Any Trading Cards guys? (Sports, etc) (4 Viewers)

[Major]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Eying up Dickerson and Singletary RC's in the psa 9 range. Super sweet cards that won't break the bank. Got a little side fund slowly building for them and a bunch of others.

Me and my buddies used to collect cans to buy packs in the 80s, 55 cents a pack, 6 cans, and you get a 5 cent candy for your troubles. The nostalgia of saving up a few bucks here and there is part of the fun for me. The day i got my first Canseco rated rookie is still one of my best memories. I thought i was going to be a millionaire by the 7th grade.

 

[JohnnyU]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Even the newer short printed chaser cards are only worth what someone is willing to pay and I think that goes down the longer you wait, regardless of perceived value. I think some of them, not all, lose their luster over time. Just like error cards do. They may be valuable, but to who?

 

[Major]

Eying up Dickerson and Singletary RC's in the psa 9 range. Super sweet cards that won't break the bank. Got a little side fund slowly building for them and a bunch of others.

Me and my buddies used to collect cans to buy packs in the 80s, 55 cents a pack, 6 cans, and you get a 5 cent candy for your troubles. The nostalgia of saving up a few bucks here and there is part of the fun for me. The day i got my first Canseco rated rookie is still one of my best memories. I thought i was going to be a millionaire by the 7th grade.

That 86 Donruss Canseco was a grail back then. Get that 87 Topps rookie cup trash out of my face

 

[FairWarning]

Anyone attending the National in Chicago at the end of this month?

50/50 for me.

Nice surprise to see the 2025 Score football out already.

 

[Gottabesweet]

Missed my chance to sell my Ovechkin PSA10 YG two weeks before he broke the record. My problem is when I miss selling at a high (like many of the Covid high prices) I’m reluctant to sell anything now know what it once was.

 

[shuke]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Yes, this is the collectibles market in a nutshell. Things that are really sought out are those that were widely available, so that they invoke nostalgia in a wider audience, but that no one kept or kept in good condition.

 

[Fat Nick]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Yep. This. Collectability (i.e. price appreciation) only works when the supply < demand.

• The pre-1980's stuff is somewhat scarce...at least compared to junk wax and modern commons. There is intrinsic value in even ungraded or beat up cards. The supply and demand is probably slightly skewed to the demand slide, but it's sensitive to player, grade and set. I think vintage stuff will continue a modest appreciation over time, with faster appreciation to really high end cards of high end players.
• In the '80's, junk was was massive supply >>> demand. Nothing was scarce. Enter grading companies, who via the assignment of numerical grades, managed to cut the population of Greg Jefferies rookies into segments, where there were maybe 5% - 10% 10's. So only 10's are scarce and have high $$$ I see this market as stable at the high grades personally.
• The modern stuff relies on limited print run inserts and variants (i.e. 1/1's). In my opinion, grading really doesn't serve as much of a purpose here, but people use it anyway. There's no real value in grading a 1/1 numerically. You either want it or you don't. But people grade them anyway, and they value accordingly. It's 10 or bust. To me, the modern market is in line for a major crash. 1/1's are priced as if they are the ONLY card...in reality, there are 1/1's for 15 different sets, one auto, one patch, one just 1/1...so little is truly unique. Also - I don't know who would pay crazy prices for a guy who might be out of the league in a year or two. As someone said earlier, it's because it's liquid now, and young kids are in and out so fast that they don't care if a guy is set for a long career - it's about whether he's good right now.

To me, the best investments are reliant on extreme scarcity and attractiveness. Vintage HOF players at grades high enough to be one of the 10 or 20 best of that card. Junk wax 10's of HOF players (nothing - I mean NOTHING outside of a 10 will ever be worth massive amounts here excluding errors and oddities like STAR basketball). Modern stuff - where to start...if I was buying and holding, I wouldn't buy anything except true, guaranteed HOF rookies in rare variants...but truthfully I don't see even those appreciating over the long term.

I'm currently buying really high value vintage for the long-term as an alternative investment...I'm up ~20% on the year...now admittedly I'd take a hit to that value when I try and sell, but I'd still be up some. It's a lot more fun to browse my collection here vs. my stock portfolio...

