As a YOUG KID, I built sets from nickel packs and by trading or flipping! You HAD to! When I got a little older and could afford to buy a whole box, I still finished "This Year's" set by trading or "hocking" cards!
Then I discovered Larry Fritsch and found I could buy a 500-count Vending Box. Each of my 3 brothers and I would buy one, then trade each other to finish the set. If I needed any singles, they could be bought from Larry Fritsch, Stan Martucci, or Bill Henderson. THEY were my "Go TO" guys!
In High School & College, I would buy complete sets, especially Factory sets, so that NO GIRLS could see that I STILL actively collected baseball cards! This let me build older and older sets card by card which I still do to this day...
MUCH more selective now tho...
GREAT question, brings bac a flood of memories!!
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