When I first got back into collecting last year, the catalyst was deciding to get a low-mid grade '55 Bowman set. I just love the look of vintage TVs from my parents' era, and combining that with baseball made the choice easy.
I paid a little too much for it (not based on typical market prices for the set, but from the true break-up value of the cards). But even though that irks me some, I'm still glad I took that first plunge with it. Because that got me into finding so much more great stuff since. Not Bowman, but other '50s to '70s vintage.
Good luck with your quest. And when you're finding new cards on Ebay, I'd focus on auctions (buy it now prices are often really inferior). And when those tempting offers appear.....if feels like maybe you can do better on this or that '50s Bowman card, chances are that you can. A little patience and a little more groundwork often lead to better deals.
(that's a lesson I learned the hard way at first)
