Which 70s Set Should I Build? 1971 Topps edition

I've been trying to decide which 1970s set to start building for my next vintage set build, but I can't seem to make up my mind. So, I'm going to take a little closer look at what I already have in my collection and try to narrow it down.

I have a 1971 Wantlist, but it's not to complete the full set, it's just a list of cards I thought I'd like to add to my collection at some point.

1971:  9, 14, 59, 77, 125, 129, 132, 135, 167, 230, 248, 278, 290, 310, 355, 367, 380, 445, 459, 480, 508, 509, 513, 514, 523,  544, 554, 560, 590, 640, 655, 659, 664, 688, 709, 744, 745

The key rookies in the set beyond this Bert Blyleven? Dave Concepcion, Ted Simmons, Bobby Valentine, Bobby Grich, Steve Garvey, Greg Luzinski, Al Hrabosky, Dusty Baker/Don Baylor,

I only have about 60 cards out of 752, so I am a long long way from being close to completing this set.

Speaking of a long way away, these shots are all pretty far away from the subject! Action shots were still a fairly new concept for cardboard, so I bet it was pretty jarring to see cards like these for the first time.

Here's a page of my favorites from my collection. You can probably tell I wouldn't be a stickler for perfect edges or sharp corners, which would be one of the biggest hurdles for this set. Chipping and dings are very noticeable on 1971 Topps, I imagine a person could go crazy trying to build a NM set. It hadn't really occurred to me before, but the 71 set feels like a slightly better version of the 1970 set. In my opinion, the black border combined with the colorful nameplate just works. They went back to 1959 all lowercase jam, and the facsimile signatures are a nice touch. The introduction of action shots and the re-introduction of horizontal images makes it stand out to me.

The inserts? Coins and a Scratch Off game, I happen to not have any of either one at the moment to show.

What do you think are the Pros and Cons of the 1971 Set? I'd love to hear your opinion!

Blogging Burglary

I'll be the first to admit that when I'm in a collecting rut or a blogging rut, I go back and read through some of my favorite blogs for inspiration. This time I didn't go very far back in time - as soon as I read this post from Nick at the Dimeboxes Blog, I headed straight for COMC to do what all great artists do -- steal.

One of my favorite cards from the 1965 Topps/OPC set was the rookie card of Masanori Murakami. When I saw on Nick's blog that there was a Japanese insert set of Murakami cards from 1993, I had to get in on the action.

The subset included cards of Murakami in Japan with the NPB, as well as a few different cards in San Francisco.

As long as I was on the site, I figured I should stay a while and find some more bargains. I looked for some new additions to my "players at the bat rack" mini collection, and some 90s superstars. Hard to believe that Vlad Guerrero's son is going to be the #1 Prospect this season and quite possibly be even better than his dad was.

I do love horizontal heroes. I think I saw this Manny Ramirez card on Nick's blog at one point as well. Denard is a Player Collection guy for me, and the other two I just couldn't pass up.

I can't say that I actively collect the Expos, but all four of these guys are favorites of mine, and I try to never pass up the opportunity to pick up some more.

Some of the prospect guys I picked a few years back are still working their way towards the majors, and those that have made it have had some mixed levels of success. Nothing wrong with stealing a good idea!

52 Pick Ups

I love the horizontal cards from the 1952 Topps set. I'm not a high roller, but I've been slowly accumulating these over the last year and a half. When I see one for a good deal, I snap it up. Here are the fruits of my labor:

 Jerry Priddy is a prototype for bat rack cards, he's just hauling a big pile of lumber. I love the soft focus backgrounds on these four.

 Earl Torgeson has some iconic glasses, not quite on the level of Lowell Palmer or Kent Tekulve, but still memorable to me. I'm a big fan of nicknames, so "Tookie" Gilbert was a must.

 Vernon Law fills the frame so nicely on his '52 card - Yankees are often hard to come by cheaply due to the high demand for them everywhere, but these had subtle flaws that worked in my favor.

 Speaking of, I was able to score this Hall of Famer by virtue of some rough edges...

 ... and an autograph from "Billy" on the back. Noting the eye color on the back of the card is an odd feature from the '52 set.

 This guy was the real prize find. There's staining, rounded corners, creases, and not a single sharp edge.

However! It is very nicely centered and the back is exceptionally clean. This, to me, is just about the perfect condition for a 1950's Topps card to be in - it has good eye appeal, but enough flaws to drop it into my price range. I'm reasonably certain that I will never finish this set, but getting to add one every once in a while is a great thrill.