I Think I'm Becoming a Set Builder

And I blame Trading Card Database.  The entire site caters to set builders.  You want to build a wantlist?  Here, you can add players one card at a time, OR you can add a set all at once.  It's so much easier to add a set.  You want to propose a trade?  You can view a list of sets that the other person has cards to offer, OR you can search letter by letter to find a certain player you might want.  TCDB has statistics of how much of the set you have completed, even if it is only one card meant for the PC.  And what about adding cards to your collection?  Well, it is easy find everything on a set checklist.  If you want to find a card by player name, you can see a list, but you can't check the box until you enter the set checklist.

I know it was just a couple of months ago that I thought I was veering away from set collecting, but I use Trading Card Database to track and build my collection and facilitate trades.  And it's sooooo much easier to go by sets.  Plus, I'm starting to see the end of my award-themed projects.  When that wraps up, I would like to collect as a record of players of the times.  I still think that set collecting is more expensive, but I'll figure out how I plan to go about it.  Right now, I'm finding that the satisfaction of completing a set and the aesthetics of displaying a set all together are causing my set needs lists to grow.  Plus, I've figured out some storage and display questions that I've had, and it seems that sets will fit nicely into my plan.

On that note, I've sought trades on TCDB recently that have aided my set-building.  From user ShoTime, I received the Yu Darvish above for my 2016 Archives set.

He brought my 2017 Flagship set eight cards closer to completion, including a couple of Cubs.

I think I mentioned the Whatever Works set in my last post, but I'm now two cards closer.  It's funny that I never knew people called Jim Palmer "Pancakes" before I received this card.

I like the Traditions set from Triple Play.  I would like to build it and share it with my boys as a merging of two traditions I'm trying to cultivate: baseball and card collecting.

1988 Topps football was the first set I ever collected.  I was six years old when my dad brought a pack home for me, and I was forever hooked on cards.  Besides the nostalgia factor, it is a really attractive set.  I've decided it's finally time to go back and build the set.  ShoTime helped me out with a couple of the iconic cards from this set.  At one point I owned both of these--and the Bo Jackson rookie--but I don't anymore.  At least these two are back now.

I'm sure at some point I will turn away from set-building again.  I don't know how many iterations of my card-collecting self I have created, and I sure don't know how many more there will be.  As long as I have some purpose, though, I've found that the hobby is more enjoyable to me.  A big thanks to TCDB user ShoTime for helping me out with these set builds.