Happy New Year Puck Junk readers! I hope the holidays have been great for you, that you got a cool present, and had some time to relax and watch some hockey.
About two weeks ago, I started thinking about what my Collecting Resolution for 2025 should be while I was trying to find room to put some cards away in my “card closet.” But I don’t have much shelf space in that closet because too much space is dedicated to incomplete sets.
So, in 2025, my Collecting Resolution is to make an active effort to finish my incomplete hockey sets. And if I no longer want to complete a certain set, then it is time to move on and get rid of those cards.
As of now, I have two 3-foot shelves storing over 50 unfinished sets. I also have a 163-page Word Document listing all the hockey cards I am looking for, including base cards, inserts, and vintage cards I hope to own one day.
While some of these “Set Builds” are occupying way too much closet space, I also have many, many incomplete sets (usually insert sets) in nine-pocket pages on my bookshelves.
Now, don’t get me wrong. All collectors are always looking for something. No collection is ever complete, and that’s OK.
Also, I have yet to meet a set builder who is only working on one set at a time. For most of us, it takes several years – or even over a decade – to finish off a set. We start new projects while old projects are left unfinished.
The thing is, I have not been making an active effort to complete these sets.
For example, I still need three cards to finish my 2009-10 Upper Deck “Top Guns” insert set (cards TG2, TG3, and TG7 – maybe you’ve got them?). These cards have been on my want list for 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS! Jeez, Sal! Either buy these cards or move on.
Likewise, I have six different AHL sets that I am trying to complete, dating back to 2015-16. While some readers have helped me fill in some gaps with these sets – you know who you are – I still have not made much of an effort to find the rest of the cards that I need.
When I go to major shows like the National or the Chicago Sports Spectacular, it is now usually as a vendor to sell cards. I don’t have time to walk around – with my printed-out want list in-hand like I did in the late 2000s, or with my list loaded onto my cell phone in the 2010s – and truffle through card boxes.
At the same time, most dealers at card shows in the U.S. do not have hockey cards. And if they do…well, they probably don’t have the 1998-99 Bowman’s Best short prints, the 2011-12 O-Pee-Chee Retro parallel cards, or the 2014-15 Masterpieces base cards that I need to finish these sets.
I’ve pretty much stopped trading with Canadian collectors altogether because the postage costs to send cards to Canada is insane. Honestly, buying is cheaper than trading in most cases.
So, my Collecting Resolution for 2025 is to complete as many unfinished sets as possible. And if I no longer want to finish of a set, then it is time for me to get rid of those cards and move on to bigger and better things.
What is your Collecting Resolution for 2025? Post a comment – or hit me up on social media – and let me know.
Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 3 – Issue 1 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.
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