I have always tried to buy the cards I liked. I have 2 -4 cards of some players, but mostly I buy what I can when I can. Mostly when I see a card I really want, I lose the auction by a mile, but sometimes I win a few.
Follow the cards for a few months at auction and when you see a card that you like that has not shown up before, then try to buy it. Some cards like California Brown are as easy as a T206 superprint, others almost never surface. Another great reference book for the n172 and similar sets is Lew Lipset's The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards which you can find in paperback on ebay etc. Good Luck...
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