I just realized that it’s been right around 6 months since I officially started collecting specific players instead of sets. I’m also just over a year back into the hobby. Looking back and comparing the two 6-month periods, there’s no doubt the second half was much more fulfilling and exciting as a collector.
Before, I felt like I was collecting aimlessly and without purpose. All of the SPs in the sets made me feel like the time and money spent was bound to end in disaster and remorse. Deep down, I have always been a player collector.
In May of this year, after some voting assistance from you out there, I announced that I would collect three players: Ryan Theriot, Ryan Dempster, and Greg Maddux. Well, once Theriot was traded to the Dodgers, I traded that in for a Carlos Marmol collection, which has grown very rapidly. I don’t go after anything serial #’d lower than 50, and for Dempster, I don’t currently care about anything other than Cubs cards.
Where do I stand 6 months later?
Dempster:
Then- 141 cards I needed to collect.
Now – 173 (313 with cards #’d less than 50)
Have – 30
Percentage – 17.34%
Marmol:
Then – don’t know, I never took a count
Now – 85 (152 with cards #’d less than 50)
Have – 26
Percentage – 30.59%
Maddux:
Then – 5,950
Now – 5,951 (he only had 1 card in 2010 – a manufactured patch card found in Update blasters; 10,540 with cards #’d less than 50)
Have -236
Percentage – 3.97%
Not too bad, right? A large percentage have come from ebay purchases. I won a couple big lots of Maddux cards that helped fill in a lot of gaps, and I’ve been picking up some new product parallels for the current Cubs when the price is right. But enough yapping, you want to see some scans, right?
I'm so glad there aren't Abe variations on any parallels, or in Chrome...yet
Can you believe that I have 7 different cards with this picture on the front. How about that I still have a whopping 10 more to go before all rainbows are complete. Good thing I like this picture. Dempster looks very flamingo like to me. Also his legs work to close the parentheses that is the 2010 Topps design.
Acquired cheap thanks to me collecting someone with little competition
Since we’re talking 2010 Topps rainbows, I’ll tell you that I have 4 different cards with this picture. However, I have only 3 more to go before I have them all. This can be attributed to the fact that Marmol isn’t in Chrome, and there’s one less card technically because the Cubs team set picture isn’t identical to the regular issue like it is with Dempster. I know you’re all riveted. I really like the black borders, but I still can’t help but feel like the numbering on the back could be manipulated or rubbed off over time or possibly manipulated by shady dealers.
asdf
We’ll end with another in the serial number theme. This was an accidental purchase. I meant to just watch and I must have put in a bid on accident. The good news is that means it was mine for the bare minimum. Even though I didn’t mean to add it to the binder so soon, I’m not disappointed. The card looks very nice, even if the /2500 part is tough to read. Plus it’s from a box of cards that’s still quite expensive, I believe because of tough pull cards like this one (that evidently have no secondary market value anymore). I’ll take it!
What will the next 6 months bring? Who knows, but my guess is less forward progress if I don’t buy a couple more big lots on ebay. My trade lists are up on the trade page if anyone wants to help me reach that next percentage point!
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