What are some reasons why people don't put sets together?

[brouthercard]

This was the foundation of card collecting from the start- collect them all!

What are some reasons why you avoid putting together sets- not just base sets, but ANY sets, even the most challenging ones?

 

[1995BBRefractorGuy]

with computers sets became not very difficult to put together, IMO I think parallel sets are going to continue to increase in popularity (esp 90's stuff)....

 

[isotopes4]

lack of room. i have started keeping my base cards though. i collect a few sets like topps & A&G.

 

[Mudcatsfan]

The advent of being able to purchase a complete set as you check out at Target or Walmart for the cost of one or two hobby boxes of that product.

No real challenge anymore.

Looking back at the sets of the 1990's and knowing that the entirety of the value of the set comes from the one big rookie from that set. (anyone want to buy a nearly complete set of 1994 UD SP. Only missing ONE card?)

worship of the all mighty dollar.

WIth only star players in most sets the desire to find a card of a John Koronka is dissipated.

 

[brouthercard]

There seems to be a general consensus why people don't collect base sets- they are too easy to complete with some products almost guaranteeing one complete set per box, or they are simply too bulky and take up too much space.

I understand people keeping a Topps base set every year- this is simply tradition.

What is it about A and G that keeps people coming back?

I agree with the fun challenge of completing parallel sets or difficult insert sets.

Does cost prevent anyone from doing so? I love going for sets, and it's not the total cost of the set that prevents me from doing so, but I find that every time I try to go for a difficult project, it becomes harder and harder to justify the sometimes insane prices I have to pay for certain players, even though I need them for my set, and then I just simply bail out. How do you combat these feelings? I also try to complete them as quickly as possible, so I admit I lack some patience at times to wait for a less expensive copy to come around, but sometimes that wait can be YEARS......

 

[francisjniskey]

I'm a Player collector instead of a set collector. I like focusing on one player.

 

[brouthercard]

The advent of being able to purchase a complete set as you check out at Target or Walmart for the cost of one or two hobby boxes of that product.

No real challenge anymore.

Looking back at the sets of the 1990's and knowing that the entirety of the value of the set comes from the one big rookie from that set. (anyone want to buy a nearly complete set of 1994 UD SP. Only missing ONE card?)

worship of the all mighty dollar.

WIth only star players in most sets the desire to find a card of a John Koronka is dissipated.

What about the very challenging sets?

I'm talking about stuff like a 2005 bowman chrome draft gold refractor set, or perhaps a 2007 topps heritage black refractor parallel set? These sets would have been impossible in the pre late nineties, though the prevalence of the internet has finally made these "possible".

Anyone ever consider anything like that? What would prevent you from doing so? How about a 2009 bowman draft orange refractor set? It was just released, so the singles are really easy to find right now...

 

[walter55]

There are a few reasons for me with the main 2 being
1. I don't buy wax anymore.
2 There are no card stores or shows in my area and while you can get commons cheap at sites like Sportslots half the fun for me was going through the boxes.

 

[blitzerlover]

I'm a Player collector instead of a set collector. I like focusing on one player.

This. Also a team collector.

 

[brouthercard]

So why do Hockey guys go crazy over putting together sets?

 

[blitzerlover]

So why do Hockey guys go crazy over putting together sets?

Most Hockey collectors are Canadian, and we all know Canadians aren't right in the head.

 

[HPC]

I think the value part of it.

I like putting auto sets together, and doing that, but base sets are worthless (with the exception of a few)

Not to mention, when base sets were worth putting together, there weren't upwards of 80 baseball products released a year. That diminished the fun/value alot

 

[AMAZIN HOF COLLECTOR]

So why do Hockey guys go crazy over putting together sets?

Most Hockey collectors are Canadian, and we all know Canadians aren't right in the head.

:lol: :lol: :lol: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: :lol: :lol: :lol: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: :lol: :lol: :lol: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: :lol: :lol: :lol: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm:: ::facepalm::

 

[hawkfandan]

So why do Hockey guys go crazy over putting together sets?

Most Hockey collectors are Canadian, and we all know Canadians aren't right in the head.

LOL

It is true though. The hockey guys loooooove them some set collecting.

 

[madbull34]

I live in a small place, so space is the main reason I don't collect sets. I only focus on singles for my PC.

 

[studioclint]

I would like to build some gu and auto sets. The problem is now days the companies make it to hard. They make every card but three out of a hundred and the last 3 are out of 5. Some people may like that but it makes it to hard to complete and too costly for no reason. I paid over a 100 bucks for a matt holliday auto for a set I am working on. I like some of the old auto sets where anyone from griffey to jose cruz jr. are all out of a 100. That makes it easier to do. I guess some people could say I am lazy.

 

[Fandruw25]

I think that you have so many releases coming out every year it's hard to keep up with. Think back to the 40's-70's you only had a couple of sets being made every year so most your 'card money' went to building that one set. Now you have a new set just about every other week.

I also think it has to do with the type of collectors, To a player collector or a prospecter or team collector, a complete set doesn't really do anything for you.

 

[jbone17]

People do not build sets anymore because the value of base cards have gone down significantly. People would rather put money into other cards instead of finishing a set.

 

[mudflap02]

The advent of being able to purchase a complete set as you check out at Target or Walmart for the cost of one or two hobby boxes of that product.

No real challenge anymore.

Looking back at the sets of the 1990's and knowing that the entirety of the value of the set comes from the one big rookie from that set. (anyone want to buy a nearly complete set of 1994 UD SP. Only missing ONE card?)

worship of the all mighty dollar.

WIth only star players in most sets the desire to find a card of a John Koronka is dissipated.

What about the very challenging sets?

I'm talking about stuff like a 2005 bowman chrome draft gold refractor set, or perhaps a 2007 topps heritage black refractor parallel set? These sets would have been impossible in the pre late nineties, though the prevalence of the internet has finally made these "possible".

Anyone ever consider anything like that? What would prevent you from doing so? How about a 2009 bowman draft orange refractor set? It was just released, so the singles are really easy to find right now...

The black refractor sets are awesome, but they will challenge the budget. Between player collectors and set builders, even though the cards are numbered to a little higher than 50, usually only about 5 show up on ebay. I think if even only 1 or 2 more people decided to start building these sets, they would immediately get a lot spendier.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z142 ... ?start=all

 

[brouthercard]

I would think that with so many sets to choose from, it would be a great thing!

You can pick the one set you like the best rather than be stuck with no choices.

I would say the more challenging, the better, but you guys are right, it can be discouraging sometimes, I would hate to have to pay anywhere near triple figures for a Matt Holiday auto.

I guess I've just resolved to going for sets that I wouldn't mind paying a high amount for for every single card, either because I love the design or I love the player selection.

I just recently completed the exquisite basketball flashback set, and every player was a superstar, so I didn't mind the prices I paid, and it's a nice looking one. Unfortunately, four of the cards are redemptions, and who knows how long i'll be waiting for that one...