Anyone working on a building a set they know will be near impossible to complete?

[MansGame]

Good idea for a thread. I'm obviously not someone who is doing this considering I'm a huge player collector but look forward to seeing what others say.

Just my two cents, I know there are a few out there collecting the 1998 Red Crusades set. A few who are collecting the Mirror Golds set from like '96. I know of one guy who is trying to collect the 2012 Topps set of printing plates. I could go on and on considering all the set collectors who have contacted me over the years. Dudes are CRAZY!

 

[Topnotchsy]

When I ran a store, we had an out-of-town Customer that stopped in when he was in town visiting Family. Very nice guy, and claimed he owned a store in the Seattle area. Always bought a lot and claimed to have most of the auto set. Showed me pics of some of them so I assume he was telling the truth. He said that he knew another guy working on the set. And that they flipped a coin to see who would get the /3s. He had Ted and the other guy had Killer. He won.

Also, one of the Ruth autos was pulled by a dealer near us and sold thru auction in Chicago the following summer.

Awesome!

Those cards are in a different stratosphere for me but if done right I think I can grab some of the more common ones with the proceeds from buying and selling other cards.

 

[tonsofcommons]

With the Pacific football sets that I am working on, there are a few sets that I know I will never have 100% completed, but I will do my best and when it comes down to those final few, I will just look and if I happen to find them, so be it.

Cards I'm mainly talking about:

2000 Aurora Patch set. Currently have 3 of the 10 in the set. They are all /10.



2000 Vanguard Dual Patches
I have only seen 3 from this set. This McNair/McNabb, another of this card, and Rice/Moss, which went for too much. Main reason this set won't be obtainable is everyone's favorite card Hostage-taker, JadeRock. He currently has 6 of the 15 of the Brunnell/Steve Young, and is looking for more. Damn him!



2001 Titanium Post Season Patches.
Too many no name players /10 or less.

2002 Atomic Patches.
Again, touch with many cards very short printed, including Plummer /8, Urlacher /2, and Jerome Pathon /6. There is a Stephen Alexander /7 on ebay with a nice patch, but again, JadeRock has done his magic.

The rest of the sets should be obtainable, in the long run.

 

[SirGabel]

It's amazing to see all the passion you all have for different sets. Im an addict just like you guys. I mainly focus on Deaf Athletes as I go every card, jersey, bat that they wore in the game. However Im doing one set on the side because I enjoy seeing want list getting smaller once i add cards in the set. The set is 1993 Topps Finest Refractor. When the set first came out when i was 13 years old. I thought they were the most beautiful cards ever and it was selling 20 dollars a pack at my card store. My mom wouldn't allow me to buy them. So over the years I noticed that the commons refractor go for 20-30 on ebay so I was like, I gotta have few. I started with Mets cards and now Im at 114 out of 199 cards. Will I ever finish it? Very good question because the final cards would be Ryan, Griffey, Ripken and they cost a lot. I always try to get 1-2 cards per month to keep it running well.

Best,
Danny

 

[homerun28aa]

This set has everything going for it to make it an impossible chase. Most copies are very deeply buried in PC's. The price of any card in the set is extremely high. It's often the most expensive modern day card for these players. The print runs are low, with the Killebrew at /3. A Ted Williams /9 just sold for roughly $9,000-$10,000. The cut sigs Mantle /1 and Ruth /3 have to be $20,000+ cards. So I know I'll never complete it. But it seems like the type of challenge that would be fun, and ironically not break the bank because odds are I'll rarely see any available.

That said the set is the A Piece of History 500 Club Autograph Set.


View attachment 44200

Oh wow, I'd say you're spot on this is the cream of the crop and I'd expect most to be buried in the PC of people with deep pockets who are not looking to unload. IMO this is hands down the nicest modern GU cards, the autos and the non-auto cards. They come at an insane premium as compared to other GU cards, but these are timeless; they hold their value and appreciate like no other. I can't tell you how many GU cards I have that went from the $100-$150 range to the $30-$50 range, so I don't think you can go wrong from a money perspective, especially on those incredibly rare ones that you've described I don't think there's a such thing as overpaying for those.

 

[mrmopar]

It's hard enough to chase down players for a player collection, let alone battle all of those different collectors for their guys as well as the set collectors for the cards you otherwise would have little interest in.

I stick to singles these days. I was putting together insert sets in the 90s, but even that got tough to do for anything beyond the 1/box pulls.

