I think you should go for the best key card, with the best image, at the best grade that you can afford. The thing about pre-war is that there are a huge # of issues, and many of these are very popular, so it is not like post-war with just Topps and a few secondary issues. For example, I love the image on the 1914/1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb. However, a bunch of other collectors love this also, so this card is insanely expensive. If you can't quite afford this key card for Cobb, you can look at another one whose image you like. In T206, Red and Green Cobb's are very popular with the Green more expensive. You can pick the one that you like, and then look at the backs. As you know, there are many backs, and there are huge # of resources here on T206. The reference t206resource.com will give you a listing of all of the backs and which cards are present for each back. There are also scarcity lists for each back on this board, and you can also look at the pop reports to get some idea. You may determine that you like the eye appeal of a specific back more, or you may back with a certain scarcity. Obviously, the scarcer the back, the higher the price. There are a tremendous # of options that you have, and you need to decide which most appeals to you.
|