Well.....I did it.

 One of the things I wanted to get done this year was to get a somewhat accurate count on my cards. Specifically my Braves binders (half are not actually in binders yet). After getting a couple of recent comments, I decided to hunker down and get a count based on my excel work sheets. It took about 36 hours this past week. 

Before I reveal the total number that I came up with I need to explain just how I collect when it comes to Braves. Many TEAM collector's may understand my madness.

When I get a Braves baseball card, sticker, stamp, or whatever it is, the first thing I do is check my excel list to see if I need it for the team binder. That is #1.

If I need it there, I mark it off as having it. If it is a base set card it goes into a marked box to go back home for the Braves binders. I call it my Braves keepers box. If it is a base card that I do not need then I check to see if it is a card needed for a set build, if not needed there then I check if it is a PC guy and go into either the PC (to be sorted boxeS- I only update those once a year usually). or into the Braves dupe boxeS. Now I also check the card to see if it fits into any of the "other" collections I have running. That is the process for every single *base* Braves card I get, and that isn't the total process.

If the Braves card is a parallel or insert card it is a little different process. If the player is a PC guy I mark it off of the Braves need worksheet, but I place it into the PC (to be sorted boxeS). If the parallel or insert Braves card is not a PC, then it gets checked off and placed into the Braves keepers box, and ultimately will be placed into one of the Braves binders and there are a lot of them already.

Now that I have the process out of the way non Braves cards follow the same process minus step #1. Nevertheless, I counted my Braves unique cards that are checked off as having. Some of these cards are in Braves binders (ultimately), or they are in the PC binders (ultimately). Why do I mention that? Simple, for base cards of PC guys I will have them (almost all of them) in my Keepers and also in the PC (if it is a set build...there too), NOT counted twice or three times. They count ONLY once. I do however count the cards in my very first Franken-Set (it is all Braves dupes) as being unique even though they are already counted.

The Beckett count for "Braves" is roughly 165,000. Beckett has thousands of cards that do not list a team with them, as well as many sets not listed at all so I figure that the Braves count is somewhere closer to 200K. With that said here is my breakdown.

As of yesterday February 8, 2021. (I do have 30 Braves en-route) they are not counted yet.

Topps flagship: 3,670

Topps (other sets): 5,079

Inserts/Oddballs: 4,849

Donruss: 2,365

Fleer: 1,643

Score: 992

Pacific: 468

Upper Deck: 1,992

Bowman: 2,057

Goudey: 3 original & 8 reprints= 11

Food issues: 61

Franken set: 851

GRAND TOTAL (unique Braves):24, 038. 

Not a giant number by any means. I probably have that many Braves duplicates as well. 

You can see WHY IT IS SO EASY to find Braves cards that I need. I only have apx 12% of all Braves cards. Typically you just need to go back to before 2009 with base cards, otherwise you need to stick to inserts or easier the parallel cards for more current cards. 

I think Greg (NO) gets it because Beckett runs a similar number of Dodgers listings. He knows he needs more Dodgers than what he has. Cubbies are similar too. Now Red Sox fans have about 25% more cards in Beckett's listings. (Yankees list at 261K, so they are probably around 300K). It should be so easy to find cards for us team collector's. (Even those of  us that are caring less and less about chasing them all).  :)