Sunday 30 September 2012

1964 Topps

If there was an ultimate set of baseball cards that you could collect, what would it be?
I'm not talking a money is no object set, like a complete set of T206. I'm talking an obtainable goal. The set could include a few difficult, rare, possibly expensive cards that you needed to hunt down, bid and lose/win or trade for.
A set that, for whatever reason, really interests you. Are you thinking 1952 Topps, 1951 Bowman, 1954 Red Heart dog food set, maybe? Or are you tastes more recent like 2005 Bowman Heritage.
For me it was the 1980 Topps set, mainly for sentimental reasons and I achieved that goal with a little (or big) help from my friends. In fact while attempting this feat I was contacted by a fellow 1980's set collector who was after a slabbed version of each card. There's a goal and a half.
Now I am turning my attentions to the 1964 Topps set, again for sentimental reasons. 1964 was the year of my birth. I also hope to, at some point, to obtain a 1964 Topps wrapper .
I will be honest and say that I think this will be one of those life long goals. This will not be time limited as there are a number of difficult, as well as very expensive, cards to obtain. Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron are the first to come to mind. Pete Rose, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Roger Maris......the list goes on. I have already bitten off a small chunk of the 'cheaper' base so I'm on going in the right direction! Hoping to pick up a few 1964 coins, Bazooka, Topps Giant and Stand Ups along the way.

 

A few weeks ago Wax Fantastic (amongst others) revealed the Topps sell sheet for 2013 Topps Heritage. If you keep up with Heritage then you know why this product would be of interest.

The design used/ recycled  for 2013 Heritage will be a 'throwback' to 1964 Topps.
 

It is great to see the inclusion of some original 1964 cards however 1964 Bazooka are a buyback insert as are 1964 Tattoos. Luckily the 1964 Venezuelan variation, complete with black rather than orange backs, are an insert, although limited. 1964 Topps Giants are included as box toppers and 1964 Topps coins will be embedded in a relic limited to 5 copies. Why not include the coin inserts in packs as they did in 1964? 1964 Topps Stand ups were already included as an insert in 2011 Topps Lineage.
 

Back to the original question- What would be your ultimate set to collect?

5 comments:

night owl said...

'56 Topps, which I am collecting, but it's a very slow haul that I'm pretty convinced I'll never finish.

Martyn said...

At some point i'll do 1985, the year of my birth, but not interested at the minute!

Matt Runyon said...

My father gave me a lot of 200 different 1960 cards in 1980 when I graduated from 8th grade. I've been working on the set ever since. I'm about 70 cards away, but I probably won't ever finish the set.

Anonymous said...

If we're doing it by birthdays then mine would have to be 1970, but I'm not a big fan of that particular set (I find the grey borders a bit drab)...

1957 Topps and 1962 Topps have always been my favourites of the 'older' sets but making my chances of ever putting a full set together of either of those nigh on impossible!

Captain Canuck said...

for baseball it's always been 1953 Topps for me.
But that's a pipe dream. So I'm almost doen the 1976 Topps set... after I'll probably start on the 1975 set...