2024 Hobby Goals: Year in Review

[michaelstepper]

With just over a week left, I felt it was a good time to share my Hobby progress that was 2024. I hope you've all had success in your year and it continues on into 2025!

1) pick up 2 of the remaining Griffey refractor needs

2002 bowman gold refractor X

2004 bowman xfractor


2004 bowman gold refractor X

2007 topps red refractor


2010 topps gold refractor


2) swap out 5-10 of my 05 classic sweet spot classic signatures for the red/blue/40 versions
23? and counting. Made great progress on this. Here's a couple favorites







Could have added more but missed a lot of auctions

3) find that damn 2015 national treasure griffey game ball
 nope, but I did add the 2024 Boys of Summer auto that I wasn't expecting. Really a great looking card


4) Continue to sell everything not deep PC.
A process that is never ending im finding but I've made huge progress so far for the year. Clearing 2, 5 row monster boxes and a smaller 3 row. I currently have one 5 row of items for sale.

5) get supplies, consolidate and reorganize my entire collection
Bought new mags and card boxes and started switching anything I'm keeping over. They look much better and easier to store

6) Continue my HOF patch PC
Made great progress on this as well. Trying to find items I don't want to upgrade later so being a little picky. This is where most of my sales funds are going. A few favorites:







7) Find 2 of my Sweet Spot Immortal signatures needs (highly doubtful)
Found 1! In January and not one after



8) Find 2 of my 2005 Sweet Spot GU barrel/glove/ball needs (more doubtful)
Nope, I hope to have success in this search.

9) Find 2 2007 Sweet Spot Classic 1/1 signatures
2! Loving the gold ink bat barrels over any other version but it is what it is

---

 

[MrMet2.0]

Some great looking cards!


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[banjar]

Here's that 2024 goals thread:

2024 Hobby goals

Link to 2023 thread My goals for 2024 1. Continue liquidating anything that's not part of my player collections 2. Add 2+ game-used items from any of my favorite players (Darin Erstad, Will Clark, Eddie Murray, Bucky Jacobsen, Aaron Kurcz, Stacey Augmon) 3. Send off a batch of cards to PSA...

www.freedomcardboard.com

Here's what I wrote, and how I did:

1) Shockingly, top of the list is keep adding to the Alomar PC.

In 2024 I was able to get 96 new Alomar cards. No massive white whales, but a good selection of low numbered inserts and parallels from the playing career days.

2) I am thinking about resurrecting my Dave Parker PC from my childhood. I was cleaning out boxes from the basement as a part of the great "organize my life" project of late 2023, and I came across a binder with about 100 cards o' Dave. Thinking it might be fun to pick up pieces here and there. Dave's career was winding down just as Robbie's career was starting, so this could introduce me to an entirely different era of cards, well before junk wax and parallels and GU cards and 1/1's and all that sh*t.

Yeah! I have definitely done this. It's fun tracking down cards I was never aware of before, which don't cost a lot. I have a few hundred different Parkers now.

3) Continue NOT buying new releases. For 2023, my final tally was 24 cards owned of a possible 257, or 9.3%. Looking to ramp this down further in 2024...

Done. My checklist says 160 different Alomar cards were produced in 2024, and I own 7 of them, or just over 4%.

 

[MrMet2.0]

Hmm, let’s see…

“Hobby Goals:

.Keep adding to the Mets autograph collection…

. Keep adding random stuff I like…

Easy peasy! Lol”

I did them both, success!


Sent from my iPhone using ]][emoji[emoji6]]]Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[michaelstepper]

Here's that 2024 goals thread:

2024 Hobby goals

Link to 2023 thread My goals for 2024 1. Continue liquidating anything that's not part of my player collections 2. Add 2+ game-used items from any of my favorite players (Darin Erstad, Will Clark, Eddie Murray, Bucky Jacobsen, Aaron Kurcz, Stacey Augmon) 3. Send off a batch of cards to PSA...

www.freedomcardboard.com

Here's what I wrote, and how I did:

1) Shockingly, top of the list is keep adding to the Alomar PC.

