Expert Comments:
Welcome to the PSA Set Registry Awards! As always, it has been extremely difficult to select the special awards winners since so many fantastic collections populate the registry community. This year, the total number of sets has grown to over 17,000 with no signs of slowing down. Each and every one of you deserves credit for helping to build this collector community, a community that has helped reshape the PSA graded card marketplace. more...

- Joe Orlando, PSA President

Museum of Sports History - Best Collection of the Year
When it comes to sheer size and diversity on the PSA Set Registry, it is hard to imagine anyone competing with the Museum of Sports History. You can find sets carrying the Museum of Sports History name within dozens upon dozens of set categories and, as you can clearly see, quality matters as well. In addition, that name is the only name found in every collectible category on the PSA website including trading cards, tickets, autographs and game-used bats. How about that for diversity? From 1935 National Chicle football to 1948 Bowman basketball to 2001 Upper Deck golf, the collection spans decades of card productions and it captures the athletic heroes from all generations. As the registry evolves and expands, the Museum of Sports History has continued to lead the way.

Paul Fleetwood - 1955 Topps Baseball (Basic Set) - Best Set of the Year
For the past few years, competition has been consistently fierce for high-end examples from this set. It has long been one of our personal favorites. The eye-appeal is outstanding throughout. Bright and colorful, this issue features some real hobby classics like rookie cards of Sandy Koufax, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente. Even the last card in the set is special, one featuring Duke Snider of the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers. This particular set has an outstanding 8.63 GPA with 100% completion. After considering the degree of competition within this set category, the winner was clear. Just take a look at how many collectors are building this great vintage set. To be on top on the heap says a lot.

Donald E. Spence - The Lone Star Collection -1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder Baseball - Best Rookie Set of the Year
Don Spence has made huge strides in a very short period of time. He has highly ranked sets in a number of baseball set categories, including some of the most important issues ever manufactured. While we could have, arguably, selected another Don Spence set as the winner for this category, we did feel it had to be one of his fantastic sets. The T201 issue has been somewhat overlooked in the market but it will not go overlooked here. In the pre-war baseball market, the T202 Triple Folders often steal much of the stoplight but these T201's are extremely tough. In fact, this set offers one of Ty Cobb's most elusive cards. Don's great set is 100% complete and has a GPA of 7.82, a tremendous set considering that nice examples are rarely offered in the marketplace.

Baseball

Don Louchios - 1934 Goudey - Best Vintage Pre-War Baseball Set of the Year
In the Goudey family, the 1933 set often steals the spotlight from the other members of the Goudey clan. This year, however, we could not help but recognize the best 1934 Goudey set on the registry. While less than half of the size of its 1933 sister, the 1934 Goudey set is arguably just as eye-appealing, if not more so. The lush blue and green colors compliment the sprinkling of bright yellows and reds throughout. Beginning with The Beast, Jimmie Foxx in the #1 slot, it's an awesome set to look at. And, by the way, it just happens to have two of the most significant Lou Gehrig cards in the hobby with #37 being his most popular card ever produced. Don's wonderful set has been #1 in the category for four consecutive years. With a GPA of 8.23, narrowly edging Charlie Merkel at 8.22, we had to recognize this pre-war beauty.

Larry Robbins (L.R.'s Vintage Set) - 1954 Bowman (Basic Set) - Best Post-War Vintage Baseball Set of the Year (1948-1959)
Not too long ago, the 1954 Bowman baseball set was "soft" and collectors seemed to simply ignore it. Not anymore. This set, which has been overlooked for years, has been very hot. It's not hard to understand why either. The set is packed with star power and the Ted Williams card alone continues to be one of the most desirable post-war cards in the marketplace. In addition, this set is somewhat of a hybrid between the Bowman issues that preceded it. It has a large format like the 1953 set yet it incorporates artwork instead of photography like some of the earlier Bowman issues. This winning set has an amazing 8.76 GPA and is 100% complete. It's nice to see such a beautiful issue get its due.

The Duke of Mint - 1965 Topps - Best Vintage Baseball Set of the Year (1960-1971)
Competition amongst 1960's baseball set collectors is as heated as any era on the registry. There are so many great sets from which to choose. This year, we decided to award this set, the first 100% complete set to reach PSA Mint 9 or better status across the board with a GPA of 9.02. That GPA is a full half-point ahead of the next best set. This eye-appealing set has a nice selection of HOF rookie cards such as Joe Morgan, Steve Carlton, Catfish Hunter and Tony Perez. In addition, the photography is terrific throughout, with many of the star cards being hobby favorites like Mantle, Clemente and Koufax. Sprinkle in a run of high-number short prints and you have all the makings of a winner.

