Help me Pick my next set

[skelly423]

I posted this in the post-war forum, but would appreciate some pre war options to consider as well. I am one of those collectors who needs to always have a set in progress. I just finished my 1950 Bowman set, and am having trouble figuring out what I should target next. I have a few ground rules I try to follow when building a set:

1. In need to be able to get every card in the set. If there's a huge stopper (1949 Leaf Paige, 1933 Goudey Lajoie, 1952 Topps Mantle), I don't want the sent. My collector OCD won't allow me to have holes in my set.


2. I like all of my cards to be in similar condition. I don't mind spending a significant portion of my budget on a single card, as long as I can keep the grades consitent. A set of NM-MT cards with the key card in VG would bother me.

3. I want a set where most of the cards are readily available. I like to build a set in 6-12 months. If there are cards in the set that are only seen once every few years, I don't have the patience to wait.

4. Set size doesn't matter much - I'm equally happy with a tough set of 16 cards as I am with a set of 300 cards.

5. The card images need to actually resemble the players. Early 20th century caramel cards and strip cards bother me.

6. Budget matters. I am looking for something with an overall cost somewhere in the $10k-$15k range. As much as I'd like a 1933 Goudey or t206 set, that's not realistic.

Thanks in advance for your input.