Questions for set builders
 

I posted this over on the post-war forum, but thought I'd ask you all also, since my interests span both groups.

My collection has never involved building sets, but there are some that I really like and am thinking about taking the plunge. For those of you who build sets, I have a few questions: 1. Are there particular strategies you follow in building your sets? 2. Do you build multiple sets at once, or does that make it too difficult and you focus on one at a time? 3. Do you prefer all raw, all graded or a combo and why? 4. Finally, what is the best way to store sets (in-progress or completed) so that you can also enjoy seeing the cards?

Thanks,
Tim

Hey Tim...I can only speak for myself personally but how you store them greatly depends on what you have and how you like to view them. Building them also varies by condition you are looking for, availablility and how you plan to go about building/completing (via ebay/auctions/shows/trading/etc.).

My most recent examples of sets I have built are the 1957 and 1958 Topps baseball sets. I store them in binders as all of my set run (1957-1978) is in binders with the exception of 1979 onwwards (boxes). I don't have many (any really) shows nearby with vintage in the condition (ExMt+) I like and when I do go to National each year I prefer to spend my time on other interests. I bought large, condition sensitive lots/starter sets on eBay. Ended up with about 2K-3K cards of each year...went through them and picked the best...sold the rest. It was the first time I tried this method...and I think with vintage ....at least the era I was working on....worked great. I spent $15K on the 1958 set...sold $9K of that and ended up with a solid ExMt++ 1958 set for $6K. The 1957 Set I have about the same into it but am down to about 8 cards with I have been sitting on for some time as they are some big ones (Robinson RC's Aaron, Mays, Williams, etc...no MANTLE!) and as I prefer to buy raw due to the crazy mark-up of graded...I like to see thos cards in person when buying. I know $15K is nothing to a lot of people on here for cards....but again depending on the set this method can get $$$.

Good luck!

ive only ever tried to put together full sets. i tried and failed putting together a T206 520 set. im working on a T205 set with the toughest back (sans Drums/Hindus) for each front as well as the M101-2 set.

most people will tell you to try and buy the most expensive/toughest cards first, because those are the cards that will likely to continue to go up in value or be harder to locate, while commons will generally stay at similar costs or go up slightly and are much more readily available.

ive always been a big proponent of binders for cards, because i like flipping through my cards and looking at them, and they look fantastic when in a binder page, lined up right next to each other. my focus has always been on lower grade cards for the binders, but ive never had any issue damaging a card just using basic common sense (taking care when adding/removing cards from the page, and using a stamp tong to add/remove them from the pockets, using a binder with a slip cover). ive cracked out 100+ cards from PSA/SGC/Beckett slabs for my binder and never had any issues.

your mileage may vary, as always.

Been building sets since I was a boy. I must be working on close to 50 sets, I've completed 33,34 Goudey, Topps 66-80 and many others. Definitely think its best to store them in binders. I use Vario G binders (a bit pricey, try to pick them up on eBay for under $40) and ultraPro sheets.

Good luck!

Given this is the pre-war side of the site I will only comment on those sets. To date, I've completed 2 pre-war sets: E93 and W554. For strategy, I previously would buy whatever I could find at the price I could afford. Now I would definitely go after HOFers and shortprints before worrying about commons. It really stinks to get 80-90% complete on a set and not be able to afford the rest. Though some sets you definitely need to just take what you can get when you can get it. I'm currently working on 6 different prewar sets, however, only 1 of those are all the cards readily available. For the other 5 sets, specific cards might come up once a month, once a year, or some I haven't seen for sale in decades. For this reason I found working multiple sets is essential or I wouldn't make much progress. As most of the sets I look at are not readily available, I'm mainly looking to just find an example of each card, hoping its nice looking and at a price I don't find insane. The technical grade, or even if the card is graded, is a secondary thought. This also ties into how I store them. With prewar, for a few exceptions (T206/T205/Goudeys/etc), most sets are <100 cards. To me it doesn't make sense to have half a set raw and in a binder while the rest are graded in a box. For that reason I just store all of them individually in rows in a box.