 

[Fat Nick]

Missed my chance to sell my Ovechkin PSA10 YG two weeks before he broke the record. My problem is when I miss selling at a high (like many of the Covid high prices) I’m reluctant to sell anything now know what it once was.

His stuff honestly peaked when he got hot this year, with maybe a lull when he first broke his leg. By the time breaking the record became a "when" and not an "if" prices were already coming down because everybody was selling. I wish I got a PSA 10 back when I first got back into collecting. I got a PSA 8 just to have it, but wish I had saved up for a 10 in retrospect.

 

[JohnnyU]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Yep. This. Collectability (i.e. price appreciation) only works when the supply < demand.

• The pre-1980's stuff is somewhat scarce...at least compared to junk wax and modern commons. There is intrinsic value in even ungraded or beat up cards. The supply and demand is probably slightly skewed to the demand slide, but it's sensitive to player, grade and set. I think vintage stuff will continue a modest appreciation over time, with faster appreciation to really high end cards of high end players.
• In the '80's, junk was was massive supply >>> demand. Nothing was scarce. Enter grading companies, who via the assignment of numerical grades, managed to cut the population of Greg Jefferies rookies into segments, where there were maybe 5% - 10% 10's. So only 10's are scarce and have high $$$ I see this market as stable at the high grades personally.
• The modern stuff relies on limited print run inserts and variants (i.e. 1/1's). In my opinion, grading really doesn't serve as much of a purpose here, but people use it anyway. There's no real value in grading a 1/1 numerically. You either want it or you don't. But people grade them anyway, and they value accordingly. It's 10 or bust. To me, the modern market is in line for a major crash. 1/1's are priced as if they are the ONLY card...in reality, there are 1/1's for 15 different sets, one auto, one patch, one just 1/1...so little is truly unique. Also - I don't know who would pay crazy prices for a guy who might be out of the league in a year or two. As someone said earlier, it's because it's liquid now, and young kids are in and out so fast that they don't care if a guy is set for a long career - it's about whether he's good right now.

To me, the best investments are reliant on extreme scarcity and attractiveness. Vintage HOF players at grades high enough to be one of the 10 or 20 best of that card. Junk wax 10's of HOF players (nothing - I mean NOTHING outside of a 10 will ever be worth massive amounts here excluding errors and oddities like STAR basketball). Modern stuff - where to start...if I was buying and holding, I wouldn't buy anything except true, guaranteed HOF rookies in rare variants...but truthfully I don't see even those appreciating over the long term.

I'm currently buying really high value vintage for the long-term as an alternative investment...I'm up ~20% on the year...now admittedly I'd take a hit to that value when I try and sell, but I'd still be up some. It's a lot more fun to browse my collection here vs. my stock portfolio...

This guy knows what the hell he is talking about and is inline with my thinking, but he went into a lot of valuable detail that I didn't. Thanks for such a great post.

 

[STBootleg]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

 

[Fat Nick]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

 

[STBootleg]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

 

[Fat Nick]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

If you're missing any specifics from ~1985 to 1992, let me know. I have tons of boxes of commons in the basement from those years...

 

[STBootleg]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

If you're missing any specifics from ~1985 to 1992, let me know. I have tons of boxes of commons in the basement from those years...

Thanks. A lot of the missing ones were the updates. When I was younger I would buy that years team set at the local card store then later in the year the update series would come out.
I wasn't disciplined enough to go back for them as a younger person, now I try and find updates at shows or Ebay.

 

[Fat Nick]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

If you're missing any specifics from ~1985 to 1992, let me know. I have tons of boxes of commons in the basement from those years...

Thanks. A lot of the missing ones were the updates. When I was younger I would buy that years team set at the local card store then later in the year the update series would come out.
I wasn't disciplined enough to go back for them as a younger person, now I try and find updates at shows or Ebay.

When I finally started going back through my childhood collection, I quickly realized how many good cards I was missing for just this reason. I never thought about the update sets, and that's where so many of the good players made their card debuts...I also swore I had way more good cards than I really did!

 

[Major]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

If you're missing any specifics from ~1985 to 1992, let me know. I have tons of boxes of commons in the basement from those years...

Thanks. A lot of the missing ones were the updates. When I was younger I would buy that years team set at the local card store then later in the year the update series would come out.
I wasn't disciplined enough to go back for them as a younger person, now I try and find updates at shows or Ebay.

