2014 Goals

No frills here. Pretty much the same format as last year.

Sets I would like to finish:

1. 1960 Fleer
2. 1973 Topps
3. 1975 Topps
4. 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game - Basically, I only have 4 cards from the Forever insert set to complete this set.  Granted I haven't completed the blue serialized parallels or the autograph subset, but I never considered that as necessary to be considered complete.

Sets to start working on, or continue to work on, seriously:

1. 1961 Fleer
2. 1972 Topps
3. 2009 Obak

Other projects and distractions:

1. 1963 Fleer Autograph Project - I'd like to get to the halfway point (33 cards) on this project. I stand at 28 now (yes, I know I said 26 yesterday), with two more heading out in the mail for signings in late January/early February.  That means I have line of sight to 30.
2. 1955 and 1956 Topps - These will be many years in completing, so I am feeling no pressure to elevate them on the priority list.

On a final note, I want to comment on something serious.  Earlier yesterday (I am writing this postscript on the evening of January 2) a post popped up in my feed from the 1973 Topps Photography blog.  As many of you probably know, that blog was written by Chris Stufflestreet, who passed away in September of 2012. It appears that he had this post planned well ahead of time.  It is a bittersweet reminder of what we had, and lost, in Chris.  I never met Chris, but he was generous to me as I was re-entering the hobby a few years ago. That left an indelible impact on me about my place in the collecting world.

In my experience with online communities, the sportscard blog community is unique in that the members are so willing to help each other out and there seems to be almost no conflict. Chris was my introduction to that giving spirit, but many of you have contributed to it as well. I want to thank each and every one of you for making this experience special.  I want to honor his memory by committing in 2014 to take opportunities to help other collectors in paring down their want lists.

What I am listening to: One Good Year by Slaid Cleaves