Oh, Archives, you beast!

2012 Topps Archives.  The world is abuzz!  I usually don’t get strong feelings, (GOOD or BAD) about new sets.  I don’t buy packs or boxes because the letdown of several dud packs doesn’t balance out the high of a good pack.  That, and that I only want to spend my meager card dollars on cards I actually want, not 15 cards I don’t and only 1 that I do.  This keeps me from getting the big hits though, so what do I know.

However, this year’s Archives has caught my attention.

 Image stolen from Cardboard Connection

As I looked over the many, many quality reviews and quick peeks, at first I found myself getting excited.  Great players and mostly good photography.  Using classic great looking sets as the base is a can’t miss way to go.  The 54 and 71 sets with both vintage and modern players awakens the ‘I gotta have that’ monster lurking inside me.  The 80 and 84 sets were right at the beginning of my childhood collecting period and resonate with me too.

  Image stolen from Cardboard Connection

The Autograph checklist is AWESOME!!!  Here are all of the Auto's, and if anyone has any they want to get rid, I’d love to trade for them!  Especially the ones I highlighted!

FFA-AO Al Oliver
FFA-AOT Amos Otis
FFA-AVS Andy Van Slyke
FFA-BB Bob Boone
FFA-BBE Buddy Bell
FFA-BBU Bill Buckner
FFA-BG Bobby Grich
FFA-BH Bud Harrelson
FFA-BHA Bryce Harper
FFA-BL Bill Lee
FFA-BM Bake McBride
FFA-BMA Bill Madlock
FFA-BOG Ben Oglivie
FFA-BP Boog Powell
FFA-BR Bobby Richardson
FFA-BRB Brett Butler
FFA-BT Bobby Thigpen
FFA-CC Cecil Cooper
FFA-CD Chili Davis
FFA-CF Cecil Fielder
FFA-CJ Cleon Jones
FFA-CL Carney Lansford
FFA-DD Doug DeCinces
FFA-DDR Doug Drabek
FFA-DG Dick Groat
FFA-DK Dave Kingman
FFA-DM Don Mattingly
FFA-DMA Dennis Martinez
FFA-DR Dave Righetti
FFA-EK Ed Kranepool
FFA-FH Frank Howard
FFA-GB George Bell
FFA-GF George Foster
FFA-GL Greg Luzinski
FFA-HA Hank Aaron
FFA-JA Jim Abbott
FFA-JB Jay Buhner

FFA-JC Joe Charboneau
FFA-JCL Jack Clark
FFA-JKE Jimmy Key
FFA-JKR John Kruk
FFA-JMC Jack McDowell
FFA-JO John Olerud
FFA-JOQ Jose Oquendo (9 different versions - 1 per position)
FFA-JW Jim Wynn
FFA-KG Ken Griffey
FFA-KGJ Ken Griffey Jr.
FFA-KS Ken Singleton
FFA-LP Lance Parrish
FFA-LT Luis Tiant
FFA-ML Mickey Lolich
FFA-MSC Mike Scott
FFA-MW Maury Wills
FFA-MWI Mitch Williams
FFA-OG Oscar Gamble
FFA-RG Ron Gant
FFA-RK Ron Kittle
FFA-RL Ray Lankford
FFA-RM Roger McDowell
FFA-RV Robin Ventura
FFA-SB Steve Balboni
FFA-SBR Sid Bream
FFA-SD Shawon Dunston
FFA-SK Sandy Koufax
FFA-SR Steve Rogers
FFA-TH Tom Herr
FFA-TP Terry Pendleton
FFA-VB Vida Blue
FFA-VH Von Hayes
FFA-WB Wally Backman
FFA-WC Will Clark
FFA-WJ Wally Joyner
FFA-WM Willie Mays
FFA-WW Willie Wilson

But here is the problem.  I buy most of my cards at shows from dime and quarter boxes.  I find quite a few gems in there too.  Nothing like pulling a 1971 Dave Concepcion or Willie Stargell for .25!  So naturally, as I am flying through the boxes, certain designs catch my eye.  The 64, 68, 71, 72, 75 sets and more.  When I see one of the, my pulse speeds up a bit.  Now 6 or 7 years ago, it wasn’t so bad, but lately it seems like almost half of the boxes are full of not just Archives (which wouldn’t be so bad) but Cards Your Mom Threw Out, 60 Years of Topps, Cards That Never Were and a ton of sets just like them.

For me, the thrill of the 71 set (just an example, any classic design would do here) isn’t that it is sooooooo beautiful.  It’s that it takes me back.  They are nostalgic.  They were once hard to find, but now there are a million copycats out there.  The card population is being diluted with these reprints and re-imaginings.  Many of them are nice and very collectible, but I’m feeling like there are just too many.  Really, how many different printings of the 75 Topps George Brett do we need?

I know for Topps, they have the right to capitalize on their history.  They do it pretty well.  I just wish they wouldn’t do it so much.

On the other hand, isn’t this sweet?

 Image stolen from 30 Year Old Cardboard