2016 Update and Goals

I realized I haven't updated my goals in almost 8 months, since last June.  Without further ado:

• Reach 125 signed 1953 Topps.  I blew past this one, to end up at 153.  I'd really like to try and hit 200 this year.  That may start getting expensive on account of the tougher cards, but I'm not doing this to make a profit.
• Add at least six new Hall of Famers to the set.  I came up short here: after picking up three in the first half of the year, I only added two (Irvin and Rizzuto) in the last half.  Of the HoFers I don't have, for the most part they're pretty big name guys (Robinson, Campanella, Mantle, etc) who will be either difficult, expensive, or both.
• My other two goals for 2015 (add at least one new Phillie, and add two more signed 1949 Bowmans) I had already met at the time of the June update.  

Overall, I'm happy with the progress on the set that I made last year.  I'm cautiously optimistic that I can hit 200 this year, or at least come very close.  

Hal Rice Purchase

It's been a while since my last post.  I was in India for a few weeks as part of a school trip, and then my laptop and phone have started giving me grief whenever I try and sign in to here.  As it stands, the desktops at school are the only machines I've found that don't give me trouble.

That said, I do have another big update: I won #93 Hal Rice in one of Jim Stinson's auctions last month.  Although Rice lived a good, long life (he lived to be 73), he is one of the tougher cards because he was in a debilitating car accident after his career ended, which severely curtailed his signing ability.  Mine was signed in the 1950s, so the signature must predate the accident.  I heard a story from another collector of a guy who went to Rice's house to try and get his to sign some cards, and Rice's son turned him away.

This brings me to 153/274 (55.84 %).  I had plenty of Christmas and birthday money that I was going to plow in to cards, but life had other plans.  My textbook bill for the semester was much, much higher than I expected, and there are still a couple of expensive computer programs I need to purchase as well.  (Sigh) I feel like such an adult...