Starting a New (Crazy) Project: 2000 Topps Chrome Refractor Set

I've never been much of a set builder.  I've put together chunks of a few sets here and there, but they were easily completable sets from the early 2000's.  When you break a box and complete the entire set from that one box - not much of a challenge.

So I'm very out of my collecting depth when attempting any kind of set building project.  But here goes nothing.  I'm going to be (slowly) chasing the 2000 Topps Chrome Refractor set.

See, the story goes something like this:  I had pretty much forgotten about baseball cards by the time I hit my pre-teen years.  But in the spring of 2000 my mom dropped a couple packs of 2000 Opening Day into my Easter basket, which quickly turned into trips to the local card shop, MG's Cards and Collectibles to buy packs of 2000 Topps.  And that was enough to keep me happy.  Pack after pack after pack of Topps, feeding me a steady diet of base cards and awesome inserts.

On one trip I remember my mom being interested in what other products they had.  The older guy who worked the counter during the days told us about Topps Chrome, which had just come in.  At $3 a pack for only 4 cards it seemed pretty crazy to 11 year old me.  But my mom decided to buy two packs, one for each of us to rip.  This heartwarming Willy Wonka moment doesn't end with a golden ticket, but I did pull a refractor of Kip Wells (then with the White Sox, but he would end up in black and gold a little over two years later).  That was probably the first time I saw a refractor, and definitely the first I've pulled.  But that about ended our Topps Chrome adventure for the better part of the decade.

By 2009, I was no longer reliant upon mom for my card budget or trips to the LCS.  And the beauty of the internet made it exponentially easier to track down boxes.  As a From: Me, To: Me Christmas present, I picked up a box of Series 1 and Series 2 2000 Topps Chrome.  And I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was bathing in childhood nostalgia for a few hours.  

I probably have something like a dozen refractors from the set at this point, and had never really considered actively pursing a set.  They were just cards that looked cool. and if I could find one in a $.50 box at a show, into my pile it went.

So right now I'm sitting at about a dozen cards from the 478 card refractor set.  This will undoubtedly be a longterm project.  But if anyone has any 2000 Topps Chrome refractors sitting around that need a good home or come across any at a show, drop me an email and I'm sure we'll be able to strike up a trade.