How Did You Beat the Monster?

[Niko]

After lots of thought and lots of good advice/opinions from you guys, I decided that if I'm going to go for a set, I'm going to go big with the t206 (minus big 4, hopefully).

For those who have attempted

How did you start?
How long did it take you?
What condition were you going after?

Any other interesting details, feel free to share.

I think I am going to attempt to build the HOF set (minus Wagner, Plank) in PSA 1-3 form (mostly 1s and 2s I'm sure). This way, if I bail, I can easily recoup my funds, I think.

Zach

[Robextend]

Hey Zach,

I am going up against the monster as we speak, but I am not fighting quite the battle you will be. I am going for Tolstoi backs only.

At first I wanted to go for the whole set like yourself and got about 15% of the way with a good mix of backs when I decided to sell them off and only concentrate on Tolstoi because of my Russian ancestry. So far I have about 60 of the 243 or so possible backs. I feel its a great subset, and whenever that is near completion I might move on to Southern Leaguers. The good thing about the monster is that there are countless ways to collect it.

I wish you the best, and please keep us posted on your progess.

Rob

[donmuth]

I haven't beat the monster yet, but hope to one day. I'm at about 70 cards, so around 13% complete now.

Mainly I have taken the opportunistic approach - i.e. whenever I find a deal and have some spare cash I'll pick up a card or two.

My more methodical self has been working on the complete backs set (toughest one I have now is a Carolina Brights) as well as pursuing Cubs/Detroit/Giants/Pittsburgh team sets, SL'ers, and any of the tougher commons (150 only series, Ganley, etc.).

I've been at this since the late 1980's, but haven't been putting all my focus or resources into it.

The benefit of breaking down the monster into subsets and tackling those is that you get rewarded sooner and more often when you complete a subset (think of it like the Dave Ramsey debt snowball idea... it gets you excited about continuing on the path!). However, there's a catch... you can sometimes be halted in your tracks waiting for that one last card in the right condition, at the right price, at the right time (e.g. catching it before someone else does on the B/S/T) to become available.

So, my best recommendation is be flexible in everything - the order in which you acquire the cards, the condition, etc. Every card you pick up is one closer to the end and they are all great. Enjoy crossing off even the most common of commons from your want list. It'll make the trip easier and much more fun!

[Bicem]

The only way to beat the monster is to collect something else or have a ton of $, either way.

[iggyman]

Merely a myth! One does not beat the monster, the monster plummets its victims into submission. There is no other fate!

Oh, and to answer your question. Took 10+ years (but I'm still collecting it), a bunch of flipping, and now I can die with a smiley on my tombstone.

Lovely Day...

[DixieBaseball]

The short answer is I didn't... I got the 48 Southern Leaguer's completed, and decided I could not focus and dedicate myself to the remaining balance. Was I upset ? No. Did it kick my arse ? Sure.

[Jim VB]

Jeff nailed it in post #4. None of the cards in T206 are really difficult to find. I'll bet every single card in the set has come up for auction in the last 2 years. (I think I remember a Doyle in REA 2009, but I may be wrong.)

It does come down to a question of your available cash, and your definition of "set." If you are satisified with 518 (or 520) out of 524 (or 525 if you like Cobb/Cobb) it's actually pretty easy.

[ChiefBenderForever]

After a couple years I was at around 130 or so and got beat, gave up and let the monster win, I just couldn't stay focused and moved on. Best of luck on your journey.

[tonyo]

Here is another favorite Monster quote from the esteemed Barry Arnold:

"It is an amazingly shrewd adversary,yet a most intriguing friend."

My advice (after only two years of collecting t206's) is:
Don't look at it as if you are going to "beat the monster"

Approach the task with much patience and a disciplined monetary plan.

The cards are so plentiful and available in wide ranges of condition, it's easy to get sucked into spending a little more than you really had intended on each purchase.

[sb1]

The worst way to tackle it is one card at a time. You will pay more and it may take forever. Buy as large of groups as you can find (and afford) and buy them. Keep what you want and sell the rest, just keep repeating this and in a matter of time you will have a large portion of the set. When you get towards the end you will have to buy some singles, but even early on you will be surprised by the number of HOFers, even off grade Cobbs, that are included in small, medium and large size groups.

