Introduction

A rare glimpse into the Vintage Set Shelf within the Phillies Room

As I write this, I'm three cards away from a complete 1971 Topps set and once those three cards are tracked down, I'll be the proud owner of every Topps flagship set issued between 1970 and 2018.  I'll add the 2019 Topps factory set after Santa visits this year, and the crown jewel of my collection is a complete 1956 Topps set, lovingly collated over a 20-year period with my Dad and the current topic of my 1956 Topps blog.

Nearing the completion of the 1971 Topps set, I realized I haven't gone without actively collecting a Topps baseball card set since the early 1980s.  Beginning with the 1981 Topps set, whether it was the current year's offering, or a vintage set from the 1970s, I don't remember not having an ongoing checklist for a set of Topps cards.  I quickly decided I wanted to keep collecting sets once the 1971 Topps quest was completed and I was faced with the exciting task of deciding which vintage Topps set to tackle next.  I toyed with the idea of simply going backwards from 1970 and digging into the 1969 Topps set, but that set's design has never really appealed to me.

In need of inspiration, I pulled out my trusty and well worn Topps Baseball Cards: The Complete Picture Collection and I spent some time reviewing the 1951 through 1969 Topps sets.  I quickly narrowed down my two favorite designs and sets from that period as the 1959 and 1965 Topps sets, and it was decided that I would be collecting one of those two sets.  After much deliberation and emergency consultation with The Phillies Room executive staff, I decided I'd start collecting the 1965 Topps set.  My 12-year-old son Doug jumped into the boat for the voyage too and he's going to actively help me track down 1 or 2 or 20 cards from this set as we travel to baseball card shows in the coming years.  My youngest son Ben has also been invited to help provide expert guidance when needed.

I've always loved the colorful design of the 1965 Topps set, and the team-themed pennant is one of my favorite design elements of any Topps flagship set.  I love the idea of tracking down and owning rookie cards of Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw, as well as the third year card of Pete Rose.  All three were key players of the early 1980s Phillies teams that I followed so closely and that first cemented my love of the game and the baseball card hobby.  I'm going to try to build a set in great condition, sticking to the guidelines set by my Dad when we were collecting our 1956 Topps set - sharp corners, no surface wear and well-centered.

I'm going to track each card we add here on this blog, showing off our latest purchases and sharing a little about the player's career and his baseball card history.  While I don't envision this as short-term project, I would think completion of the 598-card set will not take longer than the 20 years it took for my Dad and me to complete the 1956 set.  But you never know.  Just like most things that have brought me joy in life, I'm going to enjoy the journey with no rush to get to the final destination.

Posted November 1, 2019.