Putting together vintage sets

[Fred]

Have many collectors on this board stop trying to complete sets in the past few years because the cost of doing so got so ridiculous due to the rapid rise in card prices (especially certain HOFers)?

For example, if you started to put together a 33 Goudey set 20 years ago but figured on picking up the Ruths a little later (rather than 10-15 years ago), are you still trying to complete that set or have you just said no way.

Many of the 1950s and 1960s sets are still somewhat reasonable.

Which sets are still within reason to collect when you compare them to 5 years ago?

I still laugh when I think about the 1964 Topps Giant set. I can still remember when people were trying to get rid of them for $5 a set.

[Rhotchkiss]

Historically, I am not a set builder. But in the past two years I have built (although not card by card), several sets, including 1914 Cracker Jack, T3 Turkey Reds, and D304; regarding the CJ set, luckily I already had most of the big boys, acquired a few years ago.

About a year ago I stated building the 1933 Goudey set, but I have 100% slowed on the project due to the costs of Ruth and Gehrig, specifically. There are just other things I would rather spend that kind of money on than 1933 Ruths and the same Gehrig with two different card numbers.

But there are some very doable sets notwithstanding recent price spikes. Many of the E sets from 1909-1911 are small in size and relatively affordable. The T204 set, a gorgeous set in my opinion, is small enough to do and still somewhat economical - and hell, you can get a Walter Johnson rookie for the same price as a lower grade 33 Goudey Ruth. The 33 Delong set is very doable. I guess the point is that some sets, especially the smaller ones, are fun and still somewhat economical. But yes, the bigger ones have become a mighty financial beast often no longer worth conquering

[anchorednw]

I've been quietly putting together a higher-grade PSA 1952 Bowman Baseball set. It's my only toe dip into post war vintage. It's a very beautiful set IMO, small and still affordable but challenging to some degree in high grade. 2nd year Mays and Mantle and some real star power in Berra, Feller, Campanella, Spahn, Doby, Musial, etc.

[BioCRN]

I'm not a set guy, but I decided to casually put together a lower/mid-range graded 1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305) set in 2015. I picked up a random good looking one every now and then with a focus on the Cubs (9 of 15 snagged).

I put it on the shelf in 2020 when prices spiked. I had 26 out of 60 in hand. I had some of the HOF'rs, but I didn't have any of the heavy hitters...no Foxx, Hornsby, or Dizzy.

I sold off or traded all but 3 in 2022 because prices got insane and I had hadn't added any to my collection (aside from an upgrade) for a couple years anyway.

Weighing the potential cost of the 34 I still needed, especially Foxx/Hornsby/etc...I folded. If I already owned the big cards it may have been a different story.

[yanks87]

T201’s are a great set that you can still snag for a decent price.

[tkd]

I enjoy building sets but slowed down the past few years due to overall price increases in the hobby. I had to pick and choose more what I collect. Basically narrow down my focus with what I collect. Ultimately, I decided quality over quantity and to pick up fewer cards that mean something to me. If prices go down to level I'm comfortable with I'd enjoy getting more aggressive with set building.

[StraightRaceCards]

I would still consider it set “ish” building, but I have narrowed my focus into just going after the hall of famers in the T206 and 1956 Topps set. That eliminates the “fluff” and cards I care less about.

I was solely focused on T206, but 56 has been a nice change up due to costs being a lot more manageable. I picked up two graded SGC hall of famers yesterday at the Dallas card show for very reasonable prices.

I’m also collecting the 1924 W.D. & H.O. Wills Golf Courses set, which is another fun change of pace.

To summarize- what I’m learning is that collecting is fun no matter if it’s a $500 card or a $5 card. I’m really enjoying the process!

[Brian Van Horn]

Not answering your question for which I apologize. Just happy I put together the 1927 E126 set.

[raulus]

I’ve never been a big set collector. I’ve always preferred to stick to player collecting, with a big focus on the all time greats from my favorite team.

However, I have branched out a little to collect some oddball sets from the 50s and 60s. Often it happens because they’re smaller sets, and to pick up one of my favorite players I am forced to pick up a larger lot, which gives me a running start. The good news is that they’re often underloved and so the competition for pieces isn’t quite as fierce.

Some examples include:

53-54 Briggs Meats
1954 Stahl Meyer
1963 Jell-O Complete Boxes
1967 Topps Punch Outs
1968 Bazooka Complete Boxes
1971 Bazooka Numbered
1973 Topps Comics

I do think that part of the fun with these sets is the hunt. They don’t come up often, which means that I can naturally pace myself. Plus this also gives me the option to work on all of them concurrently, since it will likely take years or even decades to finish some of them. Every once in a while I can pick up a piece to push them forward a little bit at a time, without having to worry about my pace.

