For those of you nearing 100% complete...

RayBShotz · May 16, 2002 4:10AM

Thought it might be interesting to get the thoughts of the respective set builders who are nearing 100% complete.
Aside from sitting back and admiring your incredible accomplishment what would be your future plans? And why.
a.) Continue a lifelong quest to upgrade?
b.) Set your effort aside and strike out to build the next great set?
c.) Sell.

Myself; if I should get lucky enough to reach this goal in the next 5-10 years I will likely continue to upgrade my beloved 69' Baseball set. I will say that the idea of building a second set, the makings of which are taking shape (72' Baseball) now, is gathering steam. So I guess my answer would be both a & b.

RayB69Topps

theBobs · May 16, 2002 4:23AM

I will likely always be working on a single set, while hopefully upgrading sets that are already completed.

JH · May 16, 2002 4:28AM

I will always continue to upgrade my 1964 Topps set... If within a couple of years, the upgrading potential begins to get limited, I may start another set...

HalleyGator · May 16, 2002 4:33AM

I will hit 100% on my Hall of Fame set the next time the pages are updated, since I finally broke down and paid through the nose for a PSA 5 1887 Old Judge Bid McPhee card!!!

I will continue to upgrade and not start another set.

RayBShotz · May 16, 2002 4:36AM

Atta boy Halley! Totally incredible!
RayB.

Wayne8348 · May 16, 2002 4:40AM

It depends on what day you ask me. The 65 set is just about finished in psa 8 and I'm not sure whether to upgrade or get real serious about a 1963 set. I'm not sure which way to go. So Ray I guess my answer would be all 3. I'm just not sure but I think this is an excellent question and I'm looking forward to the responses.

Wayne

theBobs · May 16, 2002 4:48AM

<< <i>I will hit 100% on my Hall of Fame set >>

Congrats HalleyGator!!!

Vargha · May 16, 2002 4:52AM

I am upgrading. If finances change dramatically (for the better) I will pick another set to work on. If for the worse, then I have a set that can be sold fairly readily.

FB · May 16, 2002 4:58AM

I will continue to upgrade my 72 set and have already started my 70 set with some seriousness. I'd actually like to move into a 60's set (probably 66 or 67) with some gusto and then pick a 50's set to start on (I'm betting on 59).

dude · May 16, 2002 7:15AM

Great question.

My choice would be "A" - Continue a lifelong quest to upgrade.

liffeystynx · May 16, 2002 7:30AM

Newbie supplementary:

If your answer is (c) how would you go about selling - as a unit or break it up? And where would you sell it/them?

For me this is in the same realm as speculating how I would spend my lottery millions, but as in that realm the more specific you are in your fantasy, the more enjoyable it is (hey, cut that out! I'm serious)

Vargha · May 16, 2002 8:30AM

It would depend on how fast you needed the cash and how much hassle you were willing to put up with. The breakup value almost always exceeds the set value in a selling situation.

brucemo · May 16, 2002 8:35AM

My '53 Bowman Color set is "finished", but even then it's not finished. I have some PSA-8(OC)'s that I need to get rid of. Once I have it in straight 7 or better, I may go through and replace some cards with less than perfect register.

But if I had wanted to build a PSA-8 set, it would have been more efficient to buy 8's to start with.

So I think that at some point it really is "done".

bruce

69topps8 · May 16, 2002 9:40AM

When I finish my first set in PSA 8 or better I will consider it finished and change my focus to one of my other sets. I'll still keep my eye out for upgrades (9's) but only if they are high pop 9's that go for reasonable prices, or if I'm lucky enough to get them through my own submissions.

Scoop · May 16, 2002 1:19PM

After 45 years as raw, and the last 2 and 1/2 years grading and trading up, I am one card away from finishing my 1956 set (weighted 7.96). I have 11 PSA 7's to upgrade, and then will probably be upgrading one 9 at a time as $$ allows.

With the market as unstable as it is, interest rates in the toilet, and social security on the brink of bankruptcy with us baby boomers approaching retirement, this seems the best way to go to fund mine. I have 13 years to go before then, and I am hoping the market for my PSA 8+ set will outpace inflation and the market.

I hope by then, PSA is still standing atop the grading mountain.

FB · May 17, 2002 12:33AM

Jonathan (liffeystynx),

Over the last few weeks we've heard of two people taking two completely different approaches to liquidate graded sets roughly 75% complete. Dale Wedge sold off his 72 set on eBay one card at a time over the course of two weeks and then Bob Cacamese will be listing his 69 set as a unit with Superior for their June auction.

I think that I speak for everyone collecting graded sets that we'd like to see Bob get big money. If he does, I'll bet that it becomes the preferred method for moving larger, higher end graded sets. I don't like to think about how many hours/days Dale spent writing ads, taking photos, listing on eBay, emailing winners, packing up cards and shipping them out.

I'm sure there are other ways to go about it, but these are the two that we've seen so far.

gaspipe26 · May 17, 2002 12:45AM

Frank,
Besides the fact that I've turned some of my attention to my new venture ( that had a second place finish last night) I just wanted the set or I'm hoping the set goes to 1 buyer. I hope it doesnt go to someone who will split it up but if they do I'll probrably wind up buying some of it back. ( The irony )

FB · May 17, 2002 3:01AM

Bob,

So if you do well in the auction we might see a horse going off and 4 to 1 with the name "69 Topps" at Dover Downs? I'll always suspect who the owner is should I see "White Letters" at the starting gate.

1954 · May 17, 2002 4:40AM

I am always trying to better my set. I will never be complete, however I am always satisfied and never unhappy with what I have accomplished.

Mitochondria · May 17, 2002 12:01PM

I vote for "A". Continuously upgrade!

Ron

Cardsg12 · May 17, 2002 12:10PM

Well, I've not gotten mine near 100%, not even close. I think that I'll try to continually upgrade mine though, until I get it to all 10's, which I think is possible.

Dude: How can you possibly continue to upgrade????

BigKidAtHeart · May 21, 2002 9:47AM

I will hit 100% with my 64 Topps Giants as soon as my last lot gets back from Newport Beach,
but it will now be my goal to get the whole set to at least PSA7 if not PSA8!

For those of you nearing 100% complete...

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