AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THIS DILEMMA EXPERIENCE PART II

 

                                  In my last post I had a dilemma involving if I should do a set that I think I could finish within a short span if I should do it with a start of 13 cards out of 300. After much consideration I thought about it & well......I decided to go ahead & try it. What can I say everywhere I look as I mentioned whether its at a shop or show I find them. especially if you look from the pictures I have seen what I needed at first to what I am starting now. Other than one says Premium Stock on the front when I look at backs sometimes in boxes at shops or shows cause of how they are placed in them I would say its the one I need then I flip it over find out its the other so I am hoping after I clean up all the Premium Stocks up maybe the others will show up.  

This is what I needed for my `21/`22 Hoops Set.

This is what I just started on the `19/`20 Hoops Premium Stock. 


                              Anyways so I am starting another new set I just need 152 more of the `19/20 Hoops Premium Stock then its complete my goal is to get it down to single digits or complete it by Thanksgiving. I currently have a bet going on with someone that I will accomplish it the loser well just say its something that neither one of us wants to do me I have to go 3 days without having doing CAT-stetics while they have to give more snuggles to me whom am I am I talking about my little collecting buddy Ms. Sage.

She doesn't want to do her Cat-stetics so I am hoping that I can get the snuggles.

                            I'll keep you all posted on how the progress goes until then as always Rogers Hornsby once said "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."

AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THIS DILEMMA EXPERIENCE

 

                            13 Cards thats right just 13 cards is causing me to experience this dilemma that I am having. I guess I should explain well last week I was rummaging through 18 5000ct boxes of basketball that I have. I came across 13 cards out of 300 cards from a complete set that whenever I am at a show or shop I just happen to come across these cards from this set & not a set I am working on cause they are a different year making me wonder maybe I should just try to do that set since I am always coming across them & not the one I am needing. I know its not even a dent but something tells me to try it & then there's something telling me to finish off at least a couple more of the basketball sets before starting something new.

                               I have been at this crossroad once before & just say the choice I made then didn't turn out to be great cause I thought I could completed it only to have to try to find the missing singles which I eventually did but it was very costly for me to get. That was the 1994 Cuban Serie Selectia set cause not many people have these cards. I was skeptical when I bought the boxes cause I bought them at a National Sports Card Convention in Baltimore back in 2012. The dealer said I could get 2 complete sets in 3 boxes since theres only 132 cards in the whole set. I figured those odds yeah I might as well try it after all its not everyday ya come across Cuban Cards plus the dealer said if I didn't complete the set to email him & he send me what was missing. So I took his business card just in case. Well I ended up missing about 30 cards to complete it so I reached out to the dealer via email well......turns out he never got my email nor anyone I knew didn't have any & I was stuck with trying to find them a year passed I walked by another  dealer at the 2013 National who happened to have some vintage 1940s Cuban cards so I struck up a conversation with the dealer asking if he might had any of the 1994s he said he might but send him SASE(Self Addressed Stamp Envelope) with a list with contact information should he have any questions he could contact me about them.  After the National I reached out to him to see if he remembered having a chat with a collector doing an enquiry about these cards I even sent him a triplicate of a card to show what I was looking for about 2 weeks after mailing out my letter I get a call it was dealer saying he got my letter & he remembered me & that he could send me all that I needed. I was excited about 4 weeks later there was a small package in the mail that was my missing singles. Whenever I look at the set now I remember the risk I took in making the set. 

These are pre-Rookie Cards of Livan Hernandez & his Half-Brother Orlando "El Duque' Hernandez that are in my Cuban Set from 1994. 

                                      Now I know some of you readers aren't set builders like me your either a 1 team collector or have certain players. So I pose this question for you if ya happened to come across a small batch of cards like I mentioned above would & ya happened to see a bunch of cards of that particular player or team pending on however ya collect at shows or shops & those that ya found would ya try & do it or would just wait it out cause its just a fluke ya of you finding that small stack let me know in the comments below & let me know am I the only one thats experience this problem or not if I am the only one please explain what you did. Until next time again I normally do my Rogers Hornsby quote but I think Ill end this post by quoting author David Halberstam who wrote a book about the 1949 season called "The Summer of '49" he once said "By & large its the sport that a foreigner is least likely to take to. You have to grow up playing it, you have to accept the lore of the bubble-gum card, & believe that if the answer to the Mays-Snider-Mantle question is found,then the universe will be a simpler & more ordered place."

2001 UPPER DECK DECADE 1970s GAME USED BAT PART XXVII

 

                             "Now Batting #22 Jack Clark......" Jack 'The Ripper' Clark was an outfielder/first baseman played for the San Francisco Giants during the 1970's (1975-1984) then he was sent to St Louis Cardinals 1985-1987, then he went to the American League to become a DH for the New York Yankees 1988, after he feuded with Lou Piniella he requested to go back to the National League so he packed his bags for San Diego Padres 1989-1990 then he played 2 more years back in the American League again but this time he was with the Boston Red Sox 1991-1992. Once Boston released him he tried to get on with the Montreal Expos for the 1993 season but his back problems which were of the injuries that nagged him all throughout his career so with that happening he was released before playing any regular season games for them.  Jack was a 4 time All-Star, 2 time Silver Slugger award winner. 

When I think of Clark 2 images of him come to my mind the first is this card his 1982 Fleer. The reason is I saw this card in Beckett once where someone put like a comic balloon by the Umpire having him say "That's guy Jack he's the guy heckling ya to swing...." 

Tell me you don't see that Umpire pointing out the disrespectful fan for Jack.

