Does anyone like to build sets anymore?

tiger tiger

tiger tiger

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I think I already know the answer, but I'm a set collector at heart and like building them. Plus it helps me pass the time when the other stuff I like to collect is inactive.

Only problem is that nobody else likes to do it. If I have enough left over cards for a 2nd or 3rd set, I want to complete it.

Because I know the majority of collectors don't care about base, it's hard to buy the singles too. I know I can pick up completed sets at card shows from $2.50 to $10.

The cost for shipping base cards doesn't make it worth it. There are some sets that I need only a handful of cards. Plus because I try to build so many sets, there's a lot to keep track of.

I've been trying to find local guys to trade with but nobody keep inventory of base cards, and if they do, it's completely disorganized. For some, it's seen as a complete waste of time.

I might put a list together so that when I do make trades, if the other person has a couple of them, maybe they can toss them in.

Just some wishful thinking that some local guys will pipe in and want to trade base just for fun.
 
I've only completed about 5 myself and after I did complete them I thought it would be cheaper to just buy the set online and boy was I right. I hate that it has to be that way and that a whole base set is only worth about 10$ when it costs about 100$ for a box and you may even need 2 boxes to complete it.
 
I liked it better back in the day when you bought a box, you'd get a set + a few leftovers + the inserts/mem cards.

Now you could go thru 3 boxes and still not complete a set.
 
I only collect sets but have narrowed it down to 2 sets for the fast 5 or 6 years. I put the base UD set together just because I have since they came out. This was the first year that I pretty much just bought what I needed instead of cracking a few boxes. Its just not worth the price of a box for me to crack and try to put a set together.

I also collect the Heroes & Prospects sets, and for me, that is a complete waste buying a box since I dont care for the game used or autos.

Its getting harder and harder to try and complete sets, even at shows. I've seen dealers busting box after box, pulling the "hits" and throwing the rest away.
 
Also a fellow set builder, also the same issues. I have gone years looking for the last card for a set a number of times. Short printed cards have also made set building better/worse depending on how easy the are to pick up and the cost to obtain them. I liked building the Heroes and Prospects sets because until recently (less the jersey year) you could usually get a set (or darn close) and a few cool inserts in a box.
 
I am very interested in your comments since we take a great deal of time and expense to make large base sets for set builders.

Looking forward to reading your comments.

Brian Price
 
With all the flack Beckett takes (well deserved at times), this is one area where it is beneficial to belong to that site. Base cards can be added as traders very easily and set builders can find the one that they need. Then it is just a matter of making a deal worthy of the postage required to ship them.
 
I like to build them, but keeping them is another issue. The problem is they aren't showy.

A base set is between 100-300 cards. If you want to display them, you need at least 6 square feet of showing space. (a 300 card base set would take up more than a 4 foot by 4 foot space). Who has that kind of space? That means you have to store them in 9 pocket pages which quickly become heavy and unwiedly or a box. Unless you're constantly going through your old boxes, you'll never see them.

I think a set that would appeal visually in smaller segments would do well on the secondary market and encourage base trading. 11-12 and 12-13 black diamond make use of a team logo to join multiple cards together. Here's an example of 9 'base cards' in a set that really exemplify what I think would make the basis for a great base set:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqVHJCcFBoZPgbC0BQ,H+-I1(Q~~60_3.JPG
All the cards fit together in a 9 pocket page to create a bit of "base card art" while each base card on its own still focuses on the individual character. I know this kind of thing is easier in fantasy, but I think creative hockey minds could pull it off. Each set of 9 players on a team could form something in the background perhaps. A picture of their arena. You could group them by nationality and have a flag in the background. The shape of their province or state. The manufacturer's logo, etc. etc.

UD with black diamond and ITG are both trying to do this. Those black diamond GU sell pretty well on the secondary market. As do the 9 card puzzle pieces. They have dual purpose. team collectors want the logo. Player collectors want the 9 card puzzle. This is something a base set could have to increase demand for segments of the base set and encourage trading and listing of cards.

