Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Anyone else miss the Huge Base set?, reminiscing about 500+ card sets

[snowblink]

Back when I (re)started the hobby of card collecting in '96 the base card set for the hockey product I was doing had 570 cards. Granted some were subset cards, nonetheless you were still looking at 500 or so player selection.

I've actually started to miss this with hockey. The last few years you have an ever larger number of sets coming out with as little as 100 or even 50 cards in the base set. Now I know part of this is the result of the industry pushing premium product, and star power sells. But what about the mid-to lower end product?

With 30 teams and 23+ players per team it seems certainly there is room for a big set in there somewhere. It's great to see the stars, but I like the grinder cards too...

Anybody else miss the big sets?

[northicehero99]

Big sets are nice but when you are busting boxes it gets too expensive with the way they only put 5-8 cards in a pack. I liked the big sets because you got younger guys who did not have rookie cards and local favorite players, etc.

As for large recent sets, I beleive in 2003-4 Topps put out the Total brand name which is a large set (500-700). The other large set from that year is ITG Action which is over 600 cards and there are exchange RCs from 601-625 (1 per set and 1 per box) and an update set of 50. I found one factory sealed (the factory base 600 card set with 1 memorabilia card and 1 rookie exchange) on ebay for $9.99 plus postage, of course this is after the rookie exchange card had expired, but for under $20 for a 600 card set it was well worth it.

Back when I (re)started the hobby of card collecting in '96 the base card set for the hockey product I was doing had 570 cards. Granted some were subset cards, nonetheless you were still looking at 500 or so player selection.

I've actually started to miss this with hockey. The last few years you have an ever larger number of sets coming out with as little as 100 or even 50 cards in the base set.  Now I know part of this is the result of the industry pushing premium product, and star power sells.  But what about the mid-to lower end product?

With 30 teams and 23+ players per team it seems certainly there is room for a big set in there somewhere. It's great to see the stars, but I like the grinder cards too...

Anybody else miss the big sets?

[bob_TCC]

As for large recent sets, I beleive in 2003-4 Topps put out the Total brand name which is a large set (500-700).  The other large set from that year is ITG Action which is over 600 cards and there are exchange RCs from 601-625 (1 per set and 1 per box) and an update set of 50.

Here's some more info on the ITG Action set:

2003-04 ITG Action
COMP.SET w/o SP's (600)
COMMON CARD (1-600)
COMMON RC (601-616)
COMMON XRC (617-624)
617-624 AVAIL.IN FACT.SETS ONLY

The last Topps Total set was 2002-03 Topps Total which had a 440-card complete set.

Unless Topps begins producing hockey cards again, I'm not sure that there's much of a chance for a larger set.

-Bob

[aceecards]

you shouldve been around in the 60's and early 70's when they released product by series.

By september the stores would be overloded with the previous 6 series so they wouldnt even order series 7 so fat chance to complete the base especially in a town of 40000 people and an allowance of $.10 per week.

Now try to put together a 792 card base set issued 120 cards at a time over 6 months. That was a challenge...

1970,1971 and 1972 complete Topps Sets that I have I put together just like that on my allowance and my grandmother buying me three packs of cards per week..

in 1974 Topps changed all that and came out with one series 660 cards...Thanks

[snowblink]

...The other large set from that year is ITG Action which is over 600 cards and there are exchange RCs from 601-625 (1 per set and 1 per box) and an update set of 50.  I found one factory sealed (the factory base 600 card set with 1 memorabilia card and 1 rookie exchange) on ebay for $9.99 plus postage, of course this is after the rookie exchange card had expired, but for under $20 for a 600 card set it was well worth it.

That's a decent set. I agree there is a problem with wax for the large set. Back in '96 I broke boxes of 12 card packs with 36 to a box, which I would like to see again, even if it's a product like UD MVP or UD Victory, crank out a 600 card base set of that with boxes of 36 packs with 12 cards, some inserts for fun...oh wait I'm 10 years back

[snowblink]

you shouldve been around in the 60's and early 70's when they released product by series...

Yes, unfortunately, it's a little late to take issue with my parents over their timing

[KHarmon]

I'm not a set builder....but my .02 cents is I think it would make it extremely expensive to put a large set together with prices what they are for wax. I like the limited numbers in sets now, except of course for Bowman and Topps. I would like to see those sets keep producing large sets specifically for those looking for local stars and unheard of rookies.

[bob_TCC]

....but my .02 cents is I think it would make it extremely expensive to put a large set together with prices what they are for wax.

That's part of the problem though. Why do most of the products have to be ones with high pack prices? Across the board, I'd like to see a wider spectrum of product offerings within the low- and mid-range areas.

-Bob

[KHarmon]

I can see that....I think the Topps Total is a 770 card set...and it's reasonably priced per pack/box. Of course, most people who are putting sets together want to get the "high end" rookies with a "high end" value on their cards and you don't get a premium price on the larger set rookies because the production runs on those cards are so high.

[northicehero99]

KHarmon you are right, we all want high end rookies, at a reasonable price per pack.

I think the biggest reason I do not buy Topps Total though is the lack of any reward. Why spend $36-40 for Topps Total, when I can pay another $30-50 and possibly get some unbeleivable insert cards. The return value is just not there with Topps Total. It is the lottery effect of the other products that makes me avoid Topps Total. If I am guaranteed an auto or jersey out of a box, I would rather buy it than a box with nothing (even if the GU could be a scrub). On several boxes last year I turned around and sold the auto/jersey and paid for the box. Total just does not offer that. I will say though it looks like Topps may be looking to change that. I was told that in the Topps Total Baseball, there were supposed to be 3 press plates in a case this year. Maybe, next they will add some GU items.