The 2nd image is his 1988 Fleer Update card again but this time someone drilled a hole 🕳  like that on the side of his face.

Can ya picture that hole 🕳 on his face there.

              To me Jack yeah he played in late '70s on the fence of including him in this lineup cause again I see him mainly as an 1980s threat so what's your take on him do you include him or not lmk in the comments below until then our next batter is Joe Morgan until then remember Rogers Hornsby once said "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a communist."

LOOKING BACK PRE-INTERNET WAYS

 

*Impersonates Sophia of the Golden Girls* Picture this Michigan 1997                        
             Last week Wednesday I found my old 3 Subject notebook that I would take with me whenever I would attend a show or I was going out of my area for a card shop or show. Allow me to translate what you're looking at on this page here I would give it a title this one says "Baseball Card Checklist & Beckett Baseball." 

                    I normally would use black or blue ink hopefully I didn't make any mistakes otherwise would have to start all over on the lists. Then if I get the fine pointed Red Sharpie to tell me I didn't need to find it anymore & I would cross out the box & eventually write canceled so it would tell me I didn't need anymore of that set. I eventually would get a rubber stamp that said canceled on it so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. The scribbled out one that you're not able to read was the 1993 Topps at the time I needed card #382 Tim Belcher.  

It was the last card I needed to complete my 1993 Topps set at the time I am glad it wasn't like the Jeter RC. 

                   The next set was the 1994 Select at the time one of my local shops was able to get only a couple Series II boxes so I didn't want to put 1 Through 210 in square boxes so I wrote Series I in hopes I was able to locate a complete set of them or a box then eventually I would update the list had I found one. I was lucky to know via checklists to know names if needed if not I would've left it blank. After that was the 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes set they had a parallel card in each pack & I was doing that set cause I already did the regular set & thought it wouldn't been that hard to get them .  Unfortunately none my local shops had any of them but I was able to find a shop outside my area that had some.  After that was the 1995 Pinnacle set then we get the 1997 Score. Then you say why does the title include Beckett Baseball on it simply that's what's listed after the 1997 Score set cause I collected every single Beckett Monthly & til this date I still do.  I guess this entry had it where I got the 1995 SP Upper Deck set & I didn't want to start all over with the list. 

                     I would then ask if I could get a ride to the closest Kinkos Copiers since it was the only place that would be opened 24/7 for all your printing needs. So I could make multiple copies of the lists due to the fact I was a subscriber to Sports Collectors Digest & I would read sometimes the classified ads to see to find potential traders. My philosophy on trading then as is kinda now meaning say our first trade consist of you sending me about 10 cards I then in return send you 30 cards but you say well obviously I win cause I am getting more cards then you gotten from me well......that's where your wrong cause who's to say in the next deal I only can locate 15 from your list & you sent me 75 cards so I win this round WRONG!!!!!! we both win were both getting closer to completing something for me its a set need or a small PC need as for you it depends on how ya view what I sent ya I don't like it when I have to send you the same amount cause I am not rich nor do I think you are either. Now we do this back n forth until one of us can no longer make deals hopefully now ya can see why I don't mind helping you out cause maybe down the road you'll find me something. Another reason I would ask for a copy of my lists is again I would send my lists to you that would be a master list for you to work on until I sent you an updated version much like the internet does for me now. but it would take 6-8 weeks before ya got an updated version so yeah I know I would get dupes but who's to say when I ever got the card & who's to say you got the card I found from your list of needs. 

                            Eventually I would be able to type up my lists on websites thinking it would be easier to send ya the link to my lists & hope that the place where the lists were wasn't going away well.......after starting off on the Beckett site they removed it who knows when then I moved to freewebs that went from a free site to oh please send us $$$$$$ now site. Then 2 years ago I am very thankful that I have a site (Fingers crossed they don't do anything drastic) that I can Blog from & as well have links to lists I thank my friend Greg without his help none of you would read about it & I wouldn't have made so many new friends meaning you the readers of my blog to trade with & judging from all the people whom I have sent packages to that your amazed when I find something that you've practically thought you never would find & am I glad to always read what you thought of what I sent ya from my area & I am the same way I am always greatful when I get a package from anyone who sends me things off my lists cause I usually say "So that's where that Applesauce of thing on my lists was located (fill in your best description of your area where ya from here)" 

            Now some of you yes I know I have your contact information on my phone & the reason for that is if I am at a show or shop or someplace where I can pull the trigger on something you've been looking for I want your feedback about it cause then know ya can expect something special from me soon, or ya can be like I mention when ya find me something. Other times I like to say your a friend when I can call you & talk cards with you reason is sometimes get a general idea what is hot in the hobby in your area & let you know what its going on in my area or get some ideas for my blog as well get ideas what I should with my collection in such since I am my worst critic on things example I reached out the other day by having a reader of my blog a Mr. RJ Stahl call me cause I wanted to get a general idea plus talk baseball with him on his beloved Twins & everything else in Minnesota now this was our first conversation of what I hope to be more down the road because he was impressed on what I talked about plus I was still feeling depressed about losing that card shop job & talking to someone out of state I wanted reassurance that everything was alright so thank you for lifting my spirits there RJ.

           Now that's my look back at what I went through in my lists before I found the internet I am posting this post on the last day of the 2026 National Sports Card Convention. The reason why I am doing on this day is normally if I was at the National I would have had multi-posts about what all I saw,picked up,traded for,etc..... well there's always next year & well I hope to continue to share with you my insights on what I think the hobby means to me. until then I am reminded of what Rogers Hornsby once said about signing autographs for little kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."