Thirteen has always been my lucky number. But 2013 was not my lucky year. It's been a year of ups and downs, which in turn impacted my collecting both for better and for worse. Case in point: escaping Ohio and getting back to Pittsburgh was by far the biggest happening of the year for me. But the move also took me away from a busy circuit of large monthly and quarterly shows within driving distance and replaced it with the card show from hell. Now obviously this was a win in terms of mental health, happiness, and Pirate game attendance. But the card front suffered quite a bit.
And of course there are the residual effects of moving. Carrying large boxes onto and off of a truck. Driving a large Uhaul truck across the entire state of Ohio. Packing and unpacking boxes. And, when your darling ladyfriend is the one with the new job, an almost inevitable lull of one income. This, most assuredly, is not a friend of the card budget.
But as the year draws to a close things are looking up. The wedding is under our belt, I'll be starting a new (and exciting) job Monday, and the the 2014 season should be a fun one as a Pirate fan. Plus 2013 marked the beginning of this blog for me, hopefully something that will keep running for years to come.
And now to revisit a forum post I made last year, let's see how my collecting goals fared for this year.
1) Reach 10,000 different Pirate cards (8,560 as of Dec 2012)
The goal seemed attainable, and in face I blew by that number. I'm currently sitting at roughly 11,300 Pirate cards, and with some incoming trade packages and a COMC shipment, I might hit 11,500 by the end of the month. It's pretty crazy to think that I have added almost 3,000 new cards this year. The newfound trade partners on the blogosphere have been a huge help, as have sites like justcommons and COMC. Still, that's pretty crazy.
Mission: Accomplished
2) Add more Steelers and Penguins autographs
I didn't have any specific number goals, but I have definitely succeeded in expanding my Pittsburgh auto collections, as well as my Pens and Steelers collections in general. Still, I have slacked off severely in the TTM department after a very strong start to the year. There are still a lot of reliable signers out there who have played for the black and gold I need to add to my collection. With some extra money in the budget for 2014, this is an area I'll be looking to focus on.
Mission: Incomplete
3) Add 30 new Pirate autographs to my all-time roster project
I started the year with autographs from 440 different Pirate players. Right now I'm sitting at 497, with a few more incoming with my COMC order. There weren't as many new additions as I'd like, and quite a few of that new number come from players who graduated to the majors who I already had an auto of rather than completely new pickups. But that isn't the worst thing in the world. Again, this is an area I hope to have a renewed focus on in 2014.
Mission: Accomplished
4) Add at least 3 pre-war Pirate cards
My end of year count? A big, fat zero. Part of that is definitely budget related, both because of the self-imposed budget restrictions, but also because the funds that were available were being allocated towards filling in my post-war vintage needs (which was a huge success) and trying to keep up with modern releases (the results were decidedly mixed) Pre-war vintage is definitely an area that is lacking in my collection. But those may be goals that get pushed to the side in 2014, unless an absolutely steal falls into my lap.
Mission: Failed
Overall the year was one of the best for my collection. That big number of nearly 3,000 new cards really drives the point home. Of course it's not just quantity. While I filled a lot of base needs, I also added some major pieces that were missing fro
Not a bad year, really, if you hit any goals. I believe I have some pre-war Pirates I might be willing to trade for some cool Tigers stuff. Send me an email if you get inclined.
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