You get one set a decade - what are you taking?

[green_stiller]

I asked this to Deadshot on a mailbag episode of WaxMuseumPodcast, but want to hear some more answers.

You can collect one set only from each decade - base/inserts/parallels… what are you taking?

40s - Bowman ‘48 - what else could it be



50s - Topps ‘57 - consider trawling the basketballcardmuseum IG, but another iconic set



60s - Topps ‘69 - the right answer is ‘61 fleer, but I like the tall boys and the cheaper set chase



70s - Topps ‘70 - tall boys and classic Lew. What more do you need in a card set



80s - Fleer ‘87 - thought to not go ‘86 or Star, but I’m cheap and the stickers are a fun side



90s - Hoops Decade ‘99 - had to go with an Odom RC set, I love the inserts and want to start a Hoopla plus set chase one day as a reasonably priced 90s set.



00s - Topps Finest ‘05 - honestly any year of 00s finest for the parallels. Picked this year bc of my Shaq



10s - Panini Pinnacle ‘13 - I could flip flop here, but today I’m settling on acetate autos



20s - Panini Immaculate ‘20 - I wouldn’t be upset with any modern flawless or immaculate

[Deadshot]

Good question! If I'm bound to one specific set for an entire era, I want something that gives me a decent amount of stuff to chase...if possible. As you'll see from the earlier eras, that's not always the case. And I'm only going to do major sets here...not the regional food releases or anything like that.

40s and 50s are easy then because. . . there was only 48 Bowman and 57 Topps.

For the 60s, it would either be 61 Fleer or 69 Topps. I like the 61 set way more (not a big fan of tall cards).

For the 70s, I'd go with the 71 Topps set. It was the first set to include ABA cards, and I just really like the design.

80s is a bit of a toss-up. I don't collect much from that era. And up until 86 Fleer, it was a couple Topps sets and then the Star sets. None of them seem super difficult. 86 Fleer seems like a cop out answer, but it's really the best I've got.

The 90s are when things start to get interesting. This is more or less when the chase element extended beyond your normal base and sticker sets. I'd probably have to go with a set like 97-98 Flair Showcase because of all the Rows and Legacies there are to chase. That would be a good long term project.

For the 2000s, my favorite era, I'd go with 2004-05 Topps Finest for similar reasons. The parallels...relative to now, are not out of hand, but it's a chase that's gonna take a long time. There's a nice mix of retired players and legends in there too, which I really like.

For the 2010s...I think I would do 2013 Prizm. It's one of my favorite Prizm designs and some of the parallels were split between Walmart and Target, which was pretty fun. The other set I'd consider was also split between retailers, and that was 2018-19 Status.

The 2020s might be as difficult as the 80s because there's just so much junk now. It's hard to find something to get real excited about in the moment. Part of the problem is everything is late. I think that really sours me on a lot of products. I might look back at some of these releases in 5-10 years and appreciate them a lot more. I guess I have to go with 2020-21 Flawless...primarily because I like jumbo patches, but it has game-worn stuff for the rookies as well which I think is important.

I'm looking forward to seeing other responses!

[daeve]

Fun topic... Don't know enough about 60s and 70s yet to really say. 40s/50s seems like not much to say there.

So onto the 80s, I'd have to go with the one set I have actively looked into.

1988 Panini Spanish stickers -> you get a mix of nice portrait shots along with action shots, some with very nice photography, and way more scarcity than 88 Fleer. Simple design with clean white borders, a classic in my eyes.


90s:
Extremely tough, I don't have one certain focus in the this decade aside from aesthetics really. As tempted as I am to go with something early decade to capture some early foil/insert action, I would hate to miss out on the late 90s rookie classes, so I have to look towards the latter years.

I think I would go with 1997 Finest, with the embossed refractors being a strong pull. You get the '96 class in their 2nd year so they're a bit more affordable, still get peak Bulls, and get Duncan RCs. His stuff is still so undervalued that I feel like I'm getting a bargain on those. Greening or the patina effect is going to happen but I think the embossed refractors are crazy-looking enough that they kinda pull it off. Bonus points for the very fun brick pattern die-cuts too, just overall such a unique+interesting set.


00s:
Tough decision on whether I'd go with 2003 Topps Pristine or with 2004. I love the gold refractors #/d to 27 in 04, and the weird 'color blast'-y /wavy pattern on the gold/white background. Pure fun. The 03 parallels are very fun in their own right though, with a white bottom text border featuring the team name in holo gold with a fun shadow effect, and then a mirror / 'shadowself' [??] white image of a non-descript player behind the actual image of the player... with a horizon-like holographic globe basketball effect. I just realized that's my first time ever typing out a description for that haha. It's very unique to me, borders on manga-esque dramatics and maybe it's a good thing they're #'d 99 since I'd be chasing Lebron RCs.