When I finally started going back through my childhood collection, I quickly realized how many good cards I was missing for just this reason. I never thought about the update sets, and that's where so many of the good players made their card debuts...I also swore I had way more good cards than I really did!

That 84 Fleer Traded was one grail I never acquired but always wanted during the 80s boom. Way out of my price range at the time but so many first cards of the 85 class. It’s kind of lost its luster with guys like Puckett and Clemens falling off but man that set was everything to me when I was a kid.

 

[warpig33]

 

[comfortably numb]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Yep. This. Collectability (i.e. price appreciation) only works when the supply < demand.

• The pre-1980's stuff is somewhat scarce...at least compared to junk wax and modern commons. There is intrinsic value in even ungraded or beat up cards. The supply and demand is probably slightly skewed to the demand slide, but it's sensitive to player, grade and set. I think vintage stuff will continue a modest appreciation over time, with faster appreciation to really high end cards of high end players.
• In the '80's, junk was was massive supply >>> demand. Nothing was scarce. Enter grading companies, who via the assignment of numerical grades, managed to cut the population of Greg Jefferies rookies into segments, where there were maybe 5% - 10% 10's. So only 10's are scarce and have high $$$ I see this market as stable at the high grades personally.
• The modern stuff relies on limited print run inserts and variants (i.e. 1/1's). In my opinion, grading really doesn't serve as much of a purpose here, but people use it anyway. There's no real value in grading a 1/1 numerically. You either want it or you don't. But people grade them anyway, and they value accordingly. It's 10 or bust. To me, the modern market is in line for a major crash. 1/1's are priced as if they are the ONLY card...in reality, there are 1/1's for 15 different sets, one auto, one patch, one just 1/1...so little is truly unique. Also - I don't know who would pay crazy prices for a guy who might be out of the league in a year or two. As someone said earlier, it's because it's liquid now, and young kids are in and out so fast that they don't care if a guy is set for a long career - it's about whether he's good right now.

To me, the best investments are reliant on extreme scarcity and attractiveness. Vintage HOF players at grades high enough to be one of the 10 or 20 best of that card. Junk wax 10's of HOF players (nothing - I mean NOTHING outside of a 10 will ever be worth massive amounts here excluding errors and oddities like STAR basketball). Modern stuff - where to start...if I was buying and holding, I wouldn't buy anything except true, guaranteed HOF rookies in rare variants...but truthfully I don't see even those appreciating over the long term.

I'm currently buying really high value vintage for the long-term as an alternative investment...I'm up ~20% on the year...now admittedly I'd take a hit to that value when I try and sell, but I'd still be up some. It's a lot more fun to browse my collection here vs. my stock portfolio...

Yep good info

Re: the grading of the 1/1
I can see a world where a player has (24) 1/1 cards and the appeal of having a 1/1 PSA 10 vs a 1/1 PSA 7 is greater...not to mention making sure its not a fake

 

[Fat Nick]

I don't see newer cards holding value long term because there are too many of them graded so high. That will drive down the price long term.

This is true. It's funny how the cards everyone took such great care of in the 80s are almost worthless now but the stuff we didn't like toys, video games and even Garbage Pail Kids are worth a pretty penny in great condition. Essentially the same theory. Only thing these modern cards have going for them is they have their production numbers in check for the chaser cards.

Yep. This. Collectability (i.e. price appreciation) only works when the supply < demand.

• The pre-1980's stuff is somewhat scarce...at least compared to junk wax and modern commons. There is intrinsic value in even ungraded or beat up cards. The supply and demand is probably slightly skewed to the demand slide, but it's sensitive to player, grade and set. I think vintage stuff will continue a modest appreciation over time, with faster appreciation to really high end cards of high end players.
• In the '80's, junk was was massive supply >>> demand. Nothing was scarce. Enter grading companies, who via the assignment of numerical grades, managed to cut the population of Greg Jefferies rookies into segments, where there were maybe 5% - 10% 10's. So only 10's are scarce and have high $$$ I see this market as stable at the high grades personally.
• The modern stuff relies on limited print run inserts and variants (i.e. 1/1's). In my opinion, grading really doesn't serve as much of a purpose here, but people use it anyway. There's no real value in grading a 1/1 numerically. You either want it or you don't. But people grade them anyway, and they value accordingly. It's 10 or bust. To me, the modern market is in line for a major crash. 1/1's are priced as if they are the ONLY card...in reality, there are 1/1's for 15 different sets, one auto, one patch, one just 1/1...so little is truly unique. Also - I don't know who would pay crazy prices for a guy who might be out of the league in a year or two. As someone said earlier, it's because it's liquid now, and young kids are in and out so fast that they don't care if a guy is set for a long career - it's about whether he's good right now.

