My expectations for 2021 are low. For a number of reasons. So I'm setting some more modest goals for myself than in previous years. Here's a look at what I'm hoping to get done:
1. Acquire More Tim Wallach's
Aside from sheer numbers, here's a few things I'd like to do related to the blog this year. I'm calling them "ideas" rather than "goals":
(1) Ten Year Anniversary Post - February 11 will mark the ten year anniversary of this blog. For the occasion I'd like to take it deep dive into some of the statistics and maybe even post a few charts. I'm not sure how deep, as I'm sure it'll require a massive amount of time, but it's an idea for now.
(3) Variations - At some point I want to post on all the variations, however slight, that exists on Wallach cards. Be it paint splatter patterns on '90 Donruss, or glow in the dark '91 Topps, I want to create a reference page for all them, as most of them apply to every card in the sets and I feel like people may be able to use it for their own collecting needs.
2. Continue to Complete Sets
I went he factory set route with 2020 Topps last year. That was my plan from the moment I saw the initial design on Twitter. Since 2016, I've gone the Factory Set route three and half times (in 2019 I completed series 1 by pack purchase and bought a complete series 2). It's what I do when I think the design is ugly, and there has been no shortage of heinous designs the last few years (2018 being the exception) Usually it's a lot easier and a lot cheaper. This past year was problematic. I sort of live under a rock in my little obscure corner of the collecting universe and was patiently waiting for factory sets to be released, completely oblivious to the fact that baseball card collecting was having something of a revival. I was more than a little shocked to find I couldn't even get my hands on a Factory Set. Most years my issue is whether I wait for my Target to start slapping clearance stickers on them before I buy, or if I just splurge and pay regular price right away. What I ended up doing this year was buying one on eBay that had already been opened and had the stupid little gimmick pack of inserts removed. It ended up being pretty cheap and I would happily do it again. If only there was a safe way to buy cereal at a reduced price after people take out the toys inside Frosted Flakes. Here's a look at my more modest goals for 2021:
i. 1972 Topps: I've knocked off 84 of the 130 6th series high number cards in this set. That may not sound like I'm all that close to some people, but I feel like I'm on the cusp of taking this set down. There are still a few lingering 4th series cards I need, and a good number of 5th series (which aren't exactly cheap either), but I'm on the home stretch. If I can complete 1972 Topps in 2021, I'll call the year a success. Here's a link to what I need in '72 Topps (and every other set I'm working on).
While 1972 Topps is the only set I'm specially listing as a "goal" to complete, I would like to make some progress on a few others. If I happen to complete one of these, it wouldn't shock me.
ii. 1953 Topps: I I few years ago I picked up a 1952 Topps Willie Mays. It was a significant collecting moment for me, beyond just fact it was the card coveted more than any other as a kid. It was also the last card I needed to complete the first five series of the '52 set, cards #1-310. Since then I've been slowly working on the '53 set. By chance I have lucked into most of the high dollar cards in the '53 set, including the Mantle. Willie Mays still needs to be dealt with, but I already feel like I'm working downhill to complete this set sometime in the next couple of years.
iii. Single Series'd 1970 Topps sets: I've yet to finish 1974, 1976 and 1977 Topps. I need less than 30 cards in each of them to finish them off, but for a number of less than great reasons, I have yet to do so. The truth is, it's just more fun to direct my hobby budget towards 1971-73 at the moment.
iv. 1971 Topps: I won't be making any concentrated effort at this set until after I finish the 1972 effort. But that doesn't mean I can try to give myself a little bit of a head start here and there with the occasional '71 pickup. The same applies to 1973 Topps, though that is farther down the priority list.
vi. Modern Topps: Working on the modern Topps sets feels more like a chore than a hobby, but it's something I still feel compelled to do none the less. I actually finished off 2008, 2009, 2015, and 2018 last year, and none of it felt like cause for celebration. Just a sense of relief. If I finish 2012, '13, and '14, I'll have a complete run of sets from 2008 (the year I started collecting again after about 15 years off) to present.
vii. 1988-89 Fleer Basketball: I'm working on all three of the Fleer sets from 1986-89, but Michel Jordan is causing problems for me in the first two sets. So while I search for a Jordan that is in sufficiently terrible condition to put it in my price range for the first two sets, I'd like to go ahead and finish off this one. The Jordan is already in hand too.
3. Single Cards
Due to the growing size of the list above, I haven't focused on singles the way I used to. I've decided to make some changes to this list as a result. There a few cards that have sat on it for several years now that I've never really felt compelled to pursue, which tells me, maybe I don't really want them that much. In any event, it's being overhauled with at least an eye towards my set building needs.
(images from random eBay listings)
ii. 1987-88 Fleer Michael Jordan: Like the Mays, this card remains in the same spot it was in last year, and is a card I have watched go up in price exponentially. Less than mint copies routinely sold in the $35-50 range a few years ago. It's about 5x that figure now.
vi. 1963 Topps Pete Rose: I've wanted this card since I was about five years old, following Rose's assault on Ty Cobb's record. It should probably be higher on this list, but the reality is that it just isn't a priority right now, even if it's place in my subconscious warrants it. This is sort of "The" baseball card in my mind and I suspect the minds of a lot of other collector's my age. If I were pressed on a Mt. Rushmore of baseball cards for my demographic, I'd probably point to this card, the '68 Ryan, the '84 Donruss Matttingly, and probably '86 Donruss Canseco. Feel free to disagree, it won't hurt my feelings.

ix. 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky: I more than dabble in hockey cards, and have slowly built up what I consider a half-way respectable collection of NHL cardboard. This Gretzky would obviously be a crown jewel. While I have no minimum standards for condition, I am stubborn when it comes to OPC vs Topps. I want the OPC. I wouldn't mind owning a Topps, but it wouldn't crack this list if it were 50 cards long.
x.(a) 2002-03 Upper Deck Henrik Zetterberg: This card was #10 on this list last year as well. Hank's been out of the league for a few years now, his Hall of Fame chances don't look too strong, the Red Wings are a dumpster fire, and yet this card continues to demand crazy amounts of money on the rare occasion one shows up for sale. The only one available on eBay at the moment is listed at $550. I don't get it.
So that's a wrap for my goals this year. Thanks for reading, and best of luck to all of you with your 2020 collecting goals.