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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
5. Same thing with Rusty Staub. I may have to dig to come up with what I have.
6. I want to start a Dick Stuart collection. I think the seed for this was planted from watching him on
Home Run Derby.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
