Sports Collectors Digest complete set ad from 1985 - What would you buy?

[brianp-beme]

I came across this mind-blowing ad from the April 11th, 1985 edition of the Sports Collector Digest from Lew Lipset, and I thought it would be fun to get input on what you would pick up, and why. I thought it would be fun to group the sets into 3 different categories based upon the cost shown in the ad:

$50 to $350
$400 to $900
$1000 to $7500

Here are my choices in each category:

$50 to $350: E96 for $250. My choice for this particular category is based on what would have appealed to me as a young buck collector back in 1985 that didn't have a whole lot of collecting money to spend. I would have liked the fact that I was getting 8 Hall of Famers, and the fact that it was only costing me $250. Now I might choose the E90-2 set to get a chance a top condition Wagner (and as a bonus the other 10 cards too).

$400 to $900: E95 for $450. A lot of great choices in this grouping, including the D322 Tip Top, the N28 Allen & Ginter, the T201 set, and some great postcard sets. I have always really liked the E95 set with all of its star power, and I still think this would be the set I would choose, both back then and now.

$1000 to $7500: T3 Turkey Red for $7500. I am really almost strictly a PreWar collector, so even though the 1952 Topps in the ad is quite a standout, I would lean, now as before, to obtaining such a beautiful group of cards that are the T3 set. If I were on a much lower budget in this category, I would probably select the Diamond Stars set, but then again the 1939 Play Ball beckons...


Definitely the ad shows how the respective eras and types of card were regarded at the time, with the 1930's Gum card sets being relatively the most expensive, and the 1910 E-card sets getting little respect.

The one set that sticks out in my mind as being overpriced, looking back at it now, is the 1936 Goudeys at $400...seems like today it would not be that much more money to snag a similar set.

Would love to hear other's dreamy thoughts.

Brian

[rjackson44]

Hi brian everything

[jayshum]

I'm not sure yet about the lower price ranges, but for the highest range you listed, I would have to go for the 1952 Topps set. While I agree the T3 set is one of the most beautiful sets there is, if the 1952 Topps set really has an EX-MT Mantle, Robinson and Campanella along with half the high numbers, the current value of that set would dwarf any of the others listed. The T3 set has a VG Cobb and more than half the set is G-VG including many with pinholes so it would be worth nowhere near what the 52 Topps set would be (especially the Mantle these days).

[jingram058]

The 1952 Topps with EX-MT Mantle would blow everything else so far into the woods you would have to go looking with a tractor.

[robertsmithnocure]

Originally Posted by jingram058

The 1952 Topps with EX-MT Mantle would blow everything else so far into the woods you would have to go looking with a tractor.

On a total $ amount yes, but on a % basis, the E90-2 American Caramel set with an EX-MT Wagner might be worth 100X the listed price of $225.

The Wolverine and Sepia postcard sets are both probably worth 50X their listed prices of $700 and $1,750.