In 2024 I was able to get 96 new Alomar cards. No massive white whales, but a good selection of low numbered inserts and parallels from the playing career days.

2) I am thinking about resurrecting my Dave Parker PC from my childhood. I was cleaning out boxes from the basement as a part of the great "organize my life" project of late 2023, and I came across a binder with about 100 cards o' Dave. Thinking it might be fun to pick up pieces here and there. Dave's career was winding down just as Robbie's career was starting, so this could introduce me to an entirely different era of cards, well before junk wax and parallels and GU cards and 1/1's and all that sh*t.

Yeah! I have definitely done this. It's fun tracking down cards I was never aware of before, which don't cost a lot. I have a few hundred different Parkers now.

3) Continue NOT buying new releases. For 2023, my final tally was 24 cards owned of a possible 257, or 9.3%. Looking to ramp this down further in 2024...

Done. My checklist says 160 different Alomar cards were produced in 2024, and I own 7 of them, or just over 4%.

Awesome! 96 is a good chunk of new stuff.
Always fun to find old cards or things and let it really being you back. With Parker being a new HOF I'm sure that'll add to the fun.
I had to do that with Griffey. So many new Topps releases and regurgitated imagery I think I have 2 or 3 new cards from each year that really spark my interest. A few I really like but I refuse to pay up for a new topps auto or GU

 

[CardBoredom]

Checking in with end of year results:

2024 Hobby Goals

1. No eBay purchases for at least 6 months. I significantly cut back eBay activity but my "I'm just browsing" still turned into a mail day too many times. I had six months of zero activity, but they were not all consecutive.
2. Pick up at least one of the two remaining cards for my '93 Finest set. Got 'em both (Mattingly and Pudge Rodriguez). SET COMPLETE.
3. One big name card from either '49 Leaf or '52 Topps. Added a '52 Topps Bill Dickey and a '49 Leaf Larry Doby.
4. Add at least three "rare" Jose Canseco cards (print run 10,000 or less). Success. This includes a truly hard to find 1990 Donruss Aqueous Test version.
5. Allow research/writing to catch up with the current size of the collection (~90 items to be written up plus whatever is added in 2024). I wrote up ~70 items in 2024 while adding a net 45 cards to the collection during the year. Progress was made but I cannot claim to have met my goal.
6. Finalize and begin sharing a database created from years of figuring out production figures. Failure. I simply do not have the time to do this properly while focusing on other areas of real-life importance.
7. Finish giving away cards set aside as a thank you to some great hobby writers. This went well. Hoping to surprise some more collectors with random mailing in '25.
8. Take the kids to hunt their favorite Pokemon at a card show. Success. We had a blast.

 

[chippernate]

Cards took kind of a back seat for a while this year, really getting more into fully game used memorabilia

2024 goals:
1) finish PSA graded Braves team sets for T206, ‘35 Diamond Stars, and ‘53 Topps - still look but hard to find at prices that make sense
2) get at least 4 more GU jerseys - got this done +1, 2 Soroka, 2 more 2021 jerseys, finally got a Thrashers gamer
3) Matt Olson or Harris game used bat - Braves game used store prices are crazy for bats for these 2, did pick up a Kelenic tho, his first hit and RBI as a Braves so kinda
4) continue to build my 2005 ToTT collection - built this up a nice chunk and continue to
5) pick up a 1914 cracker jack - took a back seat, pries have gotten so crazy on them
6) pick up at least 6 more of each signed 2021 WS logo balls and 2018 signed pucks of the 2018 Capitals - took a back seat, got a couple done at signings but focused more on game used balls
7) continue to thin out non pc items and focus on solely Acuña - just finished a purge actually
8) pick up a 1887 Allen and Ginter, more of a prayer here haha - not until I get a promotion haha

 

[jmc855]

Welp...

[ATTACH=full]360934[/ATTACH]

jmc855​

Well-known member​

2024 goals

1. Trade my Rocket doubles and eliminate them from inventory. ALMOST completely. Had to sell most. Very little Clemens to Clemens trading available out there.
2. Get another 200 cards displayed. This will not be easy,its tight in here! easily acheived. Pribably added another 400 on display with some new cases. And crafty shelf building.
3. Acquire a Team Finest Gold refractor . nope ,insanely overpriced still.
4. Nolan/Clemens dual autos on a unique card via Foundation/IP. no, strangely, 3 duals i had in mind to send for signing showed up for sale in BAS slabs on ebay, thus ruining my uniqueness. Back to square 1 .

