was OPC's response to UD's landmark hockey release.  For the first time, OPC's card back was in full color, unheard of at that time.  Over the next few years, OPC was forced to evolve and their base sets became full color, front and back. 

Thanks for reading, Robert

My top 25 sets #12: 2002 Topps Gallery

Set  2002 Topps Gallery
Number of cards in set: 200
Affordability: 9
Key RCs:  Joe Mauer
Is the set built?:   100% complete

What I like about this set:  The art.  The explanation doesn't get much simpler than that.  I've long been a fan of cards that are produced from drawings, and this set is no stranger to that love.  The art is first rate, as you can see from the Jim Thome card above.  The set is also smaller in size, which made it easier to complete.

What made this set really interesting for me as a collector were the backs of the card.  The backs had a lot of the regular elements you might see, team logo, bio/height/weight/age of the player, but the stats were quite unique.  There was only one years worth of stats, which was the 2001 season, broken down by month.  Definitely a different take on stats, but kind of fitting because you didn't see sets that were as different as Topps Gallery was.

What I don't like about this set:   Call me finicky.  300 cards would have made this set that much better. 

This is a set that I would have fun putting together again if needed.  The cards weren't too hard to obtain, and there were a few SP veterans/HOFers that added to the appeal of the set as well. 

My top 25 sets #13: 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey

Set 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey
Number of cards in set: 400 (low series) 150 (high series)
Affordability: 9.5
Key RCs:  Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin (low), Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov (High)
Is the set built?:   Many times over.

What I like about this set:  This is the set that introduced me back into collecting in late 1990. Even though this set is the epitome of the overproduction era (I once owned 15 full sets of these cards..), it is still a classic.  The design is clean, the back has up to 5 years of stats with a 2nd full photo.  Speaking of photos, some of the photos in this set (see Bob Probert card here to get an idea of what I mean) feature the best hockey photography ever.

Late to the party?  No problem, shouldn't cost you but a couple of week's budgets (for my blog anyhow) to complete this set.

What I don't like about this set:  The true 'purist' would love to see a complete set of stats for each player on the back, but with that leaves no photo.  In other words, there's not a whole lot wrong with this set, outside of letting the presses roll.

For me, 90-91 UD hockey is what got me back into collecting over 20 years ago.  I feasted on this set heartily, and will have a soft spot for it for many years to come.  While it may not remain on the top 25 over the coming years, it will always be a reminder of a crazy time in the sports card world.

Thanks for reading, Robert