Tis The Season: sticking a fork in TTS3 and welcome to 2016

Well, it has finally arrived. We are at the last random for the last stacks of cards in the 3rd annual card giveaway. I hope it was fun, even if you never landed in a winning position. All the cards are sorted into team bags. I just need to throw them in envelopes, run some postage all over them and hand them to my mail carrier. Oh won't she be happy with the number of padded manila envelopes coming her way. Anyhow, let's see who will be receiving some A&G.

We have three stacks, so two at the top, Madding and GCRL and Wilson at the bottom. And I don't believe any of them won a previous giveaway, I think we are safe from having to go to an alternate winner. In that regard, Brandon won both yesterday's A&G (2013 & 2014) and the stack of Chrome/Archives/ Hometown Heroes. He stated he wanted the A&G, so we will go to the alternate winner for that stack. In this regard, 2nd place will be considered the runner up and assume the duties of Miss America.

That will be Shane over at Shoebox Legends.

I think it is all said and done. I will do a full review of all the winners and see if I missed any more duplicates and deal with them if the arise. I need to hire an administrative assistant for TTS4.

You can-a leave early, Mrs.-a Wiggins.

As others have, and as I have in the past, let's look forward to 2016 and give myself some direction on paper pixels to see how my collection as well as my home here at 2x3Heroes will go.

Organization - I am quite pleased with how I have everything organized. I'm starting to move some sets to binders for easy access and better viewing to appreciate what I have. I'm going to continue getting sets in binders. I plan to build a long, low bookshelf for a wall across my office to give me not only far more space for binders, but I will have basically a long shelf on the top for display.

Sorry Tawny, your bed is getting moved.

I talked last year of getting cards from the Sox box into Zistle. I'm going to put that into my 2016 goals and try and make that happen. I think I know what scares me: so much of Zistle is no images, and that doesn't work for me. Every time I add a card from the double play, throwback, bunting or player collection binders, I have to scan front and back if they are missing. In that regard, I know updating all the Sox into my Zistle collection will be a LOT of scanning. I just need to bite the bullet.

Sets - I am really going to stick with this one this year, guys and gals. I swear it! While the prerelease images of 2016 Topps look great, I am not going to build it through packs or boxes. I am sure I'll buy some packs here and there. But if I like it, I will pick up the factory set. I just cannot afford to build that set in a pack purchase or box purchase fashion. I will build A&G again. Also Gypsy Queen. Heritage is a maybe. And I'll just wait out and see what is released in 2016. I do need to work on my Wants pages. It's not like I can't complete many of those sets. If I don't pack build flagship, I can use that cash at COMC, Just Commons or Sportlots. The key is to stay focused. I have to remember the prize and..

Oh crap.

Also, I want to start moving on the larger purchases for my 1964 set. The Mantle, Mays, Koufax, Rose, Clemente - those cards. I would like to have a couple of them by the end of the year.

Player Projects - I need to get moving on Fox and Aparicio. I let them languish in 2015. As did the Petrick binder. I want to have Ben over 100 cards by the end of the year - very doable. I'm not going to put a goal on Fox and Aparicio - I just hope I can cross a few numbers off the checklist for each.

Cost - I talked about this a couple paragraphs ago, but I need to bring it up again. I should be focused on how I spend my money and spend it wisely. That rush of opening a pack would be better replaced with the rush of opening an envelope from at Sportlots seller that will do nothing but remove numbers instead of fill space in a dupe box. I have enough free money to collect cards and should better allocate it.

Trades/Blog - The goal on both is basically the same, so I'm combining them. And the goal - no goal. I'll trade when I can. I hope to send out cards often. Similarly, I will blog when I can. I hope to post often. I have thoughts of one or two new semi regular themed posts here, so I hope to make them happen. I do need to get the 1964 blog out of mothballs. I started ambitiously, but I slowed down mainly because of the format I was taking. I am researching and summarizing the player and that is intensive. I think I will view some of the other year specific blogs and change future posts slightly to simplify each card. No planned date, though, when I will get to that.

Collection - Lastly, I will continue to have fun with my collection. Every thing I wrote above is pointless if I am not having fun just being with my cards. And no, that does not sound creepy.

Help me build my '69 set?

I have one major-ish project I am adding to my collecting. It's a new frankenset, and I teased it yesterday.

Remember us?

Yup - I am going to try and build a frankenset of Topps buybacks. Any year will do - it just has to be an older card that is foil stamped and reinserted into a pack, which means the A&G 10th anniversary cards are part of this frankenset. So I know I have asked before, but I will ask again - if you get any buy backs and don't want them, let me trade you for them. Unless they are '75s. Then talk to Night Owl first. I also hope to add some autographs to the 2005 project. Half a dozen will do, and that also if very doable. What won't be doable is that many will probably not show the player in a White Sox uniform. There are just so few certified autographs out there of the players and they are not good TTM returners. so I will need to get them in different team colors. Oh well.

So let's me look - yup. I have the required one scanned card image; this post qualifies for publishing. Oh wait. I need a 2016 theme song.