Heck, the 02 Pristine design deserves a nod too. I love the textured look of the refractors and though I don't own anything rare from the set as of now, I do plan on fixing that.

I think the RC class would tip the scales towards 03 for me.


10s:
2015 Revolution, the inaugural release of what has become one of my favorite sets every year. The parallels this year were beauties, with Lava being the only later addition I truly like, aside from not having those this set is pretty much perfect and features a classic Jokic fadeaway pose that I think will become iconic as his legend grows.


20s:
2020 Flux has gotta be my pick -> the first and only Flux release. First time in years I sought out boxes to rip from a LCS. Love the parallels, thanks to the textured look even the Silver prizms pop. The scope Titan golds are probably some of my favorite cards aesthetically of the past decade. The Full Capacity are a great-looking chase and I think their rarity will help them stick.


edit: to add pics

[FrankAZHP]

You can collect one set only from each decade - base/inserts/parallels… what are you taking?

This is a great idea for a thread and to build community.

Preface: Most of my collection is Topps (across all sports) and I'm a fanboy of their designs (though I don't agree with all/current company policies/procedures/operations) so expect a lot of that. I also won't choose anything from an oddball or team issue set unless it's for a sidenote. Also not including sets strictly for their inserts (though inserts may be a part of the overall picture). Will also include a photo of a card I own for an example. Also I'll do this on personal favorites, not based on any value in the market. I'm a collector, so value isn't as important to me.

1940s - 1948 Bowman - No other option -
I don't own any

1950s - 1957 Topps - A simple classic - For now I only own reused designs from late 2000s.
Pictured my 2007-08 Topps Chrome 1957-58 Variations Refractor /999 Dwyane Wade Raw


1960s - 1969-70 Topps - Short set, tall cards, many HoF rookies. Can't go wrong.
Sidenote: The 1968-69 Topps Test set would have been great if that came out. Design wise it reminds me of a mix of 1969 Topps Football & 1961 Topps Football. Which I like.
Pictured my 1969-70 Topps Jerry West SGC 2


1970s - 1974-75 Topps - This barely beats out 1971-72 which barely beats out 1979-80. I love so many Topps 70s designs in Football and Basketball this is starting to get tough.
Pictured my 1974-75 Topps Nate "Tiny" Archibald PSA 6


1980s - 1988-89 Fleer - Barely edges out 1981-82 Topps which barely beats out 1989-90 Fleer. Dunno why.
Sidenote: Star cards aren't here because I have no personal attachment or nostalgia. 1986-87 doesn't take it despite the official "RC" for so many HoFers because design is kinda ugly imo.
Pictured my 1988-89 Fleer Reggie Miller (RC) PSA 8


1990s - 1992-93 Topps - I know I'm picking paper over the glossy stuff that came later in the 90s with great inserts, but I don't care. Some people consider it lazy of Topps to use the same design across all sports in 1992, but I loved collecting my favorite players across multiple sports with that same design. Simple, neat border design. Name, Team, large photo of player on front. A few colors but not enough to look too messy. The backs of 1992 Baseball & Football are better than Basketball because they have a photo of the stadium alongside stats and a blurb if enough room but backs are still solid. It was overproduced, and out of all 4 main sports with rookies there's only 2 HoF rookies from 1992 (Shaq & Zo). So I get why it's unpopular for some. I'm just nostalgic for me.
Sidenote1: 1992-93 Topps Archives gets 2nd place here as I loved seeing the cards that never were with so many HoFers in 1980s baseball designs.
Sidenote2: 1991-92 Upper Deck gets 2nd runner up. For it's nice base design, decent subsets, and the Award Winner Holograms.
Sidenote3: 1996-97 Topps Chrome (and 1996 Topps Football) was what made me change my focus as a collector from having regular Topps as a main PC, to having Topps Chrome as a main PC. Plus with refractors as parallels and with an amazing Basketball rookie class? Yum.
Sidenote5: Rating 90s is too tough. Too much that impacted the hobby as a whole, between UD holograms, Topps's refractors and inserts (Seasons Best), the beginning of parallels, the impact of "Autographics", and UD's Game Used Jersey Cards. Pure fire. All of it.
Pictured my 1992-93 Topps Shaquille O'Neal (RC) PSA 8


2000s - 2003-04 Topps Chrome - Between the rookie class, the first time we got Gold Refractors, the relics, the autos and a neat simple design with a large photo and the drawn stroke of a player reminding me of 1969-70 Topps, it's hard to not take this year.
Pictured my 2003-04 Topps Chrome Dwyane Wade (RC) PSA 6


2010s - 2018-19 Donruss Optic - Barely edging out 2019-20 Donruss Optic. I only collect Donruss Optic as a Chrome replacement for the time being, so I can't speak much on the 2010s. This is mainly a base card design preference and doesn't speak for the rookie class or inserts. Very similar design to 2010 Topps Chrome Football which I like. Also even though I love parallels, the straight total number of parallels in Optic around this time (and to current) is kinda dumb. I'd say you're pushing it at 15-20. There's absolutely no need for 30+.
Pictured my 2018-19 Donruss Optic Lime Green Holo /149 KAT Raw


