Set to put together that wont break the bank?

[timber63401]

A little background about me, I like putting sets together then selling them. Sometimes I make money a lot of times I lose money which doesnt matter because I dont do it for that. Ive always done post war sets but want to try a pre-war one. Looking for suggestions using this criteria. Will be putting together a lower-mid grade set. No more then 150 cars in the set and probably with my budget no more then 80-100. Most card pretty easy to find with no more then a couple real toughies. Looking to spend no more then 1-3 thousand putting it together unless there is a few toughies then willing to spend the extra to get them. And finally something fairly easy to sell when Im done. Maybe with my budget it doesnt exsist but better to know that now. Thanks in advance.

[t206blogcom]

W cards (strip cards) or 1934 Goudey would be my two suggestions.

W strip cards usually date from the mid-late 20s (based on my limited knowledge) and are much more affordable. They are hand cut and most grading services will only grade Authentic, but they can be neat cards. Most of the strip cards are stars and HOFs and many consider it a great way to own Cobbs, Ruths, etc without breaking the bank.

I primarly collect T206 cards, but I'm putting together a strip card set on the side. The 1926 W512 strip card set features less than 20 baseball cards, but also several non-sports cards. I'm collecting only the baseball players and I've picked up nearly all of the cards for a couple hundred bucks.

1934 Goudey would be my other suggestion. There are two Gehrigs, Jimmy Foxx RC and Dizzy Dean, which can get pricey depending on condition. Set includes several other HOFs like Mickey Cochrane and Frank Frisch and is visually appealing.

Good luck.

[rhettyeakley]

Some tough criteria for pre-war but doable.

A good beginner set is the 1936 Goudey set. Another set that is a little more spendy, it has two reasonably priced Ruth's and a Gehrig, the W517 set is a fun one to do--they come in different colors and there are some variations to collect as well. Which can add to the enjoyment.

If you are okay with larger cards then the R313 National Chicle "Fine Pens" and the R314 Goudey "Wide Pens" are very affordable and are also not too tough to find.

[AndyG09]

I would guess a low grade T201 set could be had for a few thousand. They seem to be pretty cheap, and you can get some of the big names too. Only 50 cards, so that may be too few for what you would like to do. Good luck with whatever you decide to pursue.

Best,

Andy

[iggyman]

Here are my five "off-the-top-of-my-head suggestions.

T201 (50 cards and in lower-mid-grade can be purchased for ~$2000)

W514 Strip Set (120 cards, only a few money cards (Ruth, Joe Jackson, and a couple of the Black Sox players)

1935 Goudey 4 in 1 (any set with a Ruth makes it an easy resell)

E95 (25 cards and a Wagner/Cobb combination that blows-up your budget big-time, but make this a sweet set)

1934 Goudey (96 cards and no Ruth to worry about......but two Lou's make-up for it. Will probably have to settle for lower grade to even sniff your budget)

And if resell is the #1 priority how about a T206 subset in lower grade????? Something like, only the hall of famers (with only one pose for each player). Okay, that one is over budget as well.

Lovely Day...

[pariah1107]

the w514 set will take quite a bit more than 3K (w/124 cards total, 28 HOF's including Ruth, Cobb, W.Johnson, Mathewson, etc., 7 Black Sox including Jackson, Cicotte, and 4 variations including Maranville, Bancroft, and Jennings)

A more accessible strip set is w513's with only 26 cards (13 HOF's including Waners, and Hack Wilson), or w512's. Good luck!

[vargha]

What does e91 (a, b and c) cost to complete in low grade?

[canjond]

E96 too (without the cost of an E95 set)

[glchen]

I think the 33 Sport Kings set fits this criteria fairly well although it's a smaller set (48 cards). I think you could do this set in grade 2 (Good) for around 2-3K. The big card is the Ruth of course, but there are other challenges like the Bobby Jones, Ty Cobb, and Babe Didrickson cards. It's a very popular set, so you can sell it easily after you're done. (You'd probably just break even or lose a bit since the cards are fairly common.)

E93 in low grade might do it too, but even though the set is smaller at 30 cards, I think it's actually more expensive. The Cobb and Wagner in low grade can easily hit 2K. However, if you're looking to complete a classic set with Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson, Plank, Lajoie, and Cy Young, this might be it.

[bbcard1]

I put together a VERY low grade set of T205s (only the front variations and including some skins) for 3000-4000. The prices seem to have moderated on them and there is enough supply to keep you busy...and if you run short on funds and can't buy for a little bit, you don't have to worry that you have missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.

[rainier2004]

bbcard: How low grade did you go on those t205s?

34 Goudeys fit your criteria and the 2 gehrigs determine over half the budget on the set. A couple "chuck klein says" cards ive found to be a little harder but are stilla around.

Wouldnt the 1934-36 diamond star set work? 108 cards i do believe with a TON of hofs and no gehrigs or ruths.

[Matt]

How about a 1940 Play Ball set? Not only do you get the stars of the day, but some all time greats as well, and all with bios on the back. Here is a set-1 which sold for under $3k:
http://www.collect-auctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=1211