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[michaelstepper]

Checking in with end of year results:

2024 Hobby Goals

1. No eBay purchases for at least 6 months. I significantly cut back eBay activity but my "I'm just browsing" still turned into a mail day too many times. I had six months of zero activity, but they were not all consecutive.
2. Pick up at least one of the two remaining cards for my '93 Finest set. Got 'em both (Mattingly and Pudge Rodriguez). SET COMPLETE.
3. One big name card from either '49 Leaf or '52 Topps. Added a '52 Topps Bill Dickey and a '49 Leaf Larry Doby.
4. Add at least three "rare" Jose Canseco cards (print run 10,000 or less). Success. This includes a truly hard to find 1990 Donruss Aqueous Test version.
5. Allow research/writing to catch up with the current size of the collection (~90 items to be written up plus whatever is added in 2024). I wrote up ~70 items in 2024 while adding a net 45 cards to the collection during the year. Progress was made but I cannot claim to have met my goal.
6. Finalize and begin sharing a database created from years of figuring out production figures. Failure. I simply do not have the time to do this properly while focusing on other areas of real-life importance.
7. Finish giving away cards set aside as a thank you to some great hobby writers. This went well. Hoping to surprise some more collectors with random mailing in '25.
8. Take the kids to hunt their favorite Pokemon at a card show. Success. We had a blast.

Awesome success! Sounds like a lot of fun as well

 

[LWMM]

I posted in the 2024 thread back in October, and progress is the same as it was then. Overall, a very successful year for the Gomes collection—more so than I would have thought likely. It's inspired me to up the goals for 2025 (posted here), and to work on tracking down some items that I lost out on years ago.

 

[theplasticman]

One of my favorite collecting accomplishments for 2024 is completing the 2005 Throwback Threads Polo Grounds 45 card set for Darin Erstad.

It took 19 years, and I was down to missing a single card for around 5 years.

 

[theplasticman]

2024 status

1. Continue liquidating anything that's not part of my player collections

Maybe 5% of this

2. Add 2+ game-used items from any of my favorite players (Darin Erstad, Will Clark, Eddie Murray, Bucky Jacobsen, Aaron Kurcz, Stacey Augmon)

2 game bats this year. Will Clark and Eddie Murray

3. Send off a batch of cards to PSA for grading

0% lol

4. Take better photos for sharing my collection on IG.

I have everything bookmarked and need to dedicate a few hours to making it happen.

5. Add at least 1 Bucky Jacobsen card. I need 3 non-1/1 cards. Wanted: 2005 Topps Black /54.

Accomplished. I added one 1/1 and something else. Several new IP autos were added as well.

6. Finish my 1998 Topps Tek base set for Darin Erstad. I am missing pattern 86. For my second set, I am missing a handful of patterns: 4, 12, 59, 64, 74, 86

Smashed this one. I finished two 90-card base sets of 1998 Topps Tek.

50/89 Diffractor with a few dozen duplicates for trades.

7. Add at least 10 new Erstad cards. I need about 106 non-1/1 cards.

Smashed this one as well. I added about 70 new cards based on my wants.


2025 Goals

1. Liquidate any non-PC stuff, starting with my PSA Master registries (Will Clark and Eddie Murray)

2. Start grading with PSA.

3. Finish my son's memorabilia display in his room. He has a few dozen signed baseballs and around 15 game bats from the 2023 Northwoods League season.

4. Help my son add to his Anthony Edwards PC.

5. Add 2+ game-used items from any of my favorite players (Darin Erstad, Will Clark, Eddie Murray, Bucky Jacobsen, Aaron Kurcz, Stacey Augmon)

6. Have Aaron Kurcz sign any cards on which I don't already have an IP signature. He only had a few dozen cards issued, and I am collecting signed and unsigned versions of everything. Only five IP-signed cards are missing, six 1/1, and a card numbered 25 (2011 Bowman Draft Prospect Autographs Red #AK Aaron Kurcz /25).