2020s - 2021-22 Donruss Optic - Barely edges out 2021-22 Topps Chrome Overtime Elite. The Topps design is nice but not as nice as the player selection (obviously). Not much to speak on for the 2020s for me.
Pictured my 2021-22 Donruss Optic Lime Green Holo /149 Nikola Jokic PSA 8

[Smalltown]

As many have said the first bunch of decades are easy:

1910-19 - T51 Murad Set
1920-29 - Willard's Chocolate
1930-39 - Goudey Sports Kings
1940-49 - 1948 Bowman
1950-59 - 1957 Topps
1960-69 - 1961 Fleer

Starts getting a bit harder:

1970-79 - 1972-73 Topps
1980-89 - 1986 Fleer on sheer star power

Now the debates begin:

1990-99 - For me nothing is more influential in the 90s that what Skybox did with Autographics starting in 1996-97 Hoops. That insert set which started in Hoops and crossed over multiple other sets really paved the way for the inclusion of autographs at the scale which we have today. If you weren't around at that time it's really hard to explain how revolutionary and exciting that was for collectors.

2000-2009 - 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection. It wasn't the first high-end product. But it really cemented high-end product's place in the hobby.

2010-2019 - 2012-13 Prizm. Simply put it defined the Panini era and became "the" card brand of the last decade.

2020-current. Cheating a little bit here. But it's my list and i can do what i want. Since it was released in September of 2020 this is where i'm putting it. Selfishly it's 2019-20 Opulence which was the set that best commemorated the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors.

[green_stiller]

Interesting to see the differences here. 2003-04 seems to be popular for good reason.

A handful of sets well outside my budget

[SacKingsCards]

So much fun thinking about this thread and my preferred sets. I think it's one of the great things about this thread so far is that once the 90s come around, there haven't been any repeat sets. Of course, prior to the 90s the dearth of sets naturally lends itself to lots of overlap. I probably should've chosen 03 pristine as well, I must like it enough to have a team set of the gold refractors and pristine gems is one of my favorite jersey sets.

I don't have anything pre-1980s because I just don't collect vintage and really have no basis for making a choice. For the rest, I chose my favorite set in terms of design, variety, and uniqueness.

80s - 1988 Fleer

I like the design better than 86, the presence of the all star subset, and that it includes more players (Stockton, Pippen, Rodman, Reggie RCs + the non RCs of the other legends from 86 set). I think the only 90s legend not included is David Robinson. I'll forego the photo since there's one above.

90s - 1997 Z-Force

When I was considering the 90s there was just so much variety in this set, that I felt like it encompassed so many designs, technologies, and overall styles that I would find it interesting enough to be the one I keep. The base cards have a unique design, but their lack of game photography almost pushed me not to choose the set. The inserts were enough to make up for that though. I'm no 90s expert, so forgive me if I get something wrong, but across the inserts of this set is the use of die-cuts (Slam Cam, Zebut, and Zensations), Acetate (Quick Strike and Slam Cam), Cracked Ice-ish technology (Rave Reviews), Shimmer-ish technology (Total Impact). Just so much different stuff.

00s - 2009 Classics

I know, this will be so unpopular given all the shiny Topps and the UD High End 00s stuff, but 2009-10 was the year I began collecting so the set of the decade is going to come from this year. If it wasn't all sticker autos, I likely would've gone with Absolute Memorabilia, so I went with a simple set with a clean design, all on card autos, and still with memorabilia cards I'd want to chase since Classics has a lot of legends and dual memorabilia sets.

10s - 2015 Preferred

Okay, I'm biased because this has potentially my favorite set ever in the 15-16 Statline Memorabilia set. But there's also Finals booklets, and a ton of other great memorabilia booklet sets. It has a great looking SIlhouettes design and beautiful on card auto sets like Crown Royale and especially Unparalleled.

20s - 2021 Photogenic

This decade was so hard. I wanted a 2020-21 set because it's Haliburton's rookie year and I like chasing his RCs, but as overall sets they're all kinda meh. Flawless was my first thought because it actually has game worn relics but aside from that the set bores me and all the cards look the same. I considered one of the sets that repeats every year that is a fun rip like Chronicles or Hoops or something, but I got bored by the fact that, more or less, these sets feel the same as they do in every other year. So I thought 2020-21 Flux since it was a one time release, but I don't think I like the cards quite as much as others. Too many sets are just sticker plentiful. So I started thinking of unique sets that don't feel like they're monotonously repeated every year. Photogenic came to mind since it was also a one time release (so far), has incredible photography, beautiful cards, not a ton of parallels, and feels different than anything else being released these days.