subset collecting is definitely a thing

the first year that i collected cards, i thought that completing the set (1978 topps) was the only thing that mattered. it was more of the same in 1979, although i began keeping my dodger doubles for a team set, and i started a couple of player specific collections.  once the 80's hit, i had formally added team collector and player collector to my set building resume.

1981 was the year that my dad started collecting with me, and he focused on player collections as well as los angeles dodger topps team sets from 1958 to 1969, as i had made it known that i wanted to build the team sets from 1970 on. he soon thereafter added topps angels team sets from 1961 to 1969 to his pursuits, as well as the 1969 topps expos team set and the 1977 topps blue jays team set.  i remember asking him about trying to complete the full topps sets for those years, and he told me that he wasn't interested - he only wanted those specific team sets.  while i was still building the complete topps sets in addition to my dodger team sets and burgeoning player collections, he was only picking up cards from each set that fit in his collection. mind blown.  i suppose it would have dawned on me eventually that my collection was subject to my rules for collecting, but i was happy to have had this wisdom imparted so early on. i quickly applied it to subsets.  after all, what is team or player collecting if not subset collecting?

i had never really expected to be able to complete topps sets prior to the year i began collecting (that was one reason that i put together my "sampler" sets) but there were cards that i definitely aspired to have, such as the 1976 topps sporting news all-star subset, the 1974 topps hank aaron special subset, and the 1973 topps all-time leaders subset.  eventually i completed those subsets and then (much later) the complete sets.  they are all safely in my set binders, but i may wind up completing a second set of those specific cards to include with my other subset collections.

oh yes, i have other subsets that i have completed while eschewing the complete sets from which they come.  the first one i will show is the 1992 score barry halper collection subset.

this was a five card subset (cards 878 - 882) that featured memorabilia from the famous barry halper collection. it consisted of five retired greats:

ty cobb

babe ruth

honus wagner

lou gehrig

and satchel paige

being a fan of the history of the game, i was immediately drawn to these cards when i first came across the wagner in a dime box somewhere. i wasn't buying many non-topps cards in 1992, so it took a while for me to notice these gems. they made me think of exhibits that i might see in cooperstown with the authentic memorabilia and cards shown rather than photos of each player. just a unique group of cards from a "junk" wax set.

as a side note, i used to spend a fair amount of time browsing in book stores (cheap entertainment), and in 2000 or so, my local borders had a copy of the barry halper collection auction book. i would take that book, grab a beverage with the wife, sit in the cafe and get lost in the breadth and scope of halper's collection. it was amazing. i probably should have just purchased the book, but i never did. instead, i have these 5 cards as an example of what was certainly the greatest memorabilia collection of our time.