Set collecting is fun. That’s it. That’s the story. My first experience with baseball card collecting was a 1975 Topps set I was gifted for Christmas. It was an ungraded set bought by my father at the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville, NJ. It was a beauty: nearly 660 near mint cards with colorful borders and an unbeatable rookie class. It was my prized possession. I still know every card number and border color combination for the star cards- Harmon Killebrew is card number 640 with a brown/orange border. It would also be my first experience with the PSA Set Registry.
Collector’s Universe has done something extraordinary- they added an additional layer of difficulty to set collecting and made it a competition. Your goal is no longer just to complete the set, but upgrade the set and try to capture the top spot. It’s why someone is willing to pay $6,690 for a 1971 J.C. Martin card in PSA 9, when a nearly identical copy in PSA 8 sells for $150. I made the plunge into the Set Registry with my beloved 1975 Topps. I found myself hunting down PSA-graded 75’s to fill in the missing pieces. I was scouring shows and blowing up eBay images to find cards to grade, it felt like a treasure hunt. I would get excited over adding a new card to the set and made friends with others on the Registry pursuing the same objective.
I would eventually complete that set and am now actively working on a 1984 Star Basketball PSA Registry set and a 1999 Pokémon set. Set collectors are a different breed; they will get excited over a well centered Frank Tanana card or a crisp J.C. Martin card. They will stay up late bidding on the third-year card of a relief pitcher with a 4.38 ERA or a backup centerfielder from a team they despise. To outsiders, it’s difficult to comprehend, but that 1975 Topps set brought me closer to this hobby than any publication, trade show or National Convention. I found myself in dime boxes, message boards and local card shows. It improved my understanding of condition issues and taught me how to grade. It’s what makes this hobby fun for me.
Building a PSA-graded set can be a marathon, and might not be for everyone. To those who can afford it, I recommend starting with an already completed set and upgrading from there. A few already-completed PSA-graded sets are hitting the market this May- this 1955 Bowman set is already #20 on the Registry with upgrades pretty readily available on some of the mid-grade cards, upgrading will be easy. If you’re looking for a challenge you can use this 1974 Topps set as a jumping off point. You’ll be hunting down 9’s and 10’s for years to come.
The future of the PSA Set Registry isn’t just in vintage, though: as an undeniably younger audience captures market share in this hobby, we are seeing modern sets pop up on the Registry. Difficult to complete Basketball sets and parallel sets are growing in popularity, and the competitive nature of new collectors is translating into competitive set builders. Last year, a 1997-98 Precious Metal Gems complete PSA-graded set was the highlight of the National Sports Collectors Convention. We are seeing record prices on difficult-to-find modern common cards as well. As collectors find new ways to enjoy the PSA Set Registry, you’ll continue to find a vibrant show audience scouring through dime boxes and hunting message boards for their missing pieces. For those thinking about taking the plunge, my only recommendation is to collect what you love and enjoy the ride.
By Jason Simonds
Sports Card Specialist &
Consignment Director, New York
JSimonds@HA.com
(214) 409-3002
This blog post has been published on our website with the permission of J. Simonds or Heritage Auctions.