Just 87 Patterns Short

The original 1998 Topps Tek was 90 cards, 90 patterns of each card, with just a mere 8100 cards.  Has anyone actually put together a full set?  There are more than a few people who have just a basic set of 90 cards and plenty of people who have found the 90 patterns of their favorite player in the set.  These are the numbers, figures, and facts that most collectors use to summarize the set.

It's actually a much tougher climb.

Topps also included a diffractor parallel.  The diffractor parallels were roughly three per box.  That means you can take all the numbers that are thrown around all the time with the Topps Tek set and double them.

So, for my favorite player in the set, former Cardinals outfielder Ray Lankford, there are 90 cards with a diffractor pattern of each.  That's 180 Ray Lankford cards.

I recently actually found a copy of a Ray Lankford diffractor card.  They sell for more than a few dollars, so it was somewhat of a decision.........

after all, as nice as these cards look, as much as it would be a cool story to say that I have put together all of these cards, it's somewhat an exercise in futility.  

It's a pipe dream, but I am now just 87 patterns short of having all the Ray Lankford diffractor cards.