Luckily for me, a lot of the big names are players that I’m already collecting anyway, so I generally don’t feel like I’m dropping huge sums on players that I don’t care about.

Since these sets are also difficult to complete, I also get to find my zen knowing that I might never get there. And I’m okay with that! The fun is in the journey, not just in getting to the finish line.

[judsonhamlin]

I am a set collector on a type card budget.
Maybe an overstatement but probably more true in 2023 than 2013, say. It’s annoying because I’m close (in numbers) on a numbers of sets - E90, T205 and 1933 Goudey, for instance, but the investment to complete them is way out of my league.

[rjackson44]

One card at a time😳

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by rjackson44

One card at a time😳

What he said.

[BearBailey]

It has not changed my focus at all just slowed it down. The prices of everything has gone sky high, so just slows down the process.

[Rich Falvo]

The only prewar set I've tried to put together was the 1933 Sport Kings, partly because it's only 48 cards. Focused on getting the Ruth first, which was going for about $700-$800 in low grades then. Kept just missing out on auctions and every time I did, I used some of the money to get other cards in the set. Next thing I know, I've got 46/48 and still no Ruth, which by then was going for $1500+. I gave up and spent the past two years selling most of the set to fund a few single cards that I'd rather have. I only kept Cobb and Jimmy Doolittle.

[Mike Eisenbath]

Old habits die hard. As a kid in 1969, when I bought my first pack, I assumed the goal had to be the whole set. That's why they've got numbers, right?

So I am working on every Topps base card 1951 to present (except for the 52 Mantle). My dream as a boy. Living the (pursuit of) the dream and loving it. Getting much closer than I ever thought possible.

It lets me make a little progress on a regular basis.

And I've added the goals (set-building on a more affordable scale) of all Bowmans, getting to 500 in T206, all N172 St Louis Browns and pre-war type cards of Cardinals. Broad-focused collecting, I call it, but set-building at heart. LOL


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[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by Fred

Have many collectors on this board stop trying to complete sets in the past few years because the cost of doing so got so ridiculous due to the rapid rise in card prices (especially certain HOFers)?

As primarily a set builder, the answer is yes. I have always liked 1954 Bowman, but when I look at the prices for Mantle, Mays, and Williams I decided to not build the set. I've built 1955, 1956, 1960, 1965, and 1968 through 1979. All of the sets in the gaps have expensive cards, but not three huge ones like '54 Bowman or any of the Topps sets between 1952 and 1954. My plan is to fill in the gaps in what I have completed and pivot to focusing on non-baseball sets that I think have interesting designs.

[whitehse]

I am primarily a set collector as it just makes sense to me....always has. Right before the huge price boom I finished my '56 Topps baseball set and I calculated it cost me just a little over 2 grand to do so. I was able to get my mantle with a discovery of a Trout Heritage rookie I didn't know that was packed away in a box. I had the Trout graded and it came back a SGC 10 which was a very easy flip for my Mantle at literally no cost to me.

Every time I think of starting a new set I stop in my tracks and realize I cannot afford even some of the lesser star cards. Even the sets I am attempting to rebuild from my childhood, '73-'76 Topps baseball are outrageously priced on many of the stars.

I find myself just sitting on the sidelines right now hoping prices come back down to reasonable levels at least for the 70's sets.

[jcmtiger]

Originally Posted by Fred

Have many collectors on this board stop trying to complete sets in the past few years because the cost of doing so got so ridiculous due to the rapid rise in card prices (especially certain HOFers)?

For example, if you started to put together a 33 Goudey set 20 years ago but figured on picking up the Ruths a little later (rather than 10-15 years ago), are you still trying to complete that set or have you just said no way.

Many of the 1950s and 1960s sets are still somewhat reasonable.

Which sets are still within reason to collect when you compare them to 5 years ago?

I still laugh when I think about the 1964 Topps Giant set. I can still remember when people were trying to get rid of them for $5 a set.

Yes I bought the 1964 Topps standup set for $15.00 in the 1980’s. Since sold years ago before grading lol

[parkplace33]

It’s tougher but I now limit myself to sets I can complete.

[Eric72]

I'm only actively collecting two sets, although I'll also pick up other cards along the way.

T206 is a set I'll likely never actually complete; however, each and every card is a joy to acquire. So, I'm collecting them without the expectation of putting together a set. Let's leave T206 aside and talk about the other set.

I will complete 1956 Topps Baseball. That's 342 cards, including the two checklists. I'm a little more than halfway there. I've got Mantle, Jackie, Mays, Aaron, Koufax, Berra, and Kaline, among others. So, from a cost perspective, I'm even closer to being done.