Extend the "fitting together" concept throughout the set, collapse insert number into the set as well. In the 80's, team photos, "league leaders" etc. were 'base cards' part of the main set and continue to be sought after individual cards. Just call them short printed base if you have to. You can avoid this "SCW-12" designation and just call it card #118 or whatever. By marking the art radically different, it becomes its own subset. Look at the UD Young guns. They look way different from the rest of the base set, but are numbered as part of the set too, so you get double demand (rookie collectors and set collectors).

I know that there are a lot of challenges. If you put too few base cards in a pack, the buyer will feel there there isn't enough value in a pack pull. Put too many and the sheer number will flood the market. I'm not saying its impossible, but demand for base is proportional to the people who want it. A single base card is desired by players collectors and by set collectors. If you add a motif to portions of the base set, then you get other collectors involved.

Cheers,
reoddai
 
There are many base set collectors, young and old.To be honest those cards help introduce the kids to the hobby.It's the same excitement from a child getting a base card of his favorite player as a big hairy stinky dude at the expo pulling a 1/1 from the table. Even the vintage guys get hobby love from the kids. They know the greats and a base card of a hofer gets the parents excited to talk about it. Helps create that connection that most of us can relate to with our own parents etc and the chances that a new card collector is very high

When I collected heavy I had full base sets if the design was nice. I also gave many base cards away to kids and they collected them and the sets as well.I hear it all the time I need this card, or I have the full set of...


Brian, please keep the base cards alive in your product as it ensures the growth of the game, the hobby and your brand. It is worth the extra effort
 
I'm old school. I put the sets of each UD product together. I have religiously since the 06-07 Artifacts set. What extra "hits" I get from what I buy I sell or trade to get what I need to complete the particular set that I am working on.
 
Personally, I would like so see it where you could get at least base set in a box. You could expand the set with different level cards (kind of like Black Diamond). Some people just want to try a single box of a particular product, so if it's a bit of a dud, at least you have the set. Or if you give away all the base to some kid, he'd have a full set.

There aren't many card shops around my area and few would carry base cards. I had one dealer pretty much tell me he's not interested in trading base unless it was 20 to 1. When I asked why, he said "it helps you", but doesn't do me any good". Plus I'm not a "big spender" at the shops so maybe in their eyes I'm not a worthwhile customer.

Or designate the box for base collectors (i.e. like Original 6). So for bigger sets, split up the base according to boxes. And it could be a mix too. By conference, or by division, CAN vs USA. Original 6. You could even list it out. 1-100, 101-200, etc.

So base collectors of a particular team can pick that box up and know that they're going to get all their base wants.

Nothing is more frustrating to me than getting 80% of one set and having 40% of a 2nd set in a box.
 
reoddai said:
I think a set that would appeal visually in smaller segments would do well on the secondary market and encourage base trading. 11-12 and 12-13 black diamond make use of a team logo to join multiple cards together. Here's an example of 9 'base cards' in a set that really exemplify what I think would make the basis for a great base set:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqVHJCcFBoZPgbC0BQ,H+-I1(Q~~60_3.JPG
All the cards fit together in a 9 pocket page to create a bit of "base card art" while each base card on its own still focuses on the individual character. I know this kind of thing is easier in fantasy, but I think creative hockey minds could pull it off. Each set of 9 players on a team could form something in the background perhaps. A picture of their arena. You could group them by nationality and have a flag in the background. The shape of their province or state. The manufacturer's logo, etc. etc.

UD with black diamond and ITG are both trying to do this. Those black diamond GU sell pretty well on the secondary market. As do the 9 card puzzle pieces. They have dual purpose. team collectors want the logo. Player collectors want the 9 card puzzle. This is something a base set could have to increase demand for segments of the base set and encourage trading and listing of cards.

