The Enduring Freedom Poll sure was a hot one, as expected. For this month's poll, we ask you when you consider your card series complete? After you collect all of the regular cards in the set? Or do you have to have all of the chase cards? If so, do you have to have all autographs and costume cards, or are just the "basic" chase cards enough?

Vote now by clicking here:
http://www.nscardcollector.com/cover_poll.shtml

Then come back here and tell us why you voted the way you did.

By the way, if you'd like to see the final count for the Enduring Freedom "Patriotic or Poor Taste" poll, as well as other polls we've conducted, click below:

http://www.nscardcollector.com/previous_polls.htm

Usually I consider a set complete when I have all the base cards, but for most sets that have managed to gain my interest, I try to get a sample of at least one of each type of chase card.I also try to get complete chase subsets, like when a nine card puzzle is included, such as Inkworks Buffy series.
The cost is just too high to collect every chase card from a set. Is there anyone who has been able to get all the "Mirror/Mirror" cards or Captains Cards from Star Trek sets? How much did you pay for them?
Autographs are more reasonably priced lately, particularly the Rittenhouse sets with 2 or 3 per box, but even then, how many of us will be able to afford all of them?

When I can afford it, I buy odd cards from sets and get ever closer to that rarity, the 'Master' set. I've come quite close on a few sets, but mostly those issued before Autographs and costume cards (and I'm sure I've probably missed oddities such as promo cards!) I've done quite well on autos for one set, DS9 Memories From The Future, and I sonsider that to be the closest I'll get to a complete set (missing only Rick Berman auto, and not including colour variations)
X-Men the movie is another set where I'm close to calling it complete (on all bar the rarest auto cards)
I have three of the four Captain Cards, and I am determined to get the one I'm missing one day!

Even if you exclude autos and cossie cards, it's probably not as easy now to make up a set - the sheer number of chase cards required in some sets (2 chase sets in the current Rittenhouse Farscape Season 2 have 22 cards, the third chase set has 12 - whilst on the subject, whatever happened to multiples of 9 cards, to suit the sleeve pages???) makes it more expensive and time consuming to complete. Sure, the thrill is in the chasing of the chase, but there comes a time when you give up! (Babylon 5 trivia cards are one personal example!) Lets face it, some recent releases don't even have complete sets of basic cards (Rittenhouse Hercules, for example!)
Au Res.,
Paul

Personally, I don't feel that a set is complete until I have all of the base cards, chase cards, binders, sell sheet, promo cards, uncut sheets and any other odd entity such as progressive proof sets, printing plates, match prints, blue lines and the like. If the set contained any original artwork, other then sketch cards, then I like to have at least one of the original paintings or drawlings. This is probably the most expensive and most difficult item to collect and locate. When all is said and done then I truely feel that I have everything that is available and a bit of the history of what went into making the set.

I'd love to be able to collect all the bits and pieces (well the major ones at least) for all my sets, but realistically I can't.

So - I guess once I have the base set and the more common chase cards, I consider it done with. Occasionally I'll throw in a binder and some autographs.

That's how I voted.

Anthony

In reply to Don, I have just completed a set of the Star Trek Mirror Mirror cards. I got each card for about half what they currently rate in the NSU price guide. Even so, I had to sell and trade a lot of good cards built up over the years to afford them. Kirk and Spock were by far the hardest (took over 2 years on ebay). I got the others more quickly from cards inc in the UK (3)and Endless World in San Fransisco(2).

The set can be done but it's very painful. I remember watching a fan write a cheque for $1,500 at UK convention for a pre order of the set. I thought he was mad. If he got them for that price he was a genius!

Congratulations David. I would have thought that subset would be one of the most difficult to complete from all the recent card sets.

I've got a friend who completed a set of the autograph cards to the Topps Star Wars Evolution set. That one was a pain in the rear.

-Bob-