I am sure I have a couple singles that are holding up a set collector still (especially the multiplayer cards), although if there are enough copies, eventually one tends to turn up.

 

[roundtree34]

@ gt2590, yes they are all numbered xx/61, I have them all in penny sleeve's and yes top loaders. I have about $400 into it so far, been trading and so forth.

 

[Mighty Bombjack]

Does a HOF autograph collection count? It is not a "set," but it is impossible to finish (or even get really close without substantial wealth).

I have been on 240 for a long time, and I don't think the number is going up except with new inductions.

 

[homerun28aa]

Does a HOF autograph collection count? It is not a "set," but it is impossible to finish (or even get really close without substantial wealth).

I have been on 240 for a long time, and I don't think the number is going up except with new inductions.

I would consider this as impossible as it gets, does Addie Joss even have a known certified signature? Aren't there also the ***** league inductees who are absolutely impossible (Christobal Torriente - maybe others as well)?

 

[Topnotchsy]

Does a HOF autograph collection count? It is not a "set," but it is impossible to finish (or even get really close without substantial wealth).

I have been on 240 for a long time, and I don't think the number is going up except with new inductions.

Definitely counts in my book! Would love to see scans of some of the rarer/more obscure ones.

 

[michaelstepper]

Does a HOF autograph collection count? It is not a "set," but it is impossible to finish (or even get really close without substantial wealth).

I have been on 240 for a long time, and I don't think the number is going up except with new inductions.

That counts!
Only 95 behind you, damn

 

[JoshHamilton]

After screwing around a bit, I'm collecting these sets.

2013 Tribute WBC black /5. Have 6 now, 70 in the set. No idea if there are blacks for all players
2014 Five Star MLB logo autos. 44 cards, all 1/1. Don't laugh, I know it's infeasible and cost prohibitive. I have the Goldy and Cargo redemption, and am working on the Jofer. That'll mean I'll own all three that have shown up so far

 

[gt2590]

@ gt2590, yes they are all numbered xx/61, I have them all in penny sleeve's and yes top loaders. I have about $400 into it so far, been trading and so forth.

DAMN! Very impressive...

 

[DiebytheCubs]

Just this year I started to try to put together a 1951 Bowman set. I'm about 20 cards in at this point, which is honestly further than I thought I would make it


Hand delivered via the Pony Express

 

[gt2590]

Just this year I started to try to put together a 1951 Bowman set. I'm about 20 cards in at this point, which is honestly further than I thought I would make it

Graded or Raw?

 

[DiebytheCubs]

Graded or Raw?

Raw. I try to avoid the total beaters but I'm oak with it being a little messed up, mostly because it's cheaper then


Hand delivered via the Pony Express

 

[Bigfan5]

Good luck on going for that set..

As you know, I tend to try for sets that are tough to fill..

I have a few..

2005 Donruss Timelines..(there is a Babe Ruth 1/1 and a Roger Maris 1/1)

http://www.mcaf.com/pinbreaker/pers_coll/salutations/salutations.htm

2004 Donruss Leather & Lumber Baseball Leather Auto's which are numbered /5 or /10
I need the Ralph Kiner /5 and Luis Aparicio /10 to complete it.. I have seen 2 Aparaicio's and "ZERO" Kiner's

http://www.mcaf.com/pinbreaker/pers_coll/LL04/LL04.htm

and of course the 2009 Ultimate Patch cards..

http://s27.photobucket.com/user/pinbreaker/slideshow/Upper Deck/09 Ultimate Baseball/Ultimate Patch

Which of the 2009 Ultimate Patch cards do you need? I have the complete set and some doubles as well.

 

[Adrian D.]

I have found that pretty much every set I try to collect is near impossible to complete.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Which of the 2009 Ultimate Patch cards do you need? I have the complete set and some doubles as well.

Hey!! long time no see. How are things going?

 

[shanks25]

Lots of folks showing up lately that I haven't seen in a while. Big fan, talmer, big E.....

I'll throw my hat in. Been working on the fleer club 3000 gu set for years now. It may still be in my sig.... im on mobile.

Breakdown....14 players. 6 cards per player. Base. Jersey. Bat. Bat / jersey. Bat / hat / jersey.

I have all but 6 or 7 of the triples (numbered to 25).

The triples are almost never seen. When they pop up they command a serious premium. Thanks to top for getting me a couple this year!!!!!

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