I'm done. 2011 Topps was released this week, and I haven't bought any packs. I don't intend to buy any at all. I realized this week that I'm fatigued, annoyed, and flat-out bored with the current state of cards. I enjoy the quest of completing a set of base cards. If I bought a wax box each of Series 1, Series 2, and Update Series, I'd be out over $200 without completing the 990-card set. I would have duplicates that I'd have to try to trade for the dozens of cards I'd still need. I'd also have a fat stack of meaningless inserts, one or two of which might have drawn my fancy. Maybe I'd even get a gimmicky, meaningless short print or two, most of which are unannounced parallels that are essentially short prints, but no raw data is provided on the odds or distribution, so you never know just how much time and money you'd waste trying to get them all. You can either go nuts trying, or live with the knowledge that your base set isn't really complete.
Stale Gum pointed out that Topps now produces more individual inserts than base cards, and that's ridiculous. I was already leaning away from new product this year, and then I heard about the "twink" short prints. There's that extra push that clinched it. Topps thinks very little of you and me. They think that no matter how they distort and dilute and toy with a base set that we grew up, and that our fathers grew up with, you'll just keep swallowing it and making them richer. The only way you can be heard is by voting with your wallets. I'll still be buying plenty of Topps, but the cards were printed and sold 30, 40, 50 years ago. I'll be giving my money to hobby dealers and fellow collectors. I've got plenty of sets to complete from the past, and I'll enjoy it more (and get more for my money) than I would with new cards that Topps takes for granted. I want all of you to hold me to this. I'll still trade for any and all Orioles cards, but the other 29 teams can take a walk. I'm stepping away from the current scene before it kills my interest in the hobby altogether.
This is the exact reason I didn't get back into the hobby. When my son was old enough, I thought it would be fun to complete a set each year. I found that it would be nearly impossible to do and cost prohibitive besides. What a drag...
ReplyDeleteWOW, a 990 card set!!!?? Is that normal these days?
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note I'm approaching 90% completion of my 1959 set. I'm really pumped to finish it. I remember I used to look askance at the old guys with their little notebooks containing hand written want lists hunched over boxes at card shows. Two weeks ago at the TriStar show in Houston realizes that now I WAS one of those guys!
the set design looks nice
ReplyDeletethe gimmicks and twinks suck
also the inserts are the SAME as last year
Diamond Duos-legendary lineage
topps 60-peak preformace
60 years of reprints-cards yo momma threw out
kimball-mini turkey red
Pardon my ignorance, but what's a "twink" short print?
ReplyDeleteAfter a lot of googling and digging I found out that 'twink' short print is a card with a diamond sparkle embedded in it. They are listed (but not very well explained) here. I'm guessing 'twink' is short for 'Twinkle'.
ReplyDeleteHeath - Yeah, you're really better off buying the factory set, money-wise, and there is just no fun in that.
ReplyDeleteBob - That's including the 330-card update series, which has replaced the Traded set. So if you look at it, in the 1980s you had 792 cards in the base set and 132 Traded for a total of 924. It's not that many more. I'm glad you're making progress on your 1959 set - I'm still buying a handful of 1950s cards here and there, and I'm sure eventually I'll get it into my foolish head to try and complete a set from that era.
Timmy - I hadn't even thought about that. It makes the inserts an ever bigger waste than I'd figured.
Anon - Sorry, I was on a rant and didn't even stop to explain the "twinks". As Commish says, they basically randomly inserted parallel cards of certain players with a "twinkle" effect emanating from a helmet or a ball or something else. Pretty pointless if you ask me.