Player Master Sets

rbeaton

Has anyone ever completed a player master set? While my Palmer master set is missing ~5 cards (which I have, just not PSA graded), there are a significant number which are not even listed in the registry yet (I just requested about 10 more to be added). I still need around 90 cards before I consider my set complete... And this does not include all the cards produced after he retired...

Robert

mikeschmidt

Robert: I will be at 100% on Schmidt sooner or later. I'm pretty darn close, and this year has been spent more on defining the "Master Set" than anything else. I have a bunch more to be added to the Master Set - and everything I'm missing I either have raw, en route, or should be easy for me to find (e.g. there are maybe 2-5 <$5 cards that I don't have a good raw example of...). It is a labour of love, no doubt about it.

~ms

jimtb

Hi MS,
When you "defining" the Schmidt master set, are you making decisions to leave cards out? I'm working slowly on Trammell and by my rough calculations, there are well over 700 different cards. I'm curious what criteria you are using.
Jim

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Hi MS,
When you "defining" the Schmidt master set, are you making decisions to leave cards out? I'm working slowly on Trammell and by my rough calculations, there are well over 700 different cards. I'm curious what criteria you are using.
Jim >>



Jim:

Anything PSA will grade. PSA won't add it to the Master Set, unless one has been graded. There are some issues I don't anticipate getting graded, given current costs. For example, the 1988 Tastykake cards will fit into a T3 holder - but I can't imagine anyone swallowing the $35 grading fee + S&H. With Schmidt - I think we're close to the point that most everything PSA grades is in the Registry, or will be there soon. I think 450 or so is where I see it getting to in terms of size....

~ms

CON40

Marc;

I hate to break it to you, but you got it easy with Schmitty... Scott just finished the new Nolan Ryan Master Set checklist... it checks in at a whopping 1630 cards!

We are going to break out the Pacifics, UD Comic Balls, and Star issues into separate sets, but we'll still be around 1250 cards. Pretty soon, my 78% completion will drop to 33%! I better get my free grades while I can!

BTW, I hope you do make it to 100%... it'll give me some needed inspiration for the Ryan Master Set!

packCollector

Thank God yaz quit in 84 and orr in 78!!!!!!!

bobsbbcards

General question to all player set collectors: The cards that make up a player's master set will always be, by necessity, the cards that PSA grades. How many of you go beyond that, at least in cards, adding all of the cards that the Standard Catalog lists for your player that are not gradeable by PSA? Just curious. Since I started into the NRMS, it seems that I have had more fun buying Pacific cards and Star cards since they are so cheap, that I just don't care that they are not part of the master set list. I just bought the 1977 Sportscaster Ryan card (which I don't think will be in the master set either) and a second copy of the 1990 Ryan 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 Topps Bronze card.

Bob

rbeaton

When I started this thread, I was actually referring to all the cards of a given player, not just those in the registry set.

Robert

CON40

Bob;

I think most of the Ryan guys also collect issues that PSA won't slab... PSA is not the end-all-be-all of a player's legitimate cards.

On the NRMS, we voted to omit Pacifics (save the first card in each series), Comic Ball and Star simply because they are ubiquitous, valueless, and too vast in count (ergo, too expensive to grade out). But, I do have many of these issues in raw form. That's good enough for me.

On the other hand, I keep a binder filled with Sportscasters, Topps Champions, pins, coins, Iron-ons, and other items that are in the SCD list, but will never be part of the NRMS. My only cut-off is 1994. Cards issued after 1994 are novelty releases (I don't care how rare or autographed or jersey'd or GU bat crap) that are discretionary player collectibles.

mikeschmidt

I also do not collect any of the unlicensed material (e.g. Broders). There is someone on Ebay right now who collects everything Schmidt - and I don't quite get into all the memorabilia, either. Have to drawn the line somewhere. He has a 1981 comic book that has a Donruss advert on the back cover that pictures a Mike Schmidt card. Cool stuff, yes. But I have a limit on space!

Kid4hof03

I collect anything and everything that relates to Gary Carter. I'm actually pretty new to the master set chase. My collection ranges from game used items, magazines, posters, advertising items and of course cards. Honestly, if Gary is pictured I want it. When it comes to the cards that have been issued over the last few years I'm kind of lukewarm. I do buy them but only if I really like the photo and if it's cheap. I'm not too interested in the 1/1; 3/3 and such stuff, I just don't think they are worth the money, at least they aren't to me.

Abe

jimtb

Hey MS,
That's what I thought you meant. Are you sticking to a minimum acceptable grade? With so many Trammell cards, I'm not sure if I want to really go for it. I buy the oddballs when they come up on ebay every so often, but I can not decide to go all out.

Lucky for you Schmidt retired before the card industry got completely out of control.

Jim

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Hey MS,
That's what I thought you meant. Are you sticking to a minimum acceptable grade? With so many Trammell cards, I'm not sure if I want to really go for it. I buy the oddballs when they come up on ebay every so often, but I can not decide to go all out.

Lucky for you Schmidt retired before the card industry got completely out of control.

Jim >>



Jim: I try for "best" grade, wherever possible. As it stands now, I have about 35% of the Registry cards in PSA 10 grade - and I'm looking to upgrade where/when possible. Some I will never find a high grade example (1977 VZ Sticker....), and others are achingly difficult even in PSA 8 (many OPC issues). So - I'm not trying for all 10s. But as many 10s as I can, 9s where reasonable, and each issue is a case-by-case basis.