[Zach Wheat]

Hey Zach,

I am about 75% and I think one of the better ways is to buy cards in bulk either from auctions or on ebay. It is alot harder to buy in bulk now than in years prior, but this saves on shipping costs (which can be a killer) and gives you a fair amount of trade bait.

Regards,

M Wheat

[uffda51]

Scott's advice is right on.

I slowly accumulated 50-75 cards from about 1985-95 and then gave up. A TKO. I still have 5-10 of them. Obviously a great classic set, I just never got the bug to finish.

[Niko]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Hey Zach,

I am about 75% and I think one of the better ways is to buy cards in bulk either from auctions or on ebay. It is alot harder to buy in bulk now than in years prior, but this saves on shipping costs (which can be a killer) and gives you a fair amount of trade bait.

Regards,

M Wheat

Are you going for it raw or slabbed? The problem with bulk lots is they either are all raw or the grades aren't exactly what I'm looking for.

I may go for HOF PSA and simultaneously pick up any decent lots of commons I can find.

Zach

[ethicsprof]

many thanks to my wise and astute friend, tony ooten.

i know that i perennially and perpetually and persistently offer the dictum:
the monster wants you to quit; don't listen to it.
i tamed the monster because i made myself in almost singleminded fashion
NOT listen to the many reasons i ought to quit, e.g. money spent, other type cards that i'm missing, preoccupation with pieces of cardboard over my academic research (sometimes!), the years and years that it takes, etc.
The monster is incessant in keeping such reasons coming.
But as the ones who have tamed the Monster on this fine board will tell you
almost in unison, i suspect, both the quest and the achievement are well worth it.
all the best in the quest,
barry

[sb1]

(shameless plug)

One could buy all 520 at one time in our upcoming auction. Yep, ALL 520 in one fell swoop, missing only Wagner, Doyle, Magie and Plank. Forget all that aimless hunting and searching.

[Brian Weisner]

Hi Scott,
Any tough backs in that 520 lot????
Hope you are well. Brian

[sb1]

No Rare ones, quite a few Sovereigns including many 460's, El Principe and Tolstoi's. It's a real nice low to mid grade set, basically VG+/-, partly graded partly raw(many more graded were cracked) out as the set was to be displayed raw in mini top loaders in albums, of which the majority is housed.

[majordanby]

ive come close to quitting, but am still plugging away. buying lots is a good way to go. t206s are not rare. it all comes down to having enough money...either that or just solely focusing on t206s and not collecting much else. when i first started collecting, people gave me the advice to go after the tougher cards first (demmitt, ohara, southern leaguers, popular HOF'ers) because they have the higher probabilities of increasing in value. most t206s in collector grades are relatively low in price today. so, it's a good time to collect.

[mickey7mantle7]

Originally Posted by Bicem

The only way to beat the monster is to collect something else or have a ton of $, either way.

hell yea...

[judsonhamlin]

It has taken me 23+ years to get to 518, but I have made it difficult on myself - I have only purchased a couple of Piedmont and Sweet Caporal backs since '93 or so. I started by shooting for one of each major league player and the minor and SL guys who had been in the majors. For a little while, I deluded myself into thinking that I was good with just that, but I drank the Kool-Aid or Drum-Aid or whatever you want to call it and I was hooked on finishing it. Realistically, I should get to 520 soon and, with some luck (and $$), maybe 521 (Magie).

[Scott T]

I went about tackling "The Monster" in entirely the wrong way, but have enjoyed doing so. My collection is 98% complete (SGC graded, mainly 20's and 30's)

I bought most of my collection raw in one and two card lots and then submitted them to SGC.

However you get there (and I never will) tackling "The Monster" is a worthy goal and a fun journey.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Niko

Are you going for it raw or slabbed? The problem with bulk lots is they either are all raw or the grades aren't exactly what I'm looking for.

I may go for HOF PSA and simultaneously pick up any decent lots of commons I can find.

Zach

Zach,

I bought several large lots and almost all were ungraded. I did not mind the fact that there were ungraded as I usually do not collect graded cards - although I have purchased many in that form. Several auctions have lots of either PSA or SGC graded cards...just keep a watch and you will get a good start. You will definitely get more bang for the buck. And if you buy ungraded lots, you end up having lots of cards to trade on BST. You end up getting to know a lot of people this way and it is more fun hunting! Enjoy!

