It's a new year and with it comes many firsts. I'm going to be getting married later this year...that's a first. I will be busting my first case....a long awaited first. Most importantly, at least for the purpose of this entry, I received my first 1952 Topps cards.

Why are they important? They materialized from an epiphany I had after selling my dad's 1959 Topps Ernie Banks (BV$80) for $20 in order to help bankroll my first case break. I felt remorse. I couldn't believe I had sold off a card that is certain to hold it's value for a bunch of unknown cards that may amount to nothing. It was almost like I was selling my dad out by doing so.
In order to assuage some of my guilt, I used some of the money from my sales to purchase around 20 cards from the 1952 Topps set. No they're not my dad's....my oldest brother traded all of my dad's 52 Topps when he was a kid and Dad never got them back. The purchase was the first step of a journey. The journey to collect every Topps card ever issued.
Why Topps? Topps was always Dad's favorite brand. They were the first cards he ever received, the cards that he grew up with, and the cards that he passed on to me. I realized after selling the Banks card that I was doing the same thing that my oldest brother had done....chipped away part of what my father had begun building. I am now beginning to re-lay that foundation.
I ask you to join and help me along my journey. I'm sure there will be ups and downs......but the lessons we learn and the stories that we'll be able to pass down to our own children will make it worthwhile.
- The prize is not gained by success, but by the journey itself.

Marc