2015 Goals -- How Did I Do?

I've been pondering about my collection lately and since we're in the 2014 home stretch I thought I'd set down some goals for the next year.  Maybe putting them out here in public will help me reach them.
 I did keep these goals in mind through the year so I guess this was helpful.  

1.  Organize. 

(Extra credit if you know who these cards belong to.)

I've made a dent this year.  I bought some plastic pages and have "bindered" some recent sets and a good amount of vintage.  Still, you'd be appalled at how much of my stuff is in disarray.  I need to keep at it.  More has to be sold or given away as I sort through and organize.

I made progress.  I have put more cards in binders (I have around 7000 now).  Still have a long way to go.  Much of my collection is still floating around randomly in various boxes.  I gave a bunch of junk wax commons to my local charity thrift store.  I sold a few wax boxes that I've had for many years just gathering dust as well as some singles and 1971 coins.  Again, I want to do more of the same in 2016.

2.  Ron Santo

It gets harder every year to find things I don't have but I'm always on the lookout for new items.

There are recent (last 15 years) autograph and relic cards I don't have but they seem overpriced to me.
I did pick up a few Santo items this year.  I'll be on the lookout as always this year.  I guess Panini still has an exclusive so brand new items are limited and not really exiciting.  Maybe I'll get that Milk Duds box this year.

 

3.  I need to get organized on this but I may look to add to my '69 Cubs collection ( Billy Williams,Ernie Banks, Don Kessinger, Randy Hundley, Ken Holtzman, and Fergie Jenkins.)  I have a bunch of vintage and new but I couldn't tell you off hand what I'm missing.
This part of my collection still needs organizing.  I did add a really cool item related to this collection.  One goal will be to show it off here.  It will take multiple posts.

 4.  I started Johnny Callison collection and I'd like to add to it.  I need his rookie card for sure.  There are a bunch of oddballs from the early 1960's out there, stamps, coins, etc.
I added one card.  WHOO HOOO!

5. Same thing with Rusty Staub.  I may have to dig to come up with what I have.
I'd still like to work on this but as with Callison I'm still not organized and haven't picked up anything new.

6. I want to start a Dick Stuart collection.  I think the seed for this was planted from watching him on Home Run Derby.
Broken record I'm afraid.

7. Lou Boudreau

I have a decent start on this including a rather heavy and odd piece that I've yet to share here.  I grew up listening to Lou on WGN radio and always liked him.  I doesn't hurt to find that though he was raised Catholic Lou's mother was Jewish.
I added a couple of cards.  Still on the list.

8. That segues into the next collection I'd like to build, that is Jewish athletes from all sports.  I'm not a religious man but I do consider myself a cultural Jew.  Living now in an area that is overwhelmingly Christian I feel more of a need to connect and this is one way.
This is a the ongoing project that probably excites me the most.  I did add a few things to it this year and, no surprise, need to organize the cards I have (Brad Asmus, etc.).

9. 1940's-1970's non-sports-- In my never ending search for variety I've recently developed an interest in non-sports cards from the 1940's to the 1970's.  I'm not made of money and I'm not generally a set builder so I envision more of a type set.
I did add some cards to this.  If I ever get my blogging mojo back I'll share them here.

10. Pre-1940 tobacco cards--  I have in the neighborhood of 600 assorted cards, from singles to full sets, of various subjects.  I'm always looking for bargains.
Likewise for these, I added a few and have yet to share most of them.

Well, that's certainly plenty to keep me busy.  The organization part is going to be the biggest challenge.  Otherwise I'll be looking for the best deals on everything else.

2015 was certainly a down year for me collecting-wise.  Partly it was a budget issue but maybe after almost a decade of pretty heavy collecting I just lost some of my interest. 

On a related note, my blog posts have dropped to a trickle.  Thanks to everyone who has continued to visit and comment.  I do have some cool things to share and I plan on continuing to post at least as much and hopefully more in 2016.  As always I love reading your blogs (all much better written than mine, by the way) and  I never get tired of seeing what you come up with.  

Happy New Year!