More PC Additions - And an Ending

My set building has been slow recently, but I have added a few more cards to my player collections.

This is a 2011 Topps Black Diamond Wrapper redemption.  Back in 2011, Topps offered a special 5 card pack to collectors who redeemed 36 Hobby packs.  There were 60 cards (of modern players ) in the Black Diamond set and a separate 34 card autograph set, which featured players found in the 1952 set.  The autograph cards were serial numbered to 60.  I was quite pleased to get such a low numbered, exclusive card for a mere $18.

These are 2012 Prime Cuts Legendary Bats cards of Paul and Lloyd Waner.  I was able to get both cards for a little over $20 delivered, which is probably just about right.  I mostly saw these listed on EBay as BINs for $20 or more each.   That is really close to high book and I wasn't interested in paying that much, even if they are serialized to 99.  But, this has raised an issue in my mind.

Previously, I said I was going to focus my Waner PCs on base cards from modern sets and vintage, eschewing the low serial numbered cut autos and bat cards in modern sets that command a price premium.  As I set out with that focus, I found that the vintage Waner cards were also exceedingly expensive. Considering that the Waner brothers played from the late 20s through 1945, I probably should have expected that.  When one card could cost more than several months of hobby budget, it was time to re-evaluate whether this was a collecting goal I was passionate enough about to keep moving forward.  The answer was I was not.

I am a set collector at heart and I was faced with a choice:  effectively stop set building to work on the Waner collection or continue to set build and do a poor job with the Waner PC.  As you may guess I chose the former and am stopping the Waner PC. I hate admitting defeat, but in the end this was a poorly thought out idea and I hate doubling down on bad decisions worse.  My work requires me to approach situations dispassionately and not get too emotionally invested in a position.  My collecting needs to be the same way. Not to say that I need to get all Vulcan-like about collecting, but there are times it is appropriate and this is one of them.

I have made some progress in the last few days on a couple of sets I am workign on.  I look forward to renewing that focus and sharing that with you few who read my humble blog.