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Aaron M.I've been putting together a set of 1951 Bowman Jets, Rockets, & Spacemen cards for the past several months. (I've got 105 of the 108 cards and am hoping to complete the set at a local card convention this weekend.)
I'm actually not really a big card collector (I collect baseball memorabilia almost exclusively although I do have several vintage sports cards in my collection), but thought it would be fun to try and put together a set of cards, card by card. People seemed to really enjoy the process of hunting down their missing cards and then finishing a set off. As this is the first set I've attempted to put together since I was a kid, I have to say I'm in agreement now that I've actually experienced it.
I've always admired the Jets, Rockets cards for their imaginative artwork and text (just like a collection of 1950's science fiction b-movies or 1940's serials with absolutely no basis in reality or real science). Plus the set was relatively small (just 108 cards) and inexpensive (most high-grade cards top out at $10-$20 each) and satisfied my desire to only collect "vintage" material.
I've gone to the trouble of buying whole lots of Jets, Rockets cards on E-Bay just to get one or two cards I needed. Then I turn around and sell my duplicates on E-Bay. I've actually started to recognize a market of about 5 or 6 fellow collectors on E-Bay in addition to myself who are also collectors (or dealers) of this set that I'm usually in competition with.
Anyway, I've enjoyed the process so much that once I finish the set I want to put another one together. I like Bowman's Wild Man series, but am leaning toward putting together a set of 1950 Bowman football cards.