Hello, Andrew.
It sounds like you're in the exact same position I'm in. Maybe we can find the answers together.
I used to collect when I was a child. I actually collected a little bit up until the time I started college, but nothing more than the occasional pack or two then. I'd become disenchanted with the hobby. Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer and Donruss had all but ruined the hobby by oversaturating the market. Besides, I had other things to spend my money on-tuition, books, my dorm room, and my future ex-girlfriends.
Then, about five years ago, I hurt my back. Because of a congenital bone disorder I was born with, there's no way to fix it. So, I was put on permanent disability. I went from being a single guy making an outstanding living as a stockbroker to being on SSDI. I was never a guy that wasted my money, and when I got hurt, I became even more proactive. I went ahead and paid off all my credit cards. I paid off my car. I paid off the medical bills I had, and now I'm completely debt free.
When I went on disability, I decided to start collecting again. Since I have so much free time, why not collect, and do something I love? Collecting has kept me happy, and has given me something to do. So, I've bought a few nice cards here and there, but I'm working mostly on building my savings up. I'm almost at my goal, which is to have a full years worth of bills and living expenses set aside. When that is done, I'm going to hit my collection.
Like you, when I came back, I started out with modern cards. I collected Bowman Chrome prospect autos (as well as some other lines, some Platinum, some Sterling, etc). But while I love prospecting, what people wanted for these cards started getting out of control. I was already subscribing to
Baseball America, MLB.tv, and Milb.com. When I started seeing things like a 2014 Bowman Chrome gold prospect auto
redemption card of Kris Bryant sell for $5,000, the absurdity of the whole thing struck me. I could buy a nice Babe Ruth for that much. Bryant at the time hadn't played above AA ball. Cards like Byron Buxton's base prospect auto were going for over $200. Since I would work on trying to get at least one base prospect auto of each of the top 100 prospects, that became ridiculously expensive. For a while, I was hanging in there. But it became tedious. I wasn't enjoying it. Since I loved the history of baseball, I decided to go back and start collecting vintage cards, and to learn about pre-war. I signed up here, and for a good six months, I just tried to learn before buying anything. Well, after getting home from the hospital last summer after breaking my leg, a package was waiting for me. It was my very first pre-war card, a T202 card from Pete Sycks (thank you again, Pete!) I instantly fell in love with pre-war, and I haven't looked back.
I spent some time researching, and finding what I liked before I really bought anything more expensive. I know that my favorite pre-war sets are the T206, T202, '33 and '34 Goudey, '14 and '15 Cracker Jack, the Exhibits cards, T3 Turkey Reds, T204 Ramlys, OJs (Old Judge), T207s, and Allen & Ginter. Those are a few. There are a lot more. From vintage, I love the 1953 Bowman Color set, the '55 and '56 Topps sets, the '57 Topps set (the first using the now standard 2.5" x 3.5" format), the '60 Topps set, the '71, '73 and '75 Topps sets, and the '80 Topps set. Again, there are others I like, but those were a good start.
So I bought a few cards, some really nice ones. I started out buying about 20 T206 commons in about SGC 40 (PSA 3) grade. Then, I decided I liked cards in a little better condition, so I've been buying PSA 4 and 5 level. But only a few. I also started personal collections of Robin Yount and Roberto Clemente, and just recently started collecting the 1975 set, which I'll build in pretty high condition (near mint or so). The '75 set is, of course, much less expensive.
With my medical issues, having that fall last summer scared me a little. I wanted to make sure I had a cushion so no matter what happened, I'd have a good amount saved up. So, that's what I'm doing now, and I'm almost there. That will give me some peace of mind. After that, I plan on budgeting my spending on baseball cards to between $5-600 a month. While I'm building up my savings, I am working on the '75 Topps set. I can buy some nice cards, and not spend a lot to do so. It satiates my need to collect without making much of a dent in my bank account
And while I still like modern cards, I'm going to wait until these guys have some years in the Majors under their belts. I might end up spending more, but I won't be spending any money on guys that don't make it, either.
So, beside the T206 and 1975 Topps set, the Clemente and Yount master sets, and my ever expanding Green Bay Packer collection, I've been building a list of cards I want to buy. Here's part of it. I love the greats of the game, and God willing, I have several years to build a nice collection. Some of the cards towards the top of my list:
1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial
1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig #37
1958 Topps Roberto Clemente
1951 Bowman Ted Williams
T202 Cobb Steals Third
T205 Christy Mathewson
1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese
1957 Topps Mickey Mantle
1915 Cracker Jack Eddie Collins
1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio
1971 Topps Thurman Munson
1954 Topps Hank Aaron
1909 E90-1 Willie Keeler
1955 Topps Sandy Koufax
1959 Topps Willie Mays
1950 Bowman Bob Feller
1934 Goudey Babe Ruth #144
1956 Topps Jackie Robinson
1953 Bowman Color Warren Spahn
1954 Topps Eddie Mathews
1953 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle
Anyway, that's a pretty good start. It will give you an idea on how I'm going to progress through my collection. I'll be mixing in my T206 cards with those:
Willie Keeler portrait
Ty Cobb bat off shoulder
Roger Bresnahan portrait
Napoleon Lajoie throwing
Hughie Jennings two hands showing
Tris Speaker
Harry Pattee
Eddie Collins
That list should take me a few years. But in the mean time, I can enjoy what everybody else on the forum is getting. Because I enjoy seeing other people have fun as much as I enjoy getting new cards. When I think of somebody at their computer excitedly typing as they share their latest card, it brings a smile to my face. I grin from ear to ear like the cheshire cat when somebody shows me a card they love, because I can totally relate to the joy they feel.
The last two cards I got before my 1975 Topps cards, and my 1976 Topps Robin Yount came in were a beautiful 1956 Topps Bob Feller I got from 4 Sharp Corners, and this Dutch Revelle, the first Southern Leaguer for my T206 set (as well as my first Old Mill back). This one I got from Mike DeNero.
That's a real beauty. Those are two good sources to buy from. I also like The Battersbox on EBay for vintage ungraded cards. I've done business with them several times now. And as you can see from my signature, I've done a good deal of buying (and some selling) on our BST boards. That's a great place to buy cards from other collectors.
When people get cards in that you like, don't hesitate to ask them where they buy from. That's a good way to learn. One of the most important things to remember when buying vintage and pre-war cards-buy from trustworthy dealers and sellers. You'll start building a mental list of people that you can do business with. That protects you in the long run.
Anyway, Andrew, again, welcome aboard, and I hope this gives you some ideas. You are among friends here, and I look forward to seeing your collection grow. Just remember one thing. It's not a race, nor is it a competition. You get what you want. Sometimes you may have to save for a month or two to get that new card you want. But the sheer jubilation you feel when you get it in, I look forward to sharing that with you. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message. I check the boards a few times a day, and I'm happy to help you in any way that I can!
Have a great weekend,
Bill