The annual PSA Set Registry Awards are the hobby’s version of the Oscars. Each year PSA studies thousands of fantastic collecting achievements that were logged the previous 12 months on the PSA Set Registry, and recognizes what we believe to be the greatest accomplishments in each hobby category. It is not easy to select the premier sets and collections from amongst the top individuals in the hobby, but it has been done annually since the first award winners were recognized in 2002.
Lifelong collector, businessman and owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ken Kendrick, was recognized in 2021 for the Best Collection of the Year, an awe-inspiring accumulation that includes some of the greatest examples of the most iconic cards in the hobby.
Best Collection of the Year – Ken Kendrick
While some collectors have earned this honor by participating in numerous sets and owning a massive collection of PSA-graded cards, Ken Kendrick’s Set Registry listings air toward quality over quantity. He owns 1952 Topps Basic (100% complete, 9.38 GPA) and Master (99.8% complete, 9.21 GPA) sets that have already been inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame. Stunning collections in their own right, those sets were accompanied this year by brand new entries that made Kendrick the category leader in “The Mount Rushmore of Baseball Cards,” “Top Team Baseball Card Classics,” and “Top 20 Sportscards in the Hobby” categories. He also ranks fourth in the “Ty Cobb T206 Player Image Set” with a GPA of 8.0.
Kendrick’s Top 20 Sportscards in the Hobby is one of the most impressive entries ever published on the PSA Set Registry. A T206 Honus Wagner, 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1915/1916 (M101-5) Sporting News Babe Ruth, T206 Eddie Plank and 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie are the first five cards listed. The remainder is a collection of the most notable issues for Cobb, Ruth, Mantle, Jackson, Paige, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Williams, Clemente, Aaron and Mays in ultra-high grade. Rounding out the collection are the National Chicle Bronko Nagurski in PSA 9, the 1948 Bowman George Mikan in PSA 8 and the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan in PSA 10. Any one of these cards could be the crown jewel in an otherwise stunning collection. For Kendrick, each one is simply a piece to the puzzle.
The 2021 PSA Set Registry Award Winners:
- Best Collection of the Year – egkjr (Ken Kendrick)
- Best Set of the Year – Brady Hill (The Hill Collection) – Ty Cobb T206 Complete Back Variations Set
- Best Overall Specialty Set of the Year – egkjr – Top 20 Sportscards in the Hobby
- Best Rookie Set of the Year (best new set added in 2020-21) – egkjr – Top 20 Sportscards in the Hobby
- Best Pre-War Vintage Baseball Set of the Year (Pre-1948) – pikepoke…I Did It! – 1935 Goudey – Master
- Best Post-War Vintage Baseball Set of the Year (1948-1959) – olemiss – 1954 Bowman – Master
- Best Vintage Baseball Set of the Year (1960-1969) – 131313 – 1969 Topps with Wax Pack – Master
- Best Modern Baseball Set of the Year (1970 to date) – ferse (Kurt’s ’75 Topps) – 1975 Topps
- Best Vintage Basketball Set of the Year (Pre-1970) – knicks4life – The Big Five
- Best Modern Basketball Set of the Year (1970 to date) – Little Victories – 2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractors
- Best Vintage Football Set of the Year (Pre-1960) – Topknot44 ’55 Bowman Football – 1955 Bowman
- Best Vintage Football Set of the Year (1960-1969) – Sweet Willy T – 1965 Topps CFL
- Best Modern Football Set of the Year (1970 to date) – HUMANICK #1 – 1972 Topps
- Best Pre-War Vintage Hockey Set of the Year (Pre-1948) – rjmjr – O-PEE-CHEE 1933-1941
- Best Vintage Hockey Set of the Year (1948-1969) – Newfoundland Growlers – O-PEE-CHEE 1960S RUN
- Best Modern Hockey Set of the Year (1970 to date) – Collecting in South Van – 1970-71 O-PEE-CHEE MASTER
- Best Vintage Misc Sports Set of the Year (Pre-1970) – Olsonarch 1926 Who’s Who in Sports – 1926 Lambert & Butler Who is Who in Sports
- Best Modern Misc Sports Set of the Year (1970 to date) – Gator1 – 2001 SP Authentic Golf
- Best Vintage Player Set of the Year (Pre-1970) – Sher60 – Gordie Howe Master Set
- Best Modern Player Set of the Year (1970 to date) – PSAbolts – Junior Seau Master Set
- Best Topps Specialty Set of the Year – Josh Alpert – Tarjetas Imposibles ’59 – 1959 Venezuelan Topps
- Best Regional Set of the Year – John’s ’57 Spic and Spans – 1957 Spic & Span Braves
- Best Oddball Set of the Year – Gus’ Grands – 1968 Topps Milton Bradley
- Best Unopened Pack Set of the Year – Kenrich Co.’s 1970-1979 Non-Sport Wax Packs – 1970-1979 Wax Packs – Basic
- Best 19th Century Non-Sports Set of the Year (Pre-1900) – PSUinCT – 1888 Allen & Ginter Great Generals (N15)
- Best Pre-War Vintage Non-Sports Set of the Year (1900-1947) – Brian’s 1938 Gum Inc. Horrors of War Set
- Best Vintage Non-Sports Set of the Year (1948-1959) – Frank Evanov – 1956 Topps Davy Crockett Green
- Best Vintage Non-Sports Set of the Year (1960-1970) – Dannyboyz Horror Monsters – 1961 Nu – Cards Horror Monsters
- Best Modern Non-Sports Set of the Year (1970 to date) – 2016 Pokemon XY Evolutions Holofoils – The Action Center
- Best Ticket Set of the Year (in order of preference) – Michael Horne (mikehorne) – vintagetickets – PSA’s Top 10 World Series Tickets of All Time
- Best Autograph Set of the Year – Doyle Collection – MLB 1947-Present Rookie of the Year Award Winners (Any Medium)
The 2021 PSA Set Registry Hall of Fame Inductees:
- Mets-71 – 1971 O-Pee-Chee
- Jim’s 1914-1915 Cracker Jack Set – Cracker Jack 1914-1915
- Seinbigd – Post Cereal 1961-1963 Baseball
- Barron of Bird/Magic Mega Set – Topps Run with Wax Pack 1980-1981 Basketball
- Seinbigd – 1962 Post Cereal Football
- Gould Collection – 1967 Topps Football
- GretzkyCards’ Calder Trophy – Calder Trophy Winners Hockey
- The Stock Car Museum – Nascar Racing 1980s Run Racing
- Richard M. 1965 Gilligan’s Island – 1965 Topps Gilligan’s Island
- TicketCollector – Daytona 500 (1959-Present) Racing