At the beginning of this journey, I only had the Mantle. Not a bad start, to be sure, but that was only one card. It got me thinking, though. I've got the most expensive card. Why not pick up some other '56 Topps and see where it goes? I started picking up some small lots and a few cheaper singles. Before too long, I had well over 100 cards...but Mantle was still the only major star.

Right at the beginning of the pandemic, I shifted my focus. Rather than "checking off boxes" by buying more commons and minor stars, I decided to go after the HOFers. In the spring of 2020, before the boom, I bought a Jackie Robinson. My next purchases were Berra, Aaron, Koufax, and Mays and Kaline. I've also picked a few other HOFers (like Warren Spahn) along the way.

So, it has been quality over quantity lately. Best decision I've ever made, from a card collecting standpoint. Once I've got the Hall of Famers and checklists, I'll fill in the rest of the set. This is definitely the best way (for me) to build a set.

[Exhibitman]

Hey, Matt, me too. For years, I've not bothered with commons.

I am close to the T206 portraits of HOFers (obv. not Wags or Plank and no green Cobb either), just two lower tier guys to go and I am in no hurry.

[Fred]

I started working on a 1940 Play Ball set about 40+ years ago. I'm down to less than 10 cards (out of 240). I kept telling myself I'd get the Jackson and DiMaggio cards but never did. Now those are the two that are going to be a pain in the rear to find a decent deal on them. I'm going to complete the set because at this point, it just doesn't make sense not to. The set is nice because it has players from earlier eras (Matty, Wagner, Jackson and others) and the current era (at that time).

T201 is probably the easiest set for T-cards and if you would like to have a set that's over a hundred years old. I'll guess that E91 shouldn't be too bad.

One set that's over 50 years old that is easy is the 1969 Deckle Edge set.

Overall, I think set collecting for some of the vintage sets is not economically feasible for a lot of "collectors/hobbyist", these days.

[anchorednw]

I also have been working on a T200 Fatima team card set over the past 2 years. I love this set as it's only 16 cards and is packed with plenty of HOFers and is like collecting a 250 card set from 1913. And because every thread needs a card...

[brianp-beme]

I just posted a thread about a set (kinda) that I just finished. Check it out. It might possibly be the least enjoyable 3 minutes of hobby written word you have ever encountered, but who knows, you might be the type to enjoy it.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=342274

russell'srustlersplayingcards 001.jpg


Brian (this is the type of set completion that seems doable for me nowadays)

[molenick]

I am working on three sets: DeLong, Diamond Stars, Wilson Franks. Delong and Wilson Franks are small and theoretically, I could finish them one day. I am pretty sure I will never finish Diamond Stars, but I have always liked the look of that set and will continue to work on it.

Honestly, sometimes the best thing that can happen is that you start a set and then abandon it. Then you can just sell all the cards you have (maybe keeping a couple of your favorites) and use that money towards something else.

When not working on the sets, I amuse myself with type collecting, cdvs, and cabinets.

[steve B]

I'm in a phase I get into periodically.
I can't get past T206 commons in VG being almost 100 bucks.
And many of the cards I still need have gotten way out of reach not only prewar, but postwar too. I'm fairly close to a few postwar sets, but there's always that one card....

So I get into my weird and cheap stuff I like from the junkwax era.
And collecting stuff like 49 Leaf virtually by saving scans of the various different varieties.

[midmo]

I've never been much of a set builder but since my want list is getting too tough or expensive I have started putting mid grade early Topps binder sets together. I've finished 1953 & 1956. Getting close with 57-60. I won't attempt 52.

I think the only pre-war set I've ever completed is DeLong. Have been thinking about E95 only because I already have the Cobb and Wagner. Doubt I'll ever attempt anything larger.

[BabyRuth]

I was always a set builder but kind of abandoned those pursuits with the recent price increases. I always bought the big cards first and just went on my merry way. Now I pursue more oddball stuff that's still reasonably priced. I still love collecting, it's just that my focus is not on 5 figure cards. Luckily over the last 30 years, I was able to complete T201, T202, T205(no hoblitzel), W517,W553,W554, 33 Goudey(W/ Lajoie), 34 Goudey, 36 Goudey, 38 Goudey, 41 Goudey, 35 Schutter Johnson, 32 US Caramel, 33 Butter Cream, 33 Delong, 33 Eclipse Import, 28 Ruth Candy, 28 Fro Joy Ruth, 21 Schapira Ruth, 51 Connie Mack All Stars, 51 Connie Mack Book, 51 Current All Stars(Need Rizzuto).

My brother mainly focused on T206 and has since completed it at 521(w/Magie)/524!!!!

We have been collecting together since we were kids and baseball cards have always been a big part of our adult lives - and now we share the same love of the hobby with our kids(my son 23, my nephew 30) by all going to shows together.

