Goals: Finish What I Started 34 Years Ago

I returned to collecting cards in early 2011 after stopping roughly in 1983. I got swept up in new cards and discovering what I had missed in the 28 years I was gone.

I chased Heritage 2011 - and, of course, I'm still working on the short prints. I had fun with the flagship set of 2011. I dabbled heavily with A&G 2011 and Gypsy Queen 2011 - especially the cool paper frames. Some Lineage, too.

Then 2012 arrived and I felt lost. I didn't much care for anything and felt some burn out.

So, I fine-tuned my focus. It was easy really, pursue what always makes me smile.

Vintage and the sets of my youth (arguably vintage as well).

To me, vintage is either anything from the year I was born (1968) and earlier or from the year I stopped collecting - 1983 - and earlier. I can't decide.

At many local card shows, I've grabbed old cards here and there. Guys I had heard of - stars and semi-stars - and just cool looking cards I've found. I tend to focus on Reds and Tigers (my teams) and Cubs (my Dad's team and my still-living Grandpa's team).

But I also have renewed my focus on finishing the sets of my youth. 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983. As for 1977, I never had too many of them, so I bought a hand-collated set in the fall of 2011 at a garage sale. Through some other buys, please note I have a small collection of '77 dupes.

My top priorities right now are to finish 1976. I'm very close now and this is the set from which my other Grandpa had brought cards home for me from a garage sale in the early '80s. This is a very sentimental completion goal for me. I wrote all about it not long after starting to collect again.

Next priorities are to finish 1978 - the first cards I ever brought home from drugstores - and 1981 - a set I've always just had a fondness for and one I'm closer (although still far) to completing. 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1983 are taking a backseat - although I'd be happy to get them.

Many of my cards from my childhood sets were wiped out years ago in a basement flood. Sigh.

While I always took supreme care with my cards, I made up games with them and held them often. A few '81s suffered the consequences. Take Chet Lemon, for example. 

Another card I loved.

Despite my loyalty to the Reds, I always respected the then-rival Dodgers (and the '81 All-Star strips and sweet mustaches).

Meanwhile, it's nagging me but I believe I owe a collector an email from way back when. Had some Tiger cards, as I recall. He's probably long gone but just wanted to apologize for forgetting to return the note.

Meanwhile, part two, anyone know what happened to JABO? I was involved in his cards-being-sent-around-the-country-project. I had mailed then overseas and they came back to me recently several months later. He seems to be out of the collecting biz now.

Finally, if you care to read my previous post and want to vote on some all-time Indians in my pet project, please take a look and then go to the poll. A few hours left to vote and then I think I'll tackle the Giants (if anyone cares to nominate a few).