Late last year, in an impetuous moment sometime before being notified that I was being laid off, I bought a starter set of 1963 Fleer off EBay. I liked the design and the price was right given that the lot included Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and Maury Wills. Now I am in the midst of a long, slow slog to finish the set. It isn't a particularly large set. Indeed at 67 cards, it is on the small side. The issue is the cost. Even common cards have a $15 to $20 book value. And the big ticket cards are pretty expensive.
Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and the aforementioned Sandy Koufax all check in with a $200 BV. The Joe Adcock short print books at $150. Brooks Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, and Wills come in at $100BV. Pitchers Warren Spahn and Gibson are $80 BV. And, finally, the checklist (also short printed) has an astronomical BV of $500. Side note: Those of you who read Night Owl regularly (who doesn't) might not be aware that the icon he uses for the Single Card Challenge on his front page is a slightly modified version of the 1963 Fleer Checklist.
As I said, I am committed to completing this set. I'd like to do so with the cards in EX or better condition, although I am quite sure that there is no way on earth I am going to drop the coin necessary to actually get a high quality checklist. I am not sure if I am even going to try to get a low quality checklist It also may mean some of the high value cards listed above may end up being my one and only card purchase in a month. I only picked up a few 1963s at the show, mainly because either the condition was too low or the prices too high. But I did get some and I did splurge on one of the nicer cards.
Total non sequitur, but one of my fondest childhood memories was listening to Phil Rizzuto and Bill White call Yankees games on the radio. I can, in my mind, still hear them. That is a memory that never fails to make me smile.
This was my one big ticket card purchase of the show at $50. That is the most, by far, I have ever spent on a single card. As a set collector, I do possess the requisite level of OCD, so I foresee that record being broken again before this set is done.
Up next: The final post - a disappointing hobby box of 2012 Heritage.
Going for that set is pretty cool. I can't imagine collecting a set that exclusive. Also, I rarely see '63 Fleer at card shows.
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