[conor912]

I don't own a single pre-war card that isn't part of a set or run. It's all about the challenge of completion for me. My brain can't wrap itself around collecting individual cards willy-nilly.

The one piece of advice I like to give is to buy the biggest card first. Then once you have all the HOFers, decide if you want to complete it with the commons. If the answer is yes, the rest will be pretty cheap to do, relatively. And if the answer is no, then selling HOFers is way easier and even potentially lucrative. It's temping to want to start with a big group of commons in order to feel accomplished right out of the gate, but it never ends well for your wallet.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by conor912

My brain can't wrap itself around collecting individual cards willy-nilly.

This made me laugh, it's exactly why a single baseball magazine supplement poster has turned into an obsession with completing the "set" and rewriting the catalog.

And how a vg 57 Koufax in a coin show around the corner from the Bayou in DC turned into a complete set about 12 years later.

Etc.

And we aren't alone.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I will complete 1956 Topps Baseball. That's 342 cards, including the two checklists.

Or 544 cards if you want to use the checklist I used...

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by BabyRuth

I was always a set builder but kind of abandoned those pursuits with the recent price increases. I always bought the big cards first and just went on my merry way. Now I pursue more oddball stuff that's still reasonably priced. I still love collecting, it's just that my focus is not on 5 figure cards. Luckily over the last 30 years, I was able to complete T201, T202, T205(no hoblitzel), W517,W553,W554, 33 Goudey(W/ Lajoie), 34 Goudey, 36 Goudey, 38 Goudey, 41 Goudey, 35 Schutter Johnson, 32 US Caramel, 33 Butter Cream, 33 Delong, 33 Eclipse Import, 28 Ruth Candy, 28 Fro Joy Ruth, 21 Schapira Ruth, 51 Connie Mack All Stars, 51 Connie Mack Book, 51 Current All Stars(Need Rizzuto).

My brother mainly focused on T206 and has since completed it at 521(w/Magie)/524!!!!

We have been collecting together since we were kids and baseball cards have always been a big part of our adult lives - and now we share the same love of the hobby with our kids(my son 23, my nephew 30) by all going to shows together.

Great work! I, too am a set collector. It just feels unfinished otherwise. Of course, also collect cool and great cards. But unfinished sets gnaw at me….hard to start a new one though with prices as they are. Was thinking 38 Goudey in lesser grades is doable. I certainly am ok with paying for current vintage, but cant find a Joe D that seems worth the prices (yet). Have to start with that….there arent too many large cards in that set, so i wouldnt be adverse to building from below (commons).

[darkhorse9]

I am a set collector only. Been at it since 1969. Right now I have finished every base Topps set 1951-2023 (except 1952 High numbers), every Bowman set 1948-1955 and every Fleer set 1963 - 1971

I'm running out of projects now as I've even completed every Hostess set, every Kellogg's set, just about every Topps insert set 1964 - 1970 and I'm close to every Post set.

My next pivot will have to be to pre war. I haven't decided which ones. I usually avoid those with too many extremely high dollar cards required (i.e. over $1,000). Still considering my options. Maybe 1934 Goudey, or Goudey 4-in-1

We'll see

[kmac32]

I am a subset collector. My main focus is prewar Cubs. I have collected a near complete collection of T205 Cubs front backs 149/ 151 and T207 Cubs front/ backs. Also started collecting Jacksonville Florida players.

[JollyElm]

Set collecting is so much a part of my DNA (but my genes have mutated into other things the last couple of years) that I still shudder whenever I see Steve Foucault's name, because my little self along with my brothers couldn't for the life of us find his frickin' card to finally complete our 1975 set.

[stlcardsfan]

I have Topps 1959-1992 complete sets. Good starter sets in 1956-1958. Spotty before that. I guess I got "set builder fatigue" after completing 1959. I really liked that set and wasn't as enamored with 1958 so I just sort of quit. Cost had something to do with it also, although this was well before 2020. Kids getting older and more costly factored in. But I did love building those sets. It was always about the thrill of the chase for me. I remember finding a big group of '67 high numbers from a local guy whose dad had collected them. Left his place with them sitting raw on the front seat of my car. Couldn't get them in the binder fast enough

[chiprop]

Best strip card set in the hobby!


5BF237DC-100F-4B8E-9A47-9144B023C804_1_201_a.jpg

[MR RAREBACK]

Not really a set builder but, wouldn't mind finishing the t206 brown hindu set.
Probably going to be a lifelong journey with prices going up

[Casey2296]

Not really a set builder, that being said, I did finish an E98 Master, 28/30 on my E94, and embarking on an E100. Sticking with 30 card E-sets seems a little less daunting than some of the larger sets to me.