T. Allan Bergquist - 1975 Topps Mini - Best Modern Baseball Set of the Year (1972-present)
Simply put, this is one of the most interesting sets made during the 1970's. It has a super colorful design, which is not only eye-appealing, but it also provides a nice challenge for high-grade collectors. In addition, the selection of rookie cards is one of the best in hobby history. HOF rookie cards of Robin Yount, George Brett and Gary Carter are included with star rookies of Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Keith Hernandez. There was soon to be a changing of the guard in baseball as these young rookies eventually became stars and dominated the game for years. This winning set is the first to reach 100% completion and it has a tremendous GPA of 8.90 - almost one full grade point ahead of the closest competitor.

Basketball

Michael Rakosi (This Test Scored An A) - 1968-69 Topps Test - Best Vintage Basketball Set of the Year (1971 and older)
There are only a handful of true vintage basketball sets available to the collector but each major production is considered a hobby staple. This set, while only 22 cards in size, could arguably be the toughest of the bunch. As a test issue, these individual cards are only available in limited quantities so compiling an entire set is tough. One great feature to this scarce set is the fact that the vast majority of the cards feature star or HOF players. Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Bill Russell and the like are all here. This winning set has a 7.43 GPA and is 100% complete, a tough chore in this grade when you consider that many of the cards are found off-center.

D'Orsay Bryant III, M.D. - Michael Jordan Basic Player Set - 1972-73 Topps - Best Modern Basketball Set of the Year (1972-present)
One area that has shown noticeable growth on the registry in recent times has been the player set categories. In modern trading cards, not just basketball cards, Michael Jordan dominates cardboard collecting. In the NBA, he took over for Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the game's marquee attraction and, in the hobby, Jordan took the post-1980 era collector by storm with his 1986 Fleer rookie - a card that remains the most important modern card in the market. This year, with the increased popularity of player sets, we felt honoring this great Jordan group was appropriate. This winning set boasts a 9.92 GPA with 99.05% completion, a worthy set centered on "Air."

Football

William Gray - 1948 Leaf (Basic Set) - Best Vintage Football Set of the Year (pre-1960)
No matter what sport, no matter which set, 1948 Leafs are really tough! The 98-card 1948 Leaf football set is no exception. Containing a host of key rookies including but not limited to those of Sid Luckman, Bobby Layne, Sammy Baugh, Leo Nomellini and Chuck Bednarik, this issue is full of star power. Unlike this set's baseball and boxing sisters, the football issue can be found more often with booming eye-appeal. William Gray has assembled a 100% complete set with a GPA of 7.93 - more than 1.5 GPA points ahead of the next closest competitor, which really illustrates the difficulty. This set is certainly one that combines popularity and difficulty in an extreme way. William must have shown a great deal of patience building this one.

Dave Lemon - 1965 Topps Tall Boy - Best Vintage Football Set of the Year (1960-1971)
Last year, we honored the first complete set - ever - to reach an overall GPA of PSA NM-MT 8 or better. This year, not only did Dave Lemon meet that challenge, he exceeded it! With a GPA of 8.28, Lemon can now claim to have the finest PSA graded 1965 Topps football set known. In fact, Lemon has three sets in the top 20 within the category. Wow, he must really like this set. This set is filled with short prints, some tough checklists and one of the most significant football cards in the hobby - the Joe Namath short print rookie card. The large format and bright colors have created huge demand for this issue with high-end examples setting records in recent times. Tougher than its 1969-70 basketball counterpart, high-end examples are rarely offered.

Museum of Sports History - 1986 Topps - Best Modern Football Set of the Year (1972 to present)
In a year when the greatest receiver in NFL history, Jerry Rice, retired, we felt it was appropriate to honor such a well received set. The 1986 Topps football set offers two monster rookie cards in the aforementioned Rice and star quarterback Steve Young - both ex-49ers with plenty of mention in the NFL record books. In addition to the star attractions, the pesky green borders make these cards very tough in PSA Gem Mint 10 with edge chipping the main condition obstacle. This winning set is head and shoulders above the rest in the category with 99.75% completion and a GPA of 9.30 - no one is even close.

Hockey

Mickey's Sportscards (Mickey's Mania - the Ultimate Set) - 1933-34 World Wide Gum Ice Kings (V357) - Best Pre-War Vintage Hockey Set of the Year
Designed somewhat like 1933 Goudey baseball cards, these World Wide Gum gems take difficulty to the next level. Rarely seen, this important vintage hockey issue offers a nice selection of stars and Hall of Fame rookies including the King Clancy rookie and a tough vintage card of Howie Morenz, the most valuable card in the set. This winning set defies logic with 100% completion and a GPA of 7.32. No set to date is remotely close to the quality of this standout and this is the only set to reach 100% completion on the registry. When is the last time you saw a high-grade example?