To me, the best investments are reliant on extreme scarcity and attractiveness. Vintage HOF players at grades high enough to be one of the 10 or 20 best of that card. Junk wax 10's of HOF players (nothing - I mean NOTHING outside of a 10 will ever be worth massive amounts here excluding errors and oddities like STAR basketball). Modern stuff - where to start...if I was buying and holding, I wouldn't buy anything except true, guaranteed HOF rookies in rare variants...but truthfully I don't see even those appreciating over the long term.

I'm currently buying really high value vintage for the long-term as an alternative investment...I'm up ~20% on the year...now admittedly I'd take a hit to that value when I try and sell, but I'd still be up some. It's a lot more fun to browse my collection here vs. my stock portfolio...

Yep good info

Re: the grading of the 1/1
I can see a world where a player has (24) 1/1 cards and the appeal of having a 1/1 PSA 10 vs a 1/1 PSA 7 is greater...not to mention making sure its not a fake

I get grading them authentic for the authenticity angle...but I think you risk more harm than good getting a numerical grade.

I think I'm like most people where I view grading as a necessary evil. It's frustrating because it takes forever to get raw cards graded, it's inconsistent, and it's expensive...but without it, the hobby would be full of fraud/counterfeits, and it would be really challenging to buy cards online without seeing them first hand. To me, AI grading is the future - unbiased with clearly defined, consistent parameters.

 

[Fat Nick]

I have every Orioles Topps team set from 1978 to current year. I display them in a binder and it's for my own enjoyment since I'm a life long O's fan.
Some cards are missing from those sets but that is the fun for me in finding the missing ones. I'll keep going with each new year for as long as I'm alive.

I've started over the past few years putting together the Orioles Topps Heritage team sets because I like the way they look.

That's awesome - even more so as an O's fan here too. I have a bunch of Ripken cards from when I was a kid that I'll never part with.

I've started doing these kinds of things for fun too just to have something cheap to collect. I'm trying to get every Nolan Ryan Topps card in an SGC 7 grade specifically. I have a bunch in other grades that I need to try and swap/upgrade/downgrade to 7's. The ones from the early 90's are going to be a nightmare becuase nobody would ever grade a card that looks like it would get a 7 when even a 10 is only $15...I'll probably have a harder time just finding a 1992 Topps SGC 7 than I will a 1968 rookie in a 7.

That's great. Yeah, I'm collecting more for myself than anything. I'll just but the graded O's I like, I've purchased Holliday, Henderson, Cowser PSA 9's and 10's for anywhere from $20-30.
Just base cards with some Chromes mixed in but they are their rookie cards. It costs more than that to send them in and have graded myself.

If you're missing any specifics from ~1985 to 1992, let me know. I have tons of boxes of commons in the basement from those years...

Thanks. A lot of the missing ones were the updates. When I was younger I would buy that years team set at the local card store then later in the year the update series would come out.
I wasn't disciplined enough to go back for them as a younger person, now I try and find updates at shows or Ebay.

When I finally started going back through my childhood collection, I quickly realized how many good cards I was missing for just this reason. I never thought about the update sets, and that's where so many of the good players made their card debuts...I also swore I had way more good cards than I really did!

That 84 Fleer Traded was one grail I never acquired but always wanted during the 80s boom. Way out of my price range at the time but so many first cards of the 85 class. It’s kind of lost its luster with guys like Puckett and Clemens falling off but man that set was everything to me when I was a kid.

Great set. One of the first cards I bought when I got back into the hobby was the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire Team USA card. I always wanted that as a kid but could never find one. I got one at a card shop on a work trip for like $15.

It's crazy to think how limited our ability to buy was back then. You could only get what you pulled, or saw at a local card shop or maybe a show. So much less than you can see in 5 minutes now on eBay or an auction site or FB group.