BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 17: COMPLETION

NOTE: I SKIPPED PART 16 BECAUSE I THINK THAT CARD IS COOL AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRITE ABOUT IT BUT MY BRAIN WON'T WORDS. JUST GONNA MOVE ON AND WE'LL GET TO IT WHEN IT'S READY

I WAS A GOOD COLLECTOR AND COMPLETED A SET! SORT OF

1981 TOPPS GIANTS FUTURE STARS

1981 TOPPS WAS THE FIRST SET I COLLECTED. I HAD A COUPLE CARDS THAT I PICKED UP HERE AND THERE BUT 81 TOPPS WAS THE FIRST SET WHERE I BOUGHT A BUNCH OF PACKS AT THE CORNER MARKET AND SORTED THEM ALL OUT AND MARKED CHECKLISTS AND THEN MADE MY OWN TEAMS OUT OF THE PLAYERS AND WROTE IN NEW POSITIONS IF THE TEAM NEEDED A SHORTSTOP OR LEFT FIELDER AND GOT BORED AND CUT OFF THE HAT ON THE FRONT OF A COUPLE OF THE CARDS AND TAPED IT TO ANOTHER CARD BECAUSE NOW THEY GOT TRADED IN MY MIND AND CRUMPLED UP A RANDOM CARD AND THREW IT ACROSS THE ROOM WHEN I GOT MAD AND LOST A J.R. RICHARD CARD IN BETWEEN THE SEAT OF MY GRANDFATHER'S STATION WAGON AND WAS ASTOUNDED BY HOW CLEAN IT WAS COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER 81 TOPPS CARDS I HAD TRASHED WHEN I FOUND IT YEARS LATER. IN 1982 I DIDN'T COME ACROSS TOO MANY PACKS OF ANYTHING AND IN 1983 I FIGURED OUT WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A COLLECTOR AND MADE AN ATTEMPT TO BE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT CAREFUL WITH MY CARDS. THIS MEANS THAT 1981 TOPPS WAS REALLY THE ONLY SET THAT I TRULY GOT TO JUST FULLY ENJOY. EVEN THOUGH MY BINDER IS FILLED WITH A BUNCH OF CREASED CARDS WITH BAD CORNERS AND SLIGHT MANGLING IT'S A SPECIAL SET TO ME. BUT DANG WAS IT HARD TO COMPLETE

HERE'S THE PROBLEM WITH 1981 TOPPS: NOBODY CONSIDERS IT VINTAGE VINTAGE, BUT IT'S ALSO NOT JUNK JUNK WAX. THE HIGH FALOOTIN' VINTAGE SELLERS WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT AND WILL SNOOT THEIR NOSE AT YOU IF YOU ASK IF THEY HAVE ANY. THE BOXES OF JUNKWAX TRASH YOU FIND EVERYWHERE ARE PACKED WITH 1987 TOPPS AND 1988 DONRUSS AND 1989 FLEER AND 1990 UPPER DECK AND WHATEVER SCORE HAPPENS TO BE LYING AROUND AND YOU'LL BE LUCKY TO FIND HALF A DOZEN 81 TOPPS CARDS IN A DOZEN MONSTER BOXES. THIS IS A REAL PAIN IN THE ASS WHEN YOU NEED ONE DANG CARD FOR THE SET AND IT'S NOT A SUPERSTAR CARD. ONE TIME AT A CARD SHOW I THOUGHT I HAD COMPLETED IT WHEN I FOUND AN 81 NOLAN RYAN ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT RYAN WAS THE LAST CARD I NEEDED FOR 1980*. THIS STUFF IS JUST WEIRDLY HARD TO FIND UNLIKE THE CRAZY OVER PRINTED FLEER AND DONRUSS FROM THAT YEAR. I FINALLY BIT THE BULLET AND VASTLY OVERPAID FOR A ROOKIE CARD FEATURING THREE GUYS WHO PLAYED 72 GAMES IN THE BIGS FOR A TOTAL OF 1.2 WAR. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, THERE IS A BIG CREASE IN THE CARD WHICH MAKES IT FIT RIGHT IN WITH THE REST OF MY SET! COMPLETE AFTER 40 YEARS! EXCEPT... IT'S NOT ACTUALLY COMPLETE SINCE THE TRADED SET CONTINUES THE NUMBERING OF THE MAIN SET. AND I TRIED AND FALED TO FIND ONE FOR SALE BACK WHEN IT COST THIRTY BUCKS AND NOW IT COSTS A HUNDO. OH WELL, THERE'S ALWAYS ONE MORE THING TO COLLECT

*THIS SET IS COMPLETE THANKS TO A GENEROUS DONATION FROM CARDBOARD ICONS. WHY IS NOLAN RYAN SUCH A PAIN EXCEPT WHEN I ALREADY HAVE THE CARD