Extend the "fitting together" concept throughout the set, collapse insert number into the set as well. In the 80's, team photos, "league leaders" etc. were 'base cards' part of the main set and continue to be sought after individual cards. Just call them short printed base if you have to. You can avoid this "SCW-12" designation and just call it card #118 or whatever. By marking the art radically different, it becomes its own subset. Look at the UD Young guns. They look way different from the rest of the base set, but are numbered as part of the set too, so you get double demand (rookie collectors and set collectors).
Click to expand...

I love these ideas.

The logo and art puzzles are great ideas.

Sub-sets for Olympic years too with puzzles of National Flags?
 
At fall expo 2005, UD had a little focus group meeting for collectors. One of the things they told us is that Hockey still had a greater proportion of set collectors than any other sport.

Their issues over the next several years led me to wonder if they were determined to drive the proportion lower.
 
I am still rebuilding all my OPC sets from 1979-1990. As I kid in the late 70's and 80's we all collected 1) the complete set 2) extra's from your favorite team to pin on your bedroom wall 3) Star players 4) traders....this was how every kid in my neighbour hood collected.
 
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I just started collecting the OPC sets from 07-08 to now...I was a set collector previously in basketball and noticed that lack of value and cheaper to buy a complete set. With the introduction of SPs in sets like OPC it holds more value per box and makes it easier to trade.
 
newfiecomicguy1 said:
I am still rebuilding all my OPC sets from 1979-1990.
Click to expand...

I'm almost there. A few from Lemieux's rookie year, and a bunch from Gretzky's.

I'm probably going to the mid-70's, just to get the RC of all the legends that I grew up watching. Then have to save up for the ones earlier.

It is odd for me to see people not collecting sets because it was what I grew up on. That was the point of collecting.

It makes no sense to me when I hear guys taking 5-12 years to complete the set, even with ebay and forums. "I finally completed my 01-02 (fill in blank) set. The last card I needed was a (fill in player's name) / 99.

There's a problem when a collector finally complete's a set, 99% of the rookies have finished their careers.
 
There are a few set builders out there. OPC and UD Series 1 and 2 are 2 of the most collected sets out there. We always have people coming in looking for base and are more than willing to help them out. We have boxes of base cards that we are always digging through to help people finish there sets.

I(mikeydcalgary) think the mindset of the hockey set collector has changed over time. I know personally I prefer to build harder or serial # sets..ie Dominion, Ultimate. I like knowing that when its complete its one of xxx sets possible. I know other people prefer to build certain subsets of a release ie Limited Logos, Ultimate Debut Patches
 
Eastridge Hobbies said:
I(mikeydcalgary) think the mindset of the hockey set collector has changed over time. I know personally I prefer to build harder or serial # sets..ie Dominion, Ultimate. I like knowing that when its complete its one of xxx sets possible. I know other people prefer to build certain subsets of a release ie Limited Logos, Ultimate Debut Patches
Click to expand...

Just curious, what happens when you can't finish the set? Or if it takes you 3-5 years to finish it?
 
Eastridge Hobbies said:
I(mikeydcalgary) think the mindset of the hockey set collector has changed over time. I know personally I prefer to build harder or serial # sets..ie Dominion, Ultimate. I like knowing that when its complete its one of xxx sets possible. I know other people prefer to build certain subsets of a release ie Limited Logos, Ultimate Debut Patches
Click to expand...

I find myself collecting the same way. I'm working on an auto set, a mem set, and and auto/mem set. While the auto set isn't numbered, there are some SSPs in there that probably limit it to a run of 10 or so. The other two sets are numbered differently, but the lowest run is 10. If/when I ever complete them, it will be quite an accomplishment and I take satisfaction in that.

As for a more traditional set, I think I'm going to give a master set of 13-14 OPC a shot, so long as the retro designs are not seizure-inducing like this years version. Large set with some hard to chase cards makes for a good time.
 

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