Chris Raney (Threeputts) - 1954-55 Topps - Best Vintage Hockey Set of the Year (1948-1971)
In the world of hockey, it's hard to think of a more classic set than the 1954-55 Topps issue. With an absolutely beautiful design, this set is certainly one of the most eye-appealing card productions from any sport or era. Anchoring the set is Gordie Howe's most popular production and it's one of the hobby's most recognizable cards. The bold blues and reds draw the eye but the blue bottom border also offers a fragile condition obstacle. High-end examples from this staple set have commanded extremely strong prices over the past year as the set surges in popularity. This winning set finds itself on top of a heap of fierce competition. With a GPA of 8.42, this complete set is king and ahead of 6 other complete sets with a GPA above PSA NM 7.

John Woody - Wayne Gretzky Basic Player Set - Best Modern Hockey Set of the Year (1972-present)
The Great One is without peer in the record books and in the hobby when it comes to hockey. Like the Michael Jordan Player Set honored earlier in basketball, this great player set rose to the top of all modern hockey sets. While not yet complete, this winning set is 90.41% complete with a GPA of 9.08. For a modern player set, this particular category is very tough when you consider the numerous O-Pee-Chee issues involved, most notably the 1979-80 Gretzky rookie. How tough is this card? Only one PSA Gem Mint 10 has ever surfaced, selling for $62,374 in 2005. Rough-cuts and poor centering plague these O-Pee-Chee issues, making it challenging for collectors of the best athlete to ever glide on ice.

Miscellaneous Sports

David Curtis - 1948 Leaf Boxing (Basic Set) - Best Vintage Miscellaneous Sports Set of the Year (1971 and older)
Already having honored the 1948 Leaf football set, it was also time to recognize the legendary pugilists from Leaf's other non-baseball production. This set features some of the sports best from the pre-war era including Jack Dempsey (a tough #1 card), Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta and, the legendary heavyweight champion, Joe Louis. He reigned for 12 years! This winning set is 98% complete with a GPA of 7.55, narrowly ahead of the second place finisher in an ultra-competitive category. Who will be the first to 100% completion? Only time will tell but the gloves may come off first. We can already hear Michael Buffer…"Let's get ready to rumble!"

Jim Johnson (Topwinner) - 1988 Maxx Charlotte Racing- Best Modern Miscellaneous Sports Set of the Year (1972-present)
You know what they say. NASCAR is arguably the biggest spectator sport in the world. In the world of card collecting, the grading of racing cards in general has started to catch on in recent times. This set contains a nice selection of the pedal-to-the-metal stars including those of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty but the set also features the cars that carry these drivers to the finish line. The set contains four different checklists and several cards capturing various racing venues. This winning set is 100% complete and it carries with it a GPA of 9.87, accelerating to the top of the group. Can anyone pass Jim up in 2006?

J.C. Korth - Pete Rose Master Set - Best Player Set of the Year
Continuing with The Year of the Player Set, now it's time for baseball and, this time, it's a Master Set. Is he a Hall of Famer? No. Is he one of the game's most memorable players and the all-time career hits leader? Yes. Pete Rose is that man, a study in contrast. He was one of the hardest working players on the field, squeezing every ounce of potential from his body, yet he was also one of the most controversial sports celebrities off the field. Regardless, Charlie Hustle remains a pivotal figure from modern baseball times. This winning set is simply astounding. Containing nearly 600 cards, this set is 99.48% complete with a GPA of 9.26. Spanning three decades and containing numerous obscure issues, this really is a mega-player set.

Ron Hobbs Family Collection - 1955 Topps Doubleheaders Baseball - Best Topps Specialty Set of the Year
Ron Hobbs is a name that you can find in a bunch of set categories with many of them being traditional keys. This set offers something a little different and most hobby experts would agree that it has been overlooked for quite some time. The cards are large, tough and beautiful. Featuring great cards of Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams and the like, this set is packed with Hall of Famers along with a dual-player presentation. That unique design is part charming and part aggravating for the advanced collector. This winning set is 100% complete with a GPA of 7.57, narrowly edging its closest competitor. With PSA NM 7's or better in high demand and scarce, Ron's accomplishment is put into better perspective.

