[frohme]

Hi Justin,

Sound like you're on the love side of the equation w.r.t T207's. It really does seem that people are decidedly one way or the other when it comes to the set.

There are some of us on the board that have really enjoyed putting the set together - my experiences are much more recent than many of the long time members. Using the search function you'll find a few very useful posts on the set as a whole - I can tell you that it is a labor of love if you decide to go after the whole set. Unless you're lucky, loaded, or both, it'll take a couple of years at least.

As for pricing, VCP can give you recent sales of individual cards in auction houses and eBay. I've never used SMR for anything but to gauge a seller. If they tout the SMR for a cards they probably either: don't know what the card actually sells for; or do know and tout it because it is so much better (higher) than reality. It has seemed on the high side more for most of the common cards, and for the uncommon/sneaky-tough cards ... it doesn't really seem do justice to pricing as the sample size is smaller (sometimes significantly so) than is practicable... all it takes is two interested parties to drive the price. There are still enough active collectors, that you can probably rest assured that cards (with BIN-type pricing) still for sale on public venues more that a couple of days or so after initial posting are that way for a reason.

All in all, there's no substitute for experience with the set. Many cards are surprisingly difficult, though all are attainable (in collector grade) with patience. If you're interested in mid-high grade cards, you'll have a real challenge - some cards are rarely seen in grades above VG/EX, and command $$ when they show up. If you're after the whole set, buckle up - the first 80 (or so) cards may lull you into complacency but there are various walls of difficulty beginning somewhere around there... they only get higher.

Personally, I love the set - its an obsession. I think folks here humor me as its about all I post about.

Best wishes as you proceed - I'd be more than happy to chat with you anytime about the set. Oh, and if you're serious about it, some good reading material can be found in VCBC # 37 and 38 - articles by board members Tim Newcomb and Bob Marquette. Excellent material for understanding the lay of the land.

--
Mike