Sports Collectors Digest

The Lost Art of Set Building

I have a confession. I am a set builder.

It is my hobby identity. It is the completist in me. Once I start a set, I want to finish it. During this crazy time in our hobby, I have resorted to going through all my incomplete sets I have accumulated over the years to see which are closest to completion. Then I have used multiple resources to grab those last #478 or #146 cards to bring them to an end.

This chase makes me feel like I am in the minority.

It is hard to believe in this hobby that the question would have to be asked: Where have all the set builders gone?

But that is a valid question in today’s hit-chasing, card-flipping market where the next big score is what most covet. Yes, you will see the vintage set builder at a show or on a Facebook group listing their needs and what conditions they

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