Michael Rakosi (Greatest Show on Earth) - NBA Top 50 Rookies - Best Overall Specialty Set of the Year
They are all here. Mikan, Cousy, Russell, Baylor, Chamberlain, Robertson, West, Havlicek, Jabbar, Maravich, Erving, Johnson, Bird, Jordan and the rest of the 50 greatest players to run up and down the court. This set chronicles the evolution of the game and the evolution of basketball cards, spanning 6 decades. From the 1948 Bowman George Mikan to the 1957 Topps Bill Russell to the 1969-70 Topps Tall Boy Lew Alcindor to the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan, you have to own them all to complete the set. Different generations, different manufacturers, all centered on the best of the best. This winning set is 100% complete with a GPA of 9.16, certainly a fine collection honoring hardwood's finest.

Don Louchios - 1950 Drakes Baseball - Best Regional Set of the Year
Children were having a lot of fun collecting these cards in 1950. Not only did they find great cards of Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Roy Campanella, Warren Spahn, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese and the like that year, they also got to eat lots of lots of delicious Drake's cookies along the way. Packed with Drake's Oatmeal and Jumble cookies, this 36-card set is super tough. Surrounded by a solid black border, these cards are rarely found today in PSA NM 7 or better condition. This winning set is 97.22% complete with an amazing GPA of 7.98. To date, no other registrant has come to close in the category. Has a set ever been so tasty and tough at the same time?

D'Orsay Bryant III, M.D. - 1971-72 Topps Trios Basketball - Best Oddball Set of the Year
Plain and simple, this is a very cool set. Containing three players, from both the ABA and NBA, these tough, black bordered cards have started to rise in popularity over the past year. The front of the card is actually a sticker, with a dotted line between the three players, making it a candidate for the Oddball category. Many of the game's top stars are represented here including Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich and Jerry West. In addition, cards exhibiting more than one Hall of Famer tend to sell for premiums in the marketplace, which is consistent with other multi-player card issues. This particular set has an outstanding GPA of 8.97, nearly a full point above the closest competitor, and it is 100% complete.

Non-Sports

West Coast - 1962 Mars Attacks - Best Vintage Non-Sports Set of the Year (1971 and older)
This 55-card set has remained a classic in the non-sports trading card world. The fascination with aliens goes back for decades and this sci-fi concept has been the inspiration for a number of high-profile films and television shows. War of the Worlds, Signs, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the like have captivated audiences throughout the years. You can find elements of all the above-mentioned films and more within this great set, a set that provides one perspective of what an invasion might be like. There are certainly some graphic depictions of fantasy violence here but those haunting images are part of what makes this set so memorable. This winning set has a fantastic GPA of 8.24 and is 100% complete. Are you prepared for an alien invasion?

Jon Fischbach (Captain Jon)- 1977 Topps Star Wars - Best Modern Non-Sports Set of the Year (1972 to present)
We felt it would be fitting to honor such a great set in a year when the saga finally came to an end at the movies. Regardless of the new technology and superior special effects used today, it was a little, campy movie that changed the movies forever in 1977. A bunch of no-name actors brought this sci-fi western to life and the rest is history. This colorful set commemorates the beginnings of the George Lucas empire. This set has a 9.59 GPA with 100% completion, almost a full grade point lead over its closest competitor. While there have been multiple Star Wars-related card productions over the years, this was the one that started it all.

Autographed Baseballs

Kendall W. Harrington (Wheels1313 Collection) - Sporting News 50 Greatest Sluggers - Best Single Signed Baseball Set of the Year
A few years ago, The Sporting News published a book ranking the top 50 sluggers of all-time. From Ruth to Schmidt to McGwire, all the power brokers are here. Some used brute strength like Frank Howard while others used consistency and bat control like Stan Musial. The bottom line is that these are the players who brought fans to the ballpark year after year, decade after decade. The challenge is tremendous. Finding examples of Ernie Banks and Harmon Killebrew is one thing, but capturing the elusive Mel Ott or Hack Wilson single signed ball is another. This winning set is 80% complete with an excellent 9.35 GPA. As one of our newest categories on the registry, it will be fun to see graded baseball collecting evolve in the coming years.

Game-Used Bats

Kevin Coleman (Gator Set) - 500 Home Run Club - Best Game-Used Bat Set of the Year
This collectible category is our latest edition to the Set Registry. Collecting legendary lumber from the great hitters in baseball history has become increasingly popular but one collecting theme rises above the rest, The 500 Home Run Club. Just imagine picking up the same bat made for and used by the supreme power hitters like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Babe Ruth! They are the weapons that these offensive machines carried to the plate, leaving pitchers terrified only 60 feet 6 inches away. This winning set is 85% complete with a GPA of 9.04. Keep in mind that achieving the grade of PSA/DNA GU 8 or better on the PSA bat scale is very, very tough. Will this set reach 100% in 2006? We will all be rooting for it, but in the meantime, this great set deserves recognition

Best of the Registry Certificate Winners of 2005