M Wheat

[lharri3600]

Believe it or not, it took me 2 years to complete my first set (graded out to 4.5. Then it took me 4 months to do my raw/graded set. i'm busted but i'm happy

[kllrbee]

I just started not too long ago. Im only about 10% complete and its already beating me up. LOL. But it really is alot of fun.

Im trying to get the Hof's I like first graded (2-4), then I will move onto SL's graded. And in the meantime, I will pick up raw common lots as they come up to bulk up the set.

As stated above, I will pick out the raws I want to keep and trade or sell the rest. When that time comes, I hope to meet alot of folks here on the forum.

Thats my plan at least.....I will see what happens along the way.

[tbob]

Card by card, all raw but creaseless, from ebay over 10 years ago. It was a lot easier then I am afraid. Have the set minus the Big 4 although I think Magie will fall this summer.

[Edwolf1963]

Hey, good morning. I just recently completed down to just the "Big 6" remaining. Fun, expensive, draining - much of what everyone has chimed in on in one fashion or the other. I never started out with that mission - which I guess for some may be a good avenue to take - just don't think about it.

You know - sort of like if you say all week you have to clean out the garage this weekend - but then procrastination sets in and the idea of killing an entire day eats away at you, "it can wait", etc. .. whereas if you get up, go out there and do one or two things - before you know it you're half-way done and motivated to continue.

That's sort of how I approached it. Collected what I liked first, looked for good deals in slabbed and raw - I didn't even add up how many I had or focus on completing the set until I realized I had half of them already!

I focused on any back - nice if tougher, but not my primary focus. Trying for mid-grade (3 to 6) was my only real "consistent" theme. SGC, PSA or BVG were all fine w/me. HOFs and SL'ers naturally are tougher and more $$. I did subscribe to the VCP which gave me some peace of mind and really helped me stay within a set boundry.

I had some good buys on raw, some not so good if they graded out lower or trimmed - so that's a hit/miss. As you get closer, resist the urge to overspend to close in on the remaining. Patience is key - I can say that bcse in some ways I was .. many others I wasn't and let my emotions dig deeper. Nothing horrible or way out-of-bounds, just the realization that if I had been more patient in some instances, I could have waited for a better card/deal.

I have nowhere near the experience of many/most on this board on all the in's & out's, so I read w/open mind and great interest the thoughts, posts, opinions, ideas, etc .. and got to know many from dealing with them - buying, trading, selling. Networking is always a good thing - in my book, the most essential piece in helping me reach the goals I set for myself in collecting.

Good luck with your set!

Ed

[Drew]

I put together a nice set of 518, card by card, raw, by going to many card shows from 1986-1989
I added the Demmitt and O’Hara cards from ebay a few years ago.
Now I am working on a low grade set by series I have over 700 different front/back combo’s
Also various subsets are in progress

I heard the Monster wants me to quit but I can't hear him.

drew

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Drew

I put together a nice set of 518, card by card, raw, by going to many card shows from 1986-1989
I added the Demmitt and O’Hara cards from ebay a few years ago.
Now I am working on a low grade set by series I have over 700 different front/back combo’s
Also various subsets are in progress

I heard the Monster wants me to quit but I can't hear him.

drew

Wow Drew! What are your toughest backs? Any pictures?

[Drew]

Hi Daryl
No pictures or scanner yet!
I have all of the backs except for the broadleaf 460 which i had an chance to buy back in the 1980's but I wasn't looking for different backs back then
drew

[ethicsprof]

excellent, drew!!!
not being able to hear is a winning technique!!
all the best,

barry

[E93]

I got my first two T206s in '79 or '80 at a card shop in L.A. (actually in the valley). They were Cobb/red and Lajoie w/bat. I was in junior high and traded half of my collection for them at the time. Since then I slowly started buying more. I would buy a few here and there with an emphasis on getting non-Piedmont and non-Sweet Cap whenever possible. I would buy small groups from dealers or at auction and sell dups. After 25 years, I finished in 2004, including an example of all the brand backs. I still need BL 460 and brown Old Mill for a complete back run, but I have examples of all the brands. I was going for a crease-free vg/ex ish set. I still have about twenty that I would like to upgrade, but have not pursued those too much lately,probably because they are always there.
JimB