Hi,
From your post, I would imagine our collecting interests have some overlap (most of my cards are viewable in my sigline).
As many have said: first and foremost, buy what you like. This will assure happiness, which is what a collection is supposed to give you.
Beyond that, patience is critical to making wise purchases and finding specimens at the high end of their assigned grade. As the old axion goes: buy the card, not the holder.
Be sure to scrutinize scans and in effect grade the graders, by choosing which cards you go after. Not all cards within the same grade level are equal, and a TPG label has been known to blind a man.
With rare exception, another example of a card always pops up; this is almost certain with Post War.
If anything about the card irks you, simply pass; guaranteed over time you will find the one that pleases you in every way, including price.
Sidenote: I suppose this last bit above can also be said of women.
Back to cards: it is also helpful to browse one grade below the grade you are after-- there is nothing like finding a card in a GRADE X-1 holder that deserves to be in a GRADE X holder. Such an undergraded card represents real value, and if you ever want to sell it could even bump.
Best of luck!
One other thing I can almost assure you of: just as now you are selling some modern to move into post-war vintage, a few years from now you'll probably part with a big chunk of your 50s-70s to move into PreWar. Trust me, it happens.
All roads lead to Ruth.
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