[Guest]

I've recently discovered the UD Masterpieces sets and I really like the card designs. They have an excellent feel and appearance - at least to me they do. I'd really like to hear how folks did with the product, though (I know it's been some time since its release, but I just got back into collecting at the end of the 2007 releases). At this point, I can grab a full base set at auction for about 1/3 the price of a single box and the box odds look like it takes 2 hobby boxes and a little trading to get there - to the base set which is primarily what I collect. I guess my question boils down to - are the parallels, autographs, & game-used worth the price of admission (i.e. 5x the base set)? Are they easily tradable/sellable or are they niche cards that will collect dust with the piles I already take crap from my wife for (he-he)?

In this same vein - I would like input on a semi-related idea. As a set collector, I typically am drawn to sets that cannot be completed in 1 box or have SPs that need tracked down. I know that auction often yields the best prices on boxes - but often times at a cost (pre-searched, etc.). This makes purchasing a case very attractive to me, but... Many of these sets that I am drawn to don't seem on the surface like the type of products you would really want to bust 8-18 boxes of - so my question is (knowing that auction is 'unreliable' for individual boxes) how do you go about moving 8+ boxes of unopened product (assuming of course that you are an honest person and don't 'bust til you hit')?

Thanks as always for your opinions,

- Fred Bear...

[bluecarpetkicks]

I am also a set collector there are very few products sets that are hard to finish. The ones I think are the hardest to finish are of course heritage baseball and anything chrome topps puts out..as for moving 8 boxes you are better off selling them all in one shot rather then one at a time. I have done the math and on ebay its cheaper to do all at once then one at a time. You could also do a best offer that has worked out great for me to at least get my money back.

PS I love the masterpieces set but its real easy to complete unless you chase the colors.

[dmskier1]

As for the Masterpiece I think its worth the buy. You can get almost 2 sets out of a 07 box, atleast I have. And the parallels and extras can be worth it. I like the 08's also.

[fred bear]

dmskier1 Wrote:As for the Masterpiece I think its worth the buy. You can get almost 2 sets out of a 07 box, atleast I have. And the parallels and extras can be worth it. I like the 08's also.

I thought the 07 hobby box set-up was 18 packs/box and 4 cards/pack? With parallels and inserts - I'm calculating that you will get ~2/3 of a set from a box and factoring bad luck/dupes you would be 1-2 cards shy of the set after 2 boxes. Is this wrong?

- FB...