2025 Collecting Goals

When I started this blog 15 years ago in 2011 I didn't have a Twitter account.  I don't know how many of the other card bloggers did, but I suspect not many.  Back then I felt connected to other card collectors online by reading their blogs and leaving comments on them.  It was pleasant, cordial for the most part, and I rarely left my computer (or phone, maybe if I was using it like that back then?) in a worse mood than when I started.

I created a Twitter account a couple of years later in 2013 with the idea that it would drive more traffic to my blog and turn me onto new card blogs.  My first tweets were entirely links to early posts on this blog.  At some point it stopped being that. The last few years I've noticed that I don't read card blogs nearly as often as I used to and the people I find myself interacting with on Twitter aren't card bloggers for the most part.  I was able to make my peace with that by rationalizing that tweets about cards were essentially micro-blog posts.  That's just the way things had evolved I told myself.  Sure, no Tweet was ever going to be as informative as the volume of information contained on a blog like "Oh My O-Pee-Chee," or as well written and enjoyable a read as something from the Night Owl, or just simply as fun as say The Junior Junkie or The Starting Nine.  But I still saw a lot of cool cards cross my timeline on Twitter that led to spontaneous ebay purchases and I've had a lot of pleasant interactions with other collectors that I probably wouldn't have had as just a blogger. Now after nearly a decade on Twitter, I will be deleting my account and removing the app from my phone.

I want to be blunt, it's because of Elon Musk and the changes he's made.  I can't in good moral conscious be a part of it.  I think he's an evil person, with a disgusting and harmful agenda, and I want no part of it.

While I understand some may be able to ignore the cesspool of ignorance and racism that app has devolved into and carve out their own little corner,  I tried and I can't.  Even if I thought I could, I find that the card content I see now is for the most part terrible.  It seems to be entirely dominated by "breakers" (something I was blissfully ignorant to the existence of ten years ago) and just generally creepy used car salesman types in what feels like sad attempts to become online influencers rather than fellow collectors sharing thoughts about the hobby.  This doesn't apply to everyone of course, there are some good accounts and good people, but more and more they seem to be marginalized on my feed.  The camaraderie that I felt in the early days of this blog is also more or less non-existent.  It's just constant complaining about PSA grades, product offerings, delays in redemptions (another hobby term I was better off not knowing) and printing imperfections.  I shudder to think how these raving perfectionists would have reacted to gum and wax stains.  I know these are all aspects of the modern hobby, but as a person who has been collecting for over 40 years, it's completely foreign to me and I don't recognize it for the most part.  I suspect the bottom will fall out like it did in the late 90's and dusty old set builders like myself will once again be left wondering where everyone went, but maybe this lottery ticket style of "collecting" is here to stay.

I hope this will lead to more time reading and commenting on other blogs, time will tell.  There's no denying that Twitter tweets with links to my new posts have driven tons of traffic to this blog, as well as envelopes stuffed with cards, but I can live with fewer page views and cards. I won't be shunning social media entirely either.  I've started a Bluesky account, and so far have been enjoying it.  You can find me there on the link below:

This blog will continue to operate and I hope that by getting back to the blogs I can find something that reminds me of the fun I used to have interacting with this community of bloggers and fellow collectors, as my enthusiasm for collecting baseball cards has not waned.  As evidenced by another huge year of adding Wallach cards.  So without any more preaching, here are some of my other collecting goals for 2025...

1. Acquire More Tim Wallach Cards

As always this is, and remains, the top goal.  To that end, I'm going to try to make a more focused effort to purchase Wallachs instead of sitting back and waiting for them to show  up in my mailbox.  It's been a few years since I've been active on sites like Sportlots, so I figure it's time to check in and see what the inventory of available cards looks like.

2. Post on Variants

This blog started with an idea of being more of a reference tool than a running tally of cards being added.  I'd like to finally make the effort to do a series of post on the good number of variants that exists on Wallach cards.  Be it as simple as the " * " on Donruss factory sets, or the the more fun ones such as the different players that appear on the backs of Topps Stickers or the inverse borders on '88 Donruss.

3. Swag

Over the years hundreds if not thousands of people have sent me cards.  I simply can't send back something in kind to everyone of them because my collection doesn't include the various collecting wants of all the people who send me cards.  So I want to make something to send out as a gesture of thanks.  What exactly, I don't know yet.  

4. Continue building Topps Baseball sets

I currently have a run of Topps sets from 1970-1994, and 2008-Present.  I'd like to knock off at least two more sets this year from the gap between 1995-2007 (I have a few stray sets mixed in but for the most part it's a giant void).  Also, the last few years (few as in like 10)  I've been slowly working on sets from the 1950's but it's been scatter shot and I'm not making a ton of progress.  I'd like to focus on a single year from '54-'59 and see what I can do. I'm a card shy of completely '53, and I have a run of '52 from #1-310 with no intention of chasing the final 97 high number cards (or 93 that I need as it is).

Ten Most Wanted Single Cards

1. 1953 Topps Willie Mays

This is the final card that I need to complete the 1953 set.  It's price has actually dropped somewhat significantly recently, and I think this might be the year I finally pull the trigger.  It may blow my collecting budget for the year and render everything else I talk about wanting in this post moot, but I'd be okay with that.

2. 1963 Topps Pete Rose

I'm not building the '63 set yet, but I've always wanted this card.  Pete Rose was the first "super star" I learned about as a kid.  I started seriously collecting cards (or at least asking for packs, the cards still went in a shoe box or got taped on the wall) around 1984 and the time of Rose's chase for Ty Cobb's record.  This card just seemed like the most important card in the world back then and I'd like to finally own one.

3. 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky

Another card I view as iconic heavy weight in cardboard.  Call me weird, but I have next to no desire to own the Topps, I want the O-Pee-Chee.

4. A Bill Murray Trappers Card

There are a few options here and I don't care which one it is.  Anyone will suffice.

5. 1985 O-Pee-Chee Mario Liemiuex 

I have a fairly respectable hockey collection, and this would be a very nice addition

6. 1961 Fleer Dolph Schays Shoots

Dolph is probably best known as the father of Syracuse Orangemen great, and student of Jim Boeheim, Danny Schayes, also played basketball himself, winning an NBA Title for the Syracuse Nationals before they were tragically relocated to Philadelphia.

7. 1962 Topps Bob Uecker

Who doesn't want this card?  Unfortunately these high numbered "Rookie Parade" cards demand a steep premium

8. 2002-03 Upper Deck Henrik Zetterberg

My favorite NHL player of the last 20 years, appears as though he is going to be a snub from the Hall of Fame.  Collector's didn't get the message as his RC still demands obscene prices, that's if you can even find one for sale.

9. 1955 Topps Phil Rizzuto

I actually have made a pretty good dent in the 1955 Topps set, though the three rookies loom large as needs.  For my money, this Rizzuto is the best looking card in the set.

10. 1956 Topps Roberto Clemente

Another set I'm not really focused on building, but just love the look of this card.

Thanks for reading.  Hope you have a great year.