2024 Retrospectively - 2025 Prospectively

 While sports card blogs are no longer the fashion, the year-end retrospective is still a thing amongst those of us who still do blog (some more than others.) So, I suppose I should review my 2024.  As a word of warning, I have just reused images from elsewhere in my blog and, as such, they may not all present as the same size.  I just couldn't work up the ambition to rework or rescan images. Mea culpa. 

2024 was one of the odder years in my collecting life.  There were several long periods of inactivity when adult life interfered in my personal (and financial) lives.  I've had such layoffs before, notably in 2011-2012 and 2021-2022 when I was faced with job changes.  But, that wasn't the case in 2024, just general life stuff.  Anyways, it wasn't a completely unproductive year. I did manage to finish three sets:

1958 Topps Baseball - I started this set (in a manner of speaking) in 2012, when I bought a low grade Mantle card for the then princely sum of $100. I finished it 12 years later, with the Ernie Banks base card.

1973 Topps Football - I bought a partial set (65% complete) of 1973 football back at the beginning of 2020 and finally knocked it off 4 years later. The last card wasn't actually Fran Tarkenton, but rather one of the unnumbered team checklists.  Fran was actually the last base set card and one I actually scanned.

1972-1973 Topps Basketball - I started this set back in 2018, so just over 6 years to complete.  This was another situation where I bought a partial set. I don't remember what the last card was. I finished the set with about a dozen commons from Sportlots. so I'm just going to post a random card.

I did also make progress on other areas of my collection:

1967 Topps baseball - I went from 35% to 86% complete in 2024.  I really didn't realize I made that much progress. Though, in another sense, I didn't.  I am 96% complete on the first 5 series, 68% complete on the semi-high 6th series and 45% for the high number 7th series. Unfortunately, most high numbers I acquired were double printed in the series. So, with one exception, most of the expensive high numbers are still on my want list.  My one victory, if you will, was that I was able to pick up the Carew RC in December.    

I would like to finish in 2025, but the Seaver RC and Brooks short print will make that a challenge even beyond the 40 other high numbers.  And while I try to keep things positive, I do need to crab about card 605, Mike Shannon.  Despite a Beckett high book value of $50, this card almost always sells for 2 or more times that price. Even in mid-grade condition.

1969 Topps Football - I am only 42% complete but I have all the major stars. I haven't really haven't spent any time recently moving this forward.  When '67 baseball gets me down, I should probably work on this one.

1970 Topps Football - 13 cards to go. 95% complete. I have all the major stars, but I am having trouble finding reasonably priced commons to finish this out.  Truthfully, I could probably finish this out for around $50 on Sportlots.  But, the cumulative high book value on the remaining needs is $37. Which means, I am willing to pay up to $20 for the remaining cards.  Sportlots is odd.  I try to maximize what I buy from each seller. I was able to finish out my 1973 football set quite reasonably.  For 1970 though, there is only one seller who has all the cards I need (and in several cases the only copy of a card on the entire site) and he is pricing them well beyond where they should be.  In the end, paying his prices won't break the bank, but I struggle with rewarding such behavior.

Fleer Autograph project: I added 3 new signed 1960 Fleer cards (Sam Rice, Paul Derringer, and Pie Traynor) and 2 new 1961s (Babe Adams and Donie Bush.)  That isn't a huge number, but I am at the point in the project where all the commonly available cards are already in my collection and I am down to the cards that are either ungodly expensive or ungodly rare.

Paul Blair collection - I have written about this several times this year and won't go into depth here. My major accomplishment was reorganizing the collection.  My favorite addition  was a 1968 Venezuelan.

Johnny Antonelli collection  - Not unlike the Fleer autograph project, this is collection is generalu stalled due to the rarity of the remaining needs. I did add a few picture pack photos although I did complain about trying to differentiate them in an earlier post. My favorite was the packaging for a 1956 Big League Statue.  

 

So, what is on the agenda for 2025?

Nothing definitive. I am anticipating additional adult responsibilities this year, so I am not planning on any big hobby achievements.  I would like to make progress on each of the projects mentioned above, but I am not going to put a number to most of it.. The only thing I definitely want to complete is the first five series of 1967 baseball for which I am only 17 cards short of completion.  The only major cards among those 17 are Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.  Neither are cheap, but both will probably still be had for a price less than even the commonest of high number commons.

Additionally, I would like to start putting together the 1969-70 Topps basketball set. I probably shouldn't due to the Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) rookie card, but since I already have the Wilt Chamberlain, I don't see much issue with slowing adding to the set build in anticipation of having a time in the future I might be able to get the Alcindor and complete the set.

That is about it. No huge plans. I would like to make a trek down to Dallas this year for the big show they have every other month.  I have been wanting to since I was last at that show in 2022.  But the fund commitment needed to justify a 3 hour drive each way may preclude it.  

Anyways, I am looking forward to 2025 and I hope you have a safe, fun, and successful year!

What I am listening to: Locked in the Trunk of a Car by The Tragically Hip