Set up completion carousel

It was a long time ago, during that innocent summer of 2019, that I was given a partial set of 1988 Fleer by my friend (Padrographs) Rod. It took me a few years to put together the few dozen missing cards, but I’ve finally turned that partial set into a complete set. (#188 Denny Martinez was the last card due to an accounting error on my part.) That gives me a three-year run of Fleer, from 1986 through 1988. I also have ’84, ’90, and ’92 complete. So I’m looking for complete or near complete sets of Fleer from ’81, ’82, ’83, ’85, ’89, ’91 and ’93, working on a Target Fleer Baseball run from ’81 through ’93 (when I stopped collecting as a kid). And I think the only Fleer Update set I have is from 1987, but I would also like to have more of those complementary sets.

I should at least give a little salute to ’88 Fleer here, but what else can you say about ’88 Fleer? I like the set mainly because of the checklist, more than the design. You get some key rookie cards that some other companies missed, like Edgar Martinez and Ron Gant, and the rookie duos with Mark Grace, and deeper pieces like Jeff King and John Burkett. Also endearing is the final tribute to Reggie Jackson, his one and only starting card that year. Even though they printed a lot of stuff, ’88 Fleer still seems relatively scarce compared to the other regular baseball cards from 1988. I’m not sure if this is the best set of that year, but it certainly feels less junky than Topps and Donruss, right?

Coincidentally, here’s another set from 1988 that I’ve been trying to finish since I moved into my old place (that’s how I keep track of things these days – and this month marks 5 years of living in the new house, so it’s been a while)…

Joy of one (2nd) Completed Set: 1988 Topps Pee-Wee’s Playhouse

I recently paid a little too much for this oversized card, but it was the last card I needed to complete a second master set of 1988 Topps Pee-Wee’s Playhouse that was several years in the making. The story goes that I ended up buying 3 boxes of the stuff (well, one was a partial box) to build my first master set and I ended up with enough dupes that it made sense to go ahead and take that second set to the finish line. Man, what a frustrating set to build! If you’re thinking of going after the set, I’ll warn you that the boxes are terribly sorted. You’re better off buying a completed set on eBay. Or hey, I don’t plan on holding on to my second master set, so if anyone wants to trade, let me know. Mastersets (159 cards including variations) seem to cost around $150 on eBay. On that note, I also have a second near-master set of 1991 MusiCards available with all the variations and most of the promos that I should try to sell or trade one of these days.

New partial set to work on: Will’s Cigarettes 1926 Wonders of The Past

1926 Testament Wonders of the Past needs:

14 Easter Island

42 The Colosseum

43 Trajan’s Forum, Rome

44 Tombs along the Via Appia

New partial set to work on: 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites

I haven’t documented my progress much on the blog, but over the past few years I have built all three refractor parallel sets for the Topps All-Time Fan Favorites trilogy (only 14 more are needed). A bulk lot on eBay included a refractor I needed plus a partial base set from 2004, and I ended up getting a solid price for it. While I’m mostly interested in the refractors, the base maps are cool too. Might as well work on completing that.

Only the Ripken may be relatively pricey of those names, so that’s not bad.

Thanks for stopping by, folks. I hope you enjoy playoff baseball. As I type, the deciding Cubs/Brewers game is on. Now that the Padres are out, I’m rooting for whoever goes the longest without winning (i.e. not the Dodgers). I would like to see a first champion this year.