7. Add at least 1 Bucky Jacobsen card. I need 3 non-1/1 cards. Wanted: 2005 Topps Black /54.

8. Add at least 10 Darin Erstad cards from my want list. I need about 80 non-1/1 cards out of around 2,700 different.

 

[LWMM]

2024 status

7. Add at least 10 new Erstad cards. I need about 106 non-1/1 cards.

Smashed this one as well. I added about 70 new cards based on my wants.

2025 Goals

8. Add at least 10 Darin Erstad cards from my want list. I need about 80 non-1/1 cards out of around 2,700 different.

Sounds like a great 2024! But what am I missing here? You started with 106 non-1/1 needs; added 70; and now need about 80?

 

[thelesquad]

Ryne Sandberg goals:
1. Hit three needs from his playing years list - I was able to knock five big ones off the list
2. Complete another modern rainbow - The only rainbow I was able to complete was the 2023 Topps Big League, which had a whopping three cards
3. Acquire 10 HR ticket stubs - I was able to acquire eight from one person, which helped me surpass this goal quite easily

 

[theplasticman]

Sounds like a great 2024! But what am I missing here? You started with 106 non-1/1 needs; added 70; and now need about 80?

The counting is a bit funny when 1998 Tek Diffractors and 1999 Tek Golds are factored in. I added about 40 of the 1998's. I wasn't adding all those into that total otherwise it'd be another 100 cards haha. Some positive mental manipulation.

 

[nevermore]

Wants --
1. Paul O'Neill -- add 10 non-Tek needs, getting my non 1/1 need list down under 40. DONE!
2. Vintage -- add 15 needs from '52-'69, getting needs list down to 20. Pick up 1970 Munson RC graded. Didn't happen, paltry vintage selection at shows. Maybe added 5 cards.
3. High End -- add 4 cards, combination of 1/1s, rookies, patches and autographs. Targeting one per quarter between waiting for cards to show up and gathering the funds. Probably added close to 6 cards!

Sell/Trade ---
1. Thin the trade box, have purchases from 2 years ago waiting to be listed. Long over due. Didn't happen.
2. Curate the collection -- move what was once PC stuff now collecting dust. I know what I want to move, didn't get around to it.
3. Trade semi-PC towards PC needs. Trading has been halted last few years. Larger trades are harder to complete. Made one big trade towards 1986-87 Fleer lots/RCs.

Hobby --
1. Card Shows -- targeting six on the year. Didn't keep count, but probably attended 6 shows.
2. PSA Submission -- Have a few high-end cards for preservation and autographs for authentication. Didn't happen
3. Organize -- Have my office set up, next step for me. Figure out what to display and how to do so. Yes, made some headway, but always a work in progress.
4. Expand my horizon -- delve into pre-war players and sets. More about reading, researching and learning than buying. Obtained few REA catalogs, trying to research collecting vintage cards of left-handed HOFers and/or Yankees.

 

[LWMM]

The counting is a bit funny when 1998 Tek Diffractors and 1999 Tek Golds are factored in. I added about 40 of the 1998's. I wasn't adding all those into that total otherwise it'd be another 100 cards haha. Some positive mental manipulation.

Hah, gotta love some creative accounting; make the stats work for you! I went through a phase of adding cards from baseball games (e.g., APBA, Triple Play Baseball) to my checklist, almost entirely just to try to make it to 99% of the non-1/1s.

40 diffractors! Did you buy someone out? 50/89 is seriously impressive.

 

[dano7]

1. Add 4 more Hassan T202 cards.....already have the first one picked out!!!!!!!! GOT 5

2. Continue to look for a Frank Chance B-18 Blanket with yellow pennants - SP so will be tough- NOPE

3. Continue to look for T209 Contentnea Roanoke players- NOPE

4. Make it to 1400 different Yankee autographs - MADE IT TO 1428

5. Add a card from 1924, preferably a Yankee!!! GOT AN EXHIBITS 1923-24 JOE DUGAN

6. Get more college players autographs at Viirginia Tech - SUCCESS

7. Get more in person autographs at ballparks this year. SUCCESS

 

[theplasticman]

Hah, gotta love some creative accounting; make the stats work for you! I went through a phase of adding cards from baseball games (e.g., APBA, Triple Play Baseball) to my checklist, almost entirely just to try to make it to 99% of the non-1/1s.

