Sounds like you're well on your way.
That Rucker has really nice color for that card too. Even with a 50 you might not find one that looks that nice.
There are plenty of commons in solid VG for under $50, but buying the HOFers does make sense.
A lot of what I buy lately is nice but not graded, I wait till a good special and then send in a few. Most of them are VG-VGEX, but I've had a few that have been a lot nicer. It's a good day when the common that was $40 comes back an 80
Steve B