I was a hardcore Topps devotee back in the day. Building hand-collated (gem mint) sets was my perennial chase. However, I did get sucked into the 1989 Billy Ripken (#616) bat knob chase. Bought 2 boxes and came away victorious with a single card sporting the obscenity. Gotta admit it was a fun Saturday afternoon. But my collector friends appreciated it far more than I did.
Set-building is the ultimate chase, and one that can basically last a collecting lifetime. As you say, though, chasing down that Ripken must have been a real blast.
I had the chance to drive Nettles to an airport 30 years ago. I had him sign that Craig card for me. Super guy as well. For me it was that ‘87 Fleer Seizter rookie with John Stefero and the Classic Baseball yellow Seizter insert. I wish I could have some of those hours back. Some of them. Not all.
Seitzer was an out-of-nowhere story, at least in my world. Amazing breakout. I don't know if I'd reclaim any of my hobby hours. Better spent than any of the time I "invested" in trying to finagle more time with my high school girlfriend.
The one concession I had to make was that we had to actually eat the mac & cheese. So my boxes are empty, but refused to fold them flat (though you could). Thus the low density. I'm afraid I couldn't resist C Nettles and Kittle at those prices if I encountered them in person, even today. :)
Love this! Similar to you, my parents (after seeing a news story about a valuable card sale I’m sure) decided I needed a hobby and baseball cards were it. Went to Toy’s R Us and bought a Topps card collecting starter set. Just like that 1988 Topps was my hobby. Spent the next few years in the hobby. Now I appreciate it more. Just broke out all my own cards to spend time with my pops in spirit. Decided to start up again after seeing the cool design of the Topps 24 Heritage. I’m taking a gentle approach and want to complete the set. Don’t care about chasing shiny chromatic things. 90’s comic books have scarred me forever about chasing such things for investment purposes. Just sit in my garage with my dog, buy a couple of packs and enjoy this journey
Ha. Cards never talked back or resulted in drama.
I was a hardcore Topps devotee back in the day. Building hand-collated (gem mint) sets was my perennial chase. However, I did get sucked into the 1989 Billy Ripken (#616) bat knob chase. Bought 2 boxes and came away victorious with a single card sporting the obscenity. Gotta admit it was a fun Saturday afternoon. But my collector friends appreciated it far more than I did.
Set-building is the ultimate chase, and one that can basically last a collecting lifetime. As you say, though, chasing down that Ripken must have been a real blast.
I had the chance to drive Nettles to an airport 30 years ago. I had him sign that Craig card for me. Super guy as well. For me it was that ‘87 Fleer Seizter rookie with John Stefero and the Classic Baseball yellow Seizter insert. I wish I could have some of those hours back. Some of them. Not all.
Seitzer was an out-of-nowhere story, at least in my world. Amazing breakout. I don't know if I'd reclaim any of my hobby hours. Better spent than any of the time I "invested" in trying to finagle more time with my high school girlfriend.
You can now have C Nettles for $8 and Kittle for a buck. I may do it today in honor of you.
And please tell me is the macaroni still in the boxes? Or can you fold them flat? I don’t recall these and just need to know.
The one concession I had to make was that we had to actually eat the mac & cheese. So my boxes are empty, but refused to fold them flat (though you could). Thus the low density. I'm afraid I couldn't resist C Nettles and Kittle at those prices if I encountered them in person, even today. :)
Love this! Similar to you, my parents (after seeing a news story about a valuable card sale I’m sure) decided I needed a hobby and baseball cards were it. Went to Toy’s R Us and bought a Topps card collecting starter set. Just like that 1988 Topps was my hobby. Spent the next few years in the hobby. Now I appreciate it more. Just broke out all my own cards to spend time with my pops in spirit. Decided to start up again after seeing the cool design of the Topps 24 Heritage. I’m taking a gentle approach and want to complete the set. Don’t care about chasing shiny chromatic things. 90’s comic books have scarred me forever about chasing such things for investment purposes. Just sit in my garage with my dog, buy a couple of packs and enjoy this journey
Sounds like the perfect plan to me. Life doesn't get much better than spending time with your baseball cards and your loyal pup.