For example, even though they are easy to find, 1987 Fleer Star Sticker is very very tough in top grade. Between very noticeable yellow print dots, dinged corners, and wax stains on a lot of the cards, I've only been able to find one NM 7 so far. I'm busting through a few boxes now - and I'm not even finding much 8 quality material to submit for other player collectors....

Virtualizard

I'm close on my Stargell set. I need a couple of OPC cards (1968, 1970, and 1976) in high grade. A few oddballs still elude me, but I have most of the stuff, even if PSA will never grade it (i.e. supersized cards, matchbooks, coke caps, proofs, etc.). I even bid on his '79 World Series Trophy that was on ebay about a year ago - didn't even come close on that one.

JEB.

peterredshoes

More thoughts on a Trammell master set--raw and graded:

By my reckoning the Trammell master set would eventually max out at fewer than 600, and possibly fewer than 500, cards. This is due to the restriction of the master set to cards from playing days (1978-1997 end up being the card years of interest since cards from the year after retirement are allowed), of which I count 594. 87 of these are variations, which seem to me to be kind of a gray area right now in terms of their inclusion. And in practice, not all variations in my count are readily obtainable for grading due to scarcity and/or the fact that they may not have been obtainable except under special circumstances, e.g. ToppsVault or tracking down uncut sheets not included in mainstream distribution (for better or for worse, I don't rigorously research the origins of variations as I run across them). So it would certainly be safe to set those aside at least in a first pass of making a master list.

My list does not include stickers out of personal preference, but these are frequently seen in master sets. I'm not up on what stickers are eligible for grading, but Trammell has 30-ish mainstream sticker issues. That puts the pool I see as available at about 530-540 depending on exactly which stickers can be graded. Depending on which cards in the list PSA doesn't grade, it seems like the final tally might shrink below 500. A couple examples that come to mind as question marks or out for certain are '84 Nestle, '84 Fun Foods "squares" (cut from proof sheets made for buttons).

I think that this type of "reduction" can probably be done to most/all highly dedicated player collectors' checklists of their favorite players to one degree or another. Certainly the first place to start with many top players is to chop off everything made since their retirement. An interesting consequence of grading policies, set registry policies, and personal checklist contruction policies each having slightly different notions about what's worth including in the pool of items to consider.

Peter G.

Aknot

Well should there be another registry "set" title called Mondo Master? To me if it can be graded, encapsulated, and is "player" related it should be on a list. I have some Marino cards that were never issued, from books, magazines, food products, etc. I mean a "Master" set is just that. If it has Marinos picture on it it was (should) have at least been licensed by the NFLPA.

To me the registry is a hobby into itself, and I will attempt to have anything and everything (that can fit) graded/encapsulated. How can you say you have a "master" set when you dont? No offense to those that have completed them, like I said maybe another set registry title.

pandrews

<< <i>General question to all player set collectors: The cards that make up a player's master set will always be, by necessity, the cards that PSA grades. How many of you go beyond that, at least in cards, adding all of the cards that the Standard Catalog lists for your player that are not gradeable by PSA? Just curious. Since I started into the NRMS, it seems that I have had more fun buying Pacific cards and Star cards since they are so cheap, that I just don't care that they are not part of the master set list. I just bought the 1977 Sportscaster Ryan card (which I don't think will be in the master set either) and a second copy of the 1990 Ryan 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 Topps Bronze card.

Bob >>



me.. i go beyond PSA Graded cards all the time.. anything Rickey Henderson that I dont have.. i plan to get everything graded eventually (that is PSA gradeable)..

as for completion, i'm just below 20% on the ever growing master set.. i kinda wish he would go ahead and retire..



<< <i>Well should there be another registry "set" title called Mondo Master? To me if it can be graded, encapsulated, and is "player" related it should be on a list. I have some Marino cards that were never issued, from books, magazines, food products, etc. I mean a "Master" set is just that >>



and... i pretty much agree with Aknot.. except on issues like the Broder stuff.. because its all crap and more can be printed up anytime.. (although i have about 100 misc. "Broder" henderson cards.. the pictures are cool)..

I think the Pacific's should be included on the NRMS (although i'm not collecting Nolan).. yeah, i know it would be EXPENSIVE to get a complete 100+ Nolan Ryan Pacific set graded, but... if it were Henderson with a 100+ card set, i would go after it.. SLOWLY... but i would tackle it..

as Aknot said.. a MASTER set is a MASTER set..

AlanAllen

There are hundreds of Marcus Allen cards thst PSA will not grade, and yes, I try to get them all. These include card boxes with pictures; unredeemed redemption cards (mostly without pictures); Strat-O-Matic, APBA, and Statis Pro Team board game cards (without pictures); Pacific Embossed and Playoff Stamped show cards; Printing errors (no foil, missing a color, miscut, etc.); blankbacks/fronts; wrongbacks/fronts; uncatalogued variations(i.e. 1990 Topps no disclosure, 1991 Upper Deck text logo); Broders; printing plates; printing negatives; early production proofs; uncut sheets; cards of other players with Marcus in the background; and 1986 DairyPak variations (there are 10 colors catalogued, but some colors came from more than one dairy). As hardcore player colletors know, the Standard Catalog is just the beginning of what's out there.

Joe

theplasticman

Im doing both registry set and regular non-graded master sets of each:
Will Clark
Eddie Murray

I also dabble in Darin Erstad but Im missing like 900 haha

Im about 250 Clarks away from having everything (Ive got something like 1800 different) and about 150 Murrays away from everything (about 1600 different). Clark has so many Broder cards it aint funny. I think Ive got about 200 different.