I've been building sets for the last 40 years. I would typically get the most expensive cards first(Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb) then do a combination of auctions/shows/trading to fill in the rest of the sets. I've met a ton of cool collectors/dealers along the way and they have helped me complete T201, T202, T205, Goudey(33[with Lajoie],34,36,38,41), 32 US Caramel, 33 SportKings, 33 Butter Cream, 33 Delong, 33 Eclipse Import, 35 Schutter Johnson, W517, W553, W554, 21 Schapira Ruth, 28 Ruth Candy, 28 Fro-Joy Ruth, 51 Connie Mack All Stars

I'm currently working on these sets: W516-2-3, W574, Universal Toy(1920 and 1929), 1968 3D, 1969 4 in 1.

I picked sets that I thought were cool, probably not what most people would pick, but nonetheless, it's all about what you like to collect.

I also prefer everything slabbed, so every set I have is slabbed!!

Enjoy the hunt!!!!

Oh, and every thread needs a card.........

Welcome to the crazy world of the completer-finishers. :) I've put together mostly post-war but also a couple of smaller pre-war sets. I have a number of sets that I'm working through now. Really it's down to personal preferences, but here's my observations (you're mileage may vary):

• Choose the quality you're targeting and really think about it. It's easy to say that you want VG cards but if you're someone who will obsess about upgrading your VG Joe Medwick for one with sharp corners, then it might be better to target EXMT instead.

• When you start a set, it's easy to get fast progress because you need everything. It's a great time to pick up some bulk lots or starter sets. As others have said, you can choose the best of them and sell or trade the left overs.

• I tend to pick up stars as I go along, not up-front. I like to feel that I've made good progress so getting a good percent of the set early, keeps me motivated.

• I like a bargain and I work hard to find cards at good prices. So for me, I try to retain some flexibility so that I can pick up cards as I find a bargain. For that same reason, I like to chase a number of sets at once. Sometimes there's a bunch of collectors chasing the same set as me. If I'm chasing multiple sets, I can buy the cards opportunistically. If everyone's chasing 1961 Topps high numbers, I might find some Zeenut bargains or 1940 Playballs at good prices.

• I'm not in a race to complete my sets. I don't mind spending a number of years slowly building sets and opportunistically picking up the cards that I need.

• I prefer raw cards but I'm happy to buy graded cards too. It all depends on the card.

• As far as storage options, I tend to use BCW Graded Shoe Boxes. They allow me to store toploaders and graded slabs in the same box, in number order. I also have some sets in binders. I've experimented with top loader binder pages (and I really like them) but I don't have the space to store all my sets in binders. The top loader binders allow me to display the cards and keep them protected but they take up a lot more space. When I have a graded card, I use a print out of the card in the binder.

Good luck and let us know how your journey goes.

Hey Tim,

I think the answer depends upon the set(s) you are going after and the amount of cash available to spend at each buying opportunity. I am primarily a set builder and have found it is often cheaper to buy a set outright and upgrade. However, that is the least amount of fun.

I research the set before hand, understand what the difficult cards are going to be, start a basic budget for the key cards and major variations. I almost always start sets by buying lots and then fill in the blanks and upgrade the key cards from there. I keep my post-war sets in binders (easier to look at); pre-war sets in penny sleeves and card savers, prefer ungraded cards for the most part (except for some star cards) and complete no more than 2 sets at the same time. I target more than 1 set at a time typically because that usually means 1 pre-war and 1 post-war set.

Part of the fun of building a set from scratch is researching the set, determining key cards and condition-sensitive prices as well as knowing the key variations. Pretty soon you will get good at identifying good buying opportunities and flipping the duplicates to help reduce the cost.

Good luck!

I am a 50s-60s collector. I have been collecting for 50 years or so and am perpetually upgrading. I used to put my cards in binders but found that if you stand the binders up, the pages will curl after 20-25 years and could bend the corners of the cards.

