The Tim Wallach site is really interesting and he is up over 15,000 cards already. I think he could continue collecting them all for years and not affect the market.
It also made me wonder how many Wallach cards Tim Carroll has cut up for his art. I'm sure 99% of people are all for thinning out the 1980-90's card population, while making art out of them, but the Wallach collector would likely shed a tear or two thinking about cut up cards
http://timwallach.blogspot.com/
As for the original poster, I know from personal experience that it's best not to talk about a player collection for a tough card, it only drives up the price. I think he would be better off just waiting them out instead of offering big money at this point. It's definitely costing him more than it should. If he's not in a rush, enjoy the hunt.