Filling a Binder Backwards From 1987 Topps

My first baseball set was 1987 Topps, the one with the wood-grain borders. If you collected in the late '80s, you can picture them.

I'm building binder sets now. I'm starting there and working backwards, one year at a time, toward vintage.

Why Backwards

Every set I add is older and less familiar than the one before it. I learn the hobby's history by handling it, a year at a time, instead of reading about it all at once.

It also keeps the project sensible about money. The late-'80s sets were printed in enormous numbers, so they're inexpensive to complete. By the time the sets get expensive, I'll know a lot more about what I'm buying.

Are 1980s Baseball Cards Worth Anything?

It's one of the most-asked questions in the hobby. The value in '80s cards sits in a few places: key rookies in top condition, graded Hall of Famers, and the pleasure of the set itself.

A complete '80s base set often costs less than the binder and pages that hold it. I think that's the charm. It's a set you can finish, and then flip through.

For Hall of Famers, the PSA Set Registry is the long game. Chasing the stars of older sets there gives the binder project a second track.

Playing-Year Cards

One rule carries across almost everything I collect: for most players, I want cards from the years they played. I like the shiny modern stuff, but a card made while the player was on the field is the one I reach for.

Where It Goes Next

Topps by decade, eventually. Maybe basketball sets too. The binder is a slow project on purpose, and every page is a small history lesson I get to hold.