The Ancient Collector

How did the ancient collector [e.g. before eBay] ever possibly collect a set?

That is the thought going around my head as I examine my completed Legends of the Game insert set via eBay...

Comments

Captain Canuck said…
The answer, my friend, is that before ebay, sets were 792 cards, and 660 before that. All in packs. No super duper top secret short printed mauve holofoil parallel sets.
you didn't need to access the four corners of the globe just to find one card.
stusigpi said…
The Cap'n mostly covered it.

Gather 'round Uncle Joe Collector kids. You see kids, when I was about your age we had 3 card sets. Every once in a while Fleer or Topps would have a premium such as Headliners, all star inserts, or all star glossy cards. You see, these were 6-20 card sets that could often be completed with just 6-8 fleer rack packs or just one box of Topps rack packs.

In the Topps rack packs you could see the all star insert card on the front so you could buy the pack with the card you needed.

We also had card shows. Yes kids card dealers large and small used to come from parts far and wide with the wares. Binders and boxes full of commons, semi-stars and stars to complete your set. The cards were priced from .05 to 2.00. Since the cards were printed in equal amounts each card was quite easy to find, yet the final few cards to complete a set were elusive in a fun way.

Then the skies darkened and the heavens rained fire and brimstone in the form of impossible to complete sets (topps gold in 92) and impossible to pull parallels. Children, I fear this evil will never end.