Approaching The Monster - T206

[clydepepper]

I'll put in my 2 cents worth:

Acquisition Strategy
Target 50+/- cards per year, for 10 years. Create a spreadsheet with estimated expenses per card, and of the 50 cards per year, acquire about 37-38 commons, and 13-12 uncommons/HoFers/important cards. Thoughts?
Sticking with anything for 10 years is a goal in itself.


Grade
Not too concerned about corners. I'm more focused on the surface. 1-2 will work for the commons. SGC 1-3 for the important cards/HoFers, as long as the 1 is under-graded. Sound about right for a budget?
Personally, I hate paper loss ; try not to depend on under-graded cards.


BacksI don't think the backs are too important to me. I'm just going to target the best price I can find for each card. For those of you who have attempted/completed this set, would you recommend targeting a certain back, or does completing this set with a budget negate the importance of the backs?
As many board members will attest, there is a lot to like about T206 backs and a lot of hidden value, so don't just bypass this.


Storage
Breaking it down, I want to put the commons in a binder, and the uncommons/important/HoFers in slabs. Thoughts?
Like anything else you want to preserve, keep away from direct sunlight.


MarketplaceWhere is the best, most trustworthy place to buy raw T206?
Our own BST for sure!


Good Luck!

[Bpm0014]

Best place to buy is here for sure...

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

I'll put in my 2 cents worth:

MarketplaceWhere is the best, most trustworthy place to buy raw T206?
Our own BST for sure!

Good Luck!

Thank you very much for your 2 cents. You and Brendan each said the best place to buy is here.

One question I have about buying here...

Is it best to have one major "The Monster Chase" thread to garner more popularity/attention, or multiple threads depending on which individual cards I'm focusing on?

[BruceinGa]

My strategy is similar to yours, although I haven't written it down. Maybe I will do that this afternoon.
Since this thread is about you strategy I won't go into mine too much.
Good luck with acquiring 50 a year, it should be obtainable.
I like sgc 60 (5) with good centering, more $$ but I'm particular.
I also like the different backs, just don't see me buying many at the grade I want.
As for storage. I want all slabbed cards. I plan to scan mine, front and back, keeping them in a binder.
Good luck, you're an inspiration.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by BruceinGa

My strategy is similar to yours, although I haven't written it down. Maybe I will do that this afternoon.
Since this thread is about you strategy I won't go into mine too much.
Good luck with acquiring 50 a year, it should be obtainable.
I like sgc 60 (5) with good centering, more $$ but I'm particular.
I also like the different backs, just don't see me buying many at the grade I want.
As for storage. I want all slabbed cards. I plan to scan mine, front and back, keeping them in a binder.
Good luck, you're an inspiration.

The different backs is an interesting conundrum because of the look in binders. That's where my dilemma comes.

As far as keeping yours in binders, are you referring to the scans or the slabs?

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

As far as keeping yours in binders, are you referring to the scans or the slabs?

Scans. Someone posted here last week mentioning that they did that. I experimented gluing the front scan to the back scan, making a card. That took too much time. Now I think I'll scan front and back, put both in a file trimming that and inserting it in a page protector. I need to check out the available sizes for protectors.
For my slabs I use Sterilite 6 qt boxes with tops. They are available around here at Big Lots for $1.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by BruceinGa

Scans. Someone posted here last week mentioning that they did that. I experimented gluing the front scan to the back scan, making a card. That took too much time. Now I think I'll scan front and back, put both in a file trimming that and inserting it in a page protector. I need to check out the available sizes for protectors.
For my slabs I use Sterilite 6 qt boxes with tops. They are available around here at Big Lots for $1.

Ah ok. Very nice.

I like the idea of the Sterilite boxes. I have seen that done before by a guy on YouTube and need to get some myself.

[Luke]

A lot of good advice already. I would add one thing. You should be aware that your wants may change as you get used to the set. I started with a pretty similar strategy as you and hit a wall about 175 cards in. I had won an auction for a nice VG Jeff Sweeney with Piedmont back at a really good price, but when it came in the mail I wasn't at all excited about it and didn't open it for like 3 weeks. I realized that I wasn't really into my original goals anymore, so I sold a bunch of the lower grade cards and re-focused.

Nowadays I am a back collector and I don't really plan to ever finish the set. As long as I enjoy each and every card I pick up, I am happy.

Not saying this or something similar will happen to you, but it might. You might start out collecting cards in poor-good but then win a few PSA 4s at good prices and realize you like them much better than your PSA 1s. Things like that can happen and your wants can change.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by LukeLyon

A lot of good advice already. I would add one thing. You should be aware that your wants may change as you get used to the set. I started with a pretty similar strategy as you and hit a wall about 175 cards in. I had won an auction for a nice VG Jeff Sweeney with Piedmont back at a really good price, but when it came in the mail I wasn't at all excited about it and didn't open it for like 3 weeks. I realized that I wasn't really into my original goals anymore, so I sold a bunch of the lower grade cards and re-focused.

Nowadays I am a back collector and I don't really plan to ever finish the set. As long as I enjoy each and every card I pick up, I am happy.

Not saying this or something similar will happen to you, but it might. You might start out collecting cards in poor-good but then win a few PSA 4s at good prices and realize you like them much better than your PSA 1s. Things like that can happen and your wants can change.

That's why I think I want to approach this with a 10-year mindset. That way I can still pick up some other cards, and hold the interest in completing the set.

[wolf441]

I would advise to stick with graded cards. You have an admirable goal and I did something similar, but at some point or when you complete the set, you may find yourself wanting to sell. At that point, graded cards will, for the most part, sell for more than raw and you don't want to pay to have all of your raw cards graded. Let someone else pay that expense and buy them already slabbed. Best of luck!

The backs are fun as well. You can try to pick up at least one of each back (or at least the non-Uzit, Drums, etc... to start). Keep that as part of your checklist.

I liked to look for SGC cards that were graded lower because of things like back stamps, which technically drop the condition grade, but which I think really add to your collection. It's neat to see a stamp that tells a small story of what the original owner was doing over 100 years ago...

Best,

Steve