General Forum

Does anyone build master sets? If so, what do you consider a master set for your collection? Would it be base and inserts? Or would you include all serial number and autograph/relic cards? 

I've been a base set builder, but love the diamond kings cards last year and thought maybe I'll go for a master set this year but seeing all the serial number I know I couldn't find all those. And autos and relics I definitely don't have trade bait to obtain all. 

Curious how others do master sets. :) 

I'm not a master set builder, but I would think it depends on your focus, and can include SNs, autos, etc. if you so wish. As I've stated (and others have, too) do whatever pleases you. In my experience that's what will keep you interested. And you'll have to revisit your collection often; to enjoy it and to determine what's feasible as a goal and what's not.

You ought to go after the original Diamond Kings that Donruss and Leaf put out in the '80s. That's one subset that I go after, even some of the modern versions. Good taste, by the way.

I collect Topps New Orleans Saints, but I never thought of it as a master set.  What I have tried to do is collect every "regular" Topps Saints card.  I don't include Chrome, Stadiun Club, Fire , or any other offshoot Topps brand.  I include all parallells, relics, auto's, and I would printing plates if I came across them.  The same would be for the 1 of 1 platinum parallells.

I think according to this site--- A Master Set is all base cards + all err/var. cards.

Now I guess if you want to expand your Master Set to include autos, relics etc, that would be your own ..Personal Master Set.

With many inserts being too limited or expensive, I've primarily focused on completing the main sets, then if there's an insert set I really like, I'll try to complete those as well, but collecting for several decades, there are many sets where I only have a few cards from the inserts. I think the only "master" sets I have are Fleer ones in the 80s and early 90s.

I don't collect master sets but typically I understand them to be base (and sometimes SPs/VARs) and all non-auto/relic insert sets.  Parallels also do not count

Learn something new every day :) i always thought the inserts were part of the master set. with donruss the errors and SP's seem to be easily obtainable, at least in recent years.

In today's collecting day and age it's left to the interpretation of the collector. In days gone by it would be one of each base card and every ERR and/or VAR (62T green tint, 69 white letter, etc). In the early days of inserts a master set was all that and then adding all the inserts also. Then parallels and super rare inserts came into play then there was the 1-1's. As Bob pointed out this site tracks Master Set to include SP, ERR and VARs for each set. For me, I try to collect that as well as every reasonably (open to interpretation of course) achieveable insert set.

I would consider a set as all the base cards (and one of either an error or variant)....Master set would be all the base + all errors + all variants.  Inserts and parallels (anything outside of the base set numbering) I would consider as "bonuses" if I complete them.

Master Set definition

Unfortunately, the hobby has changed so much over the years, the term master set has morphed as well. In addition, the term means something entirely different here.

Back in the "old days" - 1960s, 1970s - Master Set meant that you acquired one of every item that was packaged in a release. For a set like the 1965 Topps baseball set, that meant the base set (including the 2 checklist variations), the Embossed cards, and the transfers. Having all of those items would constitute a "Master Set" back then. (Meanwhile, having a "set" would mean 1 version of all cards.)

Now that the card companies have gone ape with releasing cards that are serial numbered out of 1 and/or the printing plates, obtaining a "Master Set" according to the old rules is nearly impossible. So dealers/collectors have come to expect that "Master Set" has a new meaning, and that meaning is rather fluid. You can find "Master Sets" listed for sale (and pre-sale) on ebay where the sellers are saying that it's the base set plus all non-serial numbered inserts, or these "5 insert sets", while other dealers may call it a "Master Set" with 3 or 6 insert sets. As I said, fluid.

TCDB has created "Basic Set" and "Master Set" for the members in the collection area. A "Basic Set" really is no different than what collectors simply called "a set" back in the 60s and 70s - 1 of each card number. A "Master Set" by TCDB terms is 1 of every card in a particular set, including all variations. It does not take into account inserts or parallels or anything like that. It is very simplistic in its definition.