Most of my cards are raw, and I am now keeping them in card savers, although key cards are mostly graded.

For me, it would be great if someone created binders designed for cards in card savers. That would be ideal for me.



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I start with the most expensive HOFers. Once I get a certain critical mass, I will dive into the set, usually cheating a by buying cards in bulk. This jives with several other posts who recommend you start with the expensive and tough ones first; sucks to get far along and not be able to finish bc the tougher/expensive ones are out of reach. And, spend the money on the HOFers, not the commons. The better the player, the more you should strive for the best example, bc that’s where the value is.

I've always been a set builder.

1. Are there particular strategies you follow in building your sets?

Most of my vintage sets have started with starter lots, sometimes more than one. Once you get up to having about 60% of the cards in the set buying them in lots is no longer effective (too many doubles) so I switch to hunting for indivdual cards one by one at around that point.

2. Do you build multiple sets at once, or does that make it too difficult and you focus on one at a time?

Multiple sets all at once. I've probably got about a dozen on the go at any one point, though how actively I pursue them varies. The problem with focusing on just one at a time is that you'll go for long stretches where you can't find what you are looking for (at least at the right price), which gets frustrating. If you've got a few sets on the go at the same time you are more likely to find good deals on at least one of them from time to time so you avoid that.

3. Do you prefer all raw, all graded or a combo and why?

Raw. I don't care much about condition (mostly going for "mid grade-ish" sets) and never really understood the attraction of graded (to each their own, this isn't a criticism of those who do).

4. Finally, what is the best way to store sets (in-progress or completed) so that you can also enjoy seeing the cards?

Binders, with the cards arranged numerically and leaving blank spots for the cards you don't have yet. This is way better than boxes for the simple reason that it you get this massive shot of satisfaction every time you get a card you need and slide it into the pocket you've had reserved for it. I've never felt that same rush when putting a card I needed into a set I keep in a box. Filling up pages one by one - especially when you get the 9th card for a given sheet and complete it - is probably the most intensely satisfying feeling I've ever had as a collector.

I've only built one successful set, an E98 Master which is 4 sets. I just dove in the deep end, built a spread sheet and fell on the generosity of many members here who helped me. Took me 17 months start to finish, got some deals, also overpaid when I had to. The difference between pre and post is if you're building a pre war set you have to grab the cards at whatever price when they come up. Some cards may not appear for years. I have huge respect for anybody working on a pre war set greater than 30 cards.

Choose your project wisely, make sure it's challenging but also within your budget(esque). I'm currently working on 2 E-sets, won't ever attempt a set of more than 30 cards as I'm a type collector but pre war sets tend to suck you in over time. Make whatever set you build aesthetically pleasing, don't mix 7's and 3's, don't buy ugly cards.

Above all, collect what inspires you, that's the only thing that will keep your nose to the grindstone to finish, a well curated pre-war set is one of the most beautiful things to see in our hobby.

Good luck!

Thank you all so much for your responses. It was great to see so many consistencies across the responses, but also the ways people differ in their approaches. I appreciate you all taking the time to help me out, and now I have decisions to make! Should be a fun adventure!

Agree wholeheartedly! The itch has been scratched.

1) Yes. I prefer to get the expensive ones outta' the way first and focus on the cheaper ones after. Doing it the other way around, IMO, is not a good idea. Let's say you leave the big whale in the set for last, but what if it goes up by 10K while you were busy chasing the commons? Then you're gonna' be screwed in the end (unless you're willing to pay up!)

2) Sometimes I do build multiple sets at once, but I think it's better to just focus on one set at a time. It's more enjoyable that way.

3) I prefer to put my raw sets in plastic binder pages, however, the really expensive cards are slabbed and put away elsewhere. If a card is a thousand-bucks, then I still don't mind keeping it in raw state and putting it in the plastic binder page with the others, however, a 5K card has to be in a PSA slab.

4) Read above.