Simply irresistible

As collectors, there are certain things that we'll never get tired of.

For some, it might be the big triple-patch "hit". For others, it might just be a box or two of a certain product.

It varies between each collector.

I've never been able to resist vintage, but that's too obvious. That's true for most of us in the blogosphere, I'm sure.

So I settled on the next best thing.

Reprints.

I know Topps has crammed them down our throats the last few years, but I've personally never gotten tired of the concept. "The Cards Your Mom Threw Out" inserts are the best thing that Topps has done in a while. (Same with "60 Years of Topps".)

The only time I'd be able to own a '52 Mantle is in my dreams. (Even that's pushing it.)

While they're definitely not the same, reprints give me the next best thing. The CYMTO series even gives informative bios on the backs of many of the cards.

It's the reason why 2001 Topps Archives is my favorite non-vintage set. It's safe to say that I'll never own a 1954 Topps Ernie Banks rookie card. But at least I can admire something close to it.

The most mysterious company I've come across in my time as a collector is the Dover brand. At some point in time, they released reprints of sets ranging from the tobacco era to Goudey. I still know almost nothing about Dover, but I love the fact that I can see what a Fred Merkle T206 card looked like first-hand.

Sadly, reprints are nowhere to be found thus far in 2012. Others are probably celebrating, but I'm not one of them. They are my weakness.

In a way, I guess we're all "suckers" for something in this hobby.