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The Great Reorganization: Step 26: A Long Hard Look at the Year in Cards in 2003.

I'm still working my way through a complete collection overhaul (this has been one of the slowest processes in the history of all processes).  Anyhow, today I'm going to take a look at a year that didn't feature me buying too many cards:  2003.

At the time of me starting this post, I had the 2003 Fleer Box Score set on my want list, so let's begin with that set.  For whatever reason, the one set I claimed to be collecting on my blog is the one set that wasn't tucked in that binder labeled 2003.

Nope, instead the 2003 Fleer Box Score set was simply in a big pile.  Waiting and waiting for me to get around to putting in nine pocket pages I guess.

Amazingly, I have almost the entire base set for the '03 Box Score set complete - but I'm missing most of the rookies (which were short printed) and then I only own one of the four (!) "hobby box mini box sets" for the high number inserts.  Needless to say, I have no plans to buy any more hobby boxes of Fleer Box Score so the dream of owning those cards is pretty much dead.
The mini boxes that you could only find in hobby boxes.  

In fact, I have decided that my original goal of collecting the entire 2003 Fleer Box Score set is actually dead.  For whatever reason, I was originally drawn to the set but looking at it now I know that I have no desire to spend the necessary cash to track down the pointless short printed rookies and all the high number cards that came in those little boxes.  Nope, Fleer Box Score is no longer on my want list, though those Internation Road Trip cards are actually kind of sweet - here's the Nomo from the set:

I will say that a bunch of the 2003 Box Score cards may end up in my Frankensets (when/if I ever get around to working on those).

It actually felt good to eliminate some stuff from my want list...but now the question is:  Will any other sets from 2003 replace Fleer Box Score on my want list?

In reality, I had previously ruled the year 2003 down to only three sets (Box Score, now eliminated, and then Upper Deck Vintage and Topps Heritage).

Let's start with Upper Deck Vintage.

This set is a clear rip-off of vintage Topps...and truth be told, the '03 UD Vintage set looks better than the Topps Heritage set from the same year.

The annoying thing about most vintage themed sets is the short prints - and Upper Deck's Vintage suffers from the short print issue as well.  In fact, Upper Deck thought it would be a good idea to have two different tiers of short prints (20 of which are seeded 1:20 packs while 5 are seeded 1:40 packs).  That alone is enough for me to say "no thanks" to collecting the set fourteen years later.

Amazingly, I should note that I actually had four of the short prints (three of the more common short prints and one of the rarer ones).  That is despite only owning 63 cards from the set!

I do like the Upper Deck Vintage set a lot - but I think I made the right choice in deciding to part with the little bit that I have of the set rather than going crazy trying to track down all the cards (and short prints).

That leaves us with one last chance for me to collect a set from the year 2003:  Topps Heritage.

I actually like the '03 Heritage set a lot - but it is another set that is bloated with short prints...nevermind the fact that I've sworn to not collect another year's worth of Heritage until I complete some of the many Heritage sets that I've already committed to buying.

Nope, Heritage isn't going to make the cut - which means the year 2003 won't be making any appearances on my binder shelves.  That's ok though, I don't have a lot of attachment to any sets from '03 (that was smack dab in the middle of my undergraduate college years).
One of the black background variations.

It's always nice to make solid progress on the reorganization...let's hope I can knock off another year or two before the summer (and my vacation) is over!

Comments

  1. Super jealous of your reorganization. I need to start going through stuff and getting rid of partial sets and and old base that is just cluttering up my collection. Congratulations on dropping three more sets.

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