Joy of a completed set: 2002 Archives Reserve

Deja vu. It was very recently that I trumpeted my completion of 2001 Topps Archives Reserve. Well, I guess I was inspired by my own post to round up the few remaining needs on Sportlots to finish off the follow-up set, 2002 Archives Reserve. So now I've got the complete base run of Topps Archives Reserve Baseball. (They also put out a Reserve football set in 2001.. which maybe I'll pick up someday if I find the complete set for a really good price.. and assuming I can one day learn to like football again after that shitshow last Sunday.)

So anyways, let's take a quick look at the 2002 Reserve complete set, 1 through 100. One thing to keep in mind while browsing the cards is the gimmick of this particular set was "best year" reprints. I'm sure the team at Topps responsible for putting the checklist together must've had some spirited debates over some of these choices. While I don't spot any blatant blunders, there are plenty of toss-ups as far as which year to have gone with for many of these guys.

This setbuild had a "tough schmidt" moment, a la '73 Topps. I had to turn to eBay for the final missing card, the Mike Schmidt.

As I've mentioned before, 2002 Reserve is a step down from the 2001 offering in my eyes thanks to the backs. Topps hit a homerun with bright, clear backs in 2001, while 2002 has darker, cramped backs. But that said, the fronts are still as beautiful. Classic cards possessed by rainbow spirits dancing in the light. Nice looking set and glad to add it to my collector's résumé.