40 diffractors! Did you buy someone out? 50/89 is seriously impressive.

Yeah, I bought out the guy who was building the master set. I also have about 30 duplicates for trades. It was a pricey buy, but I'd never have the chance to get that many at once.

 

[smapdi]

Actually made progress on my goals.

1) Continue chipping away at my 2021 Heritage Superset. I had been planning to transfer my mania to the 2024 Heritage set as 1975 Topps is my all-time favorite set, but it does not seem to be in the cards. They continue to make odds on good hits longer and longer to the point where it's not even fun to try. Of course, this will probably be the year they normalize the print runs on this product, make it fun again, and I don't preorder a case.

I added a bit the 2021 Heritage set. I finished the jersey set, which at 70+ cards 3 years on was a little tough. The Mookie Betts card eluded me all year until I finally got one that was mislabeled as a high number version for some reason, which are a lot more common. I am frustrated in completing the various small insert, parallel, and variation sets because the cards have just completely dried up while I'm down to just 1-2 cards needed, but I remain vigilant.

I broke down and bought a case of 2024 Heritage and it was just as dull as I feared. It actually took me 2 weeks to open the 12 boxes, compared to a day in past years. Whatever might have been considered a case hit was unmemorable. I haven't even completed the SP set, so underwhelmed by it. I did chase the boxtopper autograph set and I believe I have completed it. I only lack the Johnny Bench, who was on the checklist but I have never seen a copy on offer anywhere. With the 21 set, there were a couple on the checklist that didn't materialize until High Number came out. That might be the case here, if they are even doing HHN this year.

2) Finish 1941 Play Ball set. I only need 5, but they are Joe D, Dom D, Pee Wee, Greenberg, and Dickey. All the biggest names, won't be cheap, but I really need to finish this. I bought my first card over 30 years ago.

I picked up a decent SGC 2.5 Pee Wee, a SGC 3.5 Dickey, and a raw but solid Greenberg. The Joe and Dom DiMaggios are still out there, but I recently had a bit of a windfall so I'm looking for them.

3) Get a really nice vintage piece. The ship has sailed on PSA 4 1951 Bowman Mantles at affordable prices, but 1952 Bowmans are still gettable. I picked up a PSA 7 Kareem rookie at the National, and I've been wanting Russell and Wilt RCs to go with it. Maybe I can swing 4s on those.

I didn't get a key 50s RC, but I did fill in key pieces from another vintage set I've been working on forever. I added a PSA 7 Johnny Bench to my 1971 Topps Greatest Moments registry set. One of the set's SPs, this early Bench is particularly coveted and rare, especially as a 7. I also added a PSA 6 Frank Howard. Not as coveted, but just as rare. I'm down to just 3 SPs on that set, but one is Brooks Robinson, another possibly $2k card.

And my other big pickup was a 1997 Leaf Frank Thomas game-used hat card. I had the complete set for years, but sold them in 2019. However, as the cornerstones of my Frank collection, I knew I'd replace them eventually. So far I've added two back. These are tough, but the ones on ebay are overpriced, IMHO. No one is paying $1500-$25,000 for those.

Finally, I kept up with my Grady Sizemore completist activities with several low print run cards including a couple 1/1s and plates, plus a corrected error card I hadn't even known about from 2012 Topps. He was named interim manger of the White Sox at the end of last season, so I had hoped he would show up in Topps Update or other late season set. So far, no dice, so I hope he'll pop up in 2025 Topps somewhere. But he is in 2024 Prizm. I'm not a fan of Panini baseball, but I'm willing to take on this chase. The base set has 29 parallels including two 1/1s, a /3, a /4, a /5, a /7, and so on. I don't know if I'll find them all but it does reinvigorate my daily ebay searches.