Set building experiences

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Posted By: Ben 

Due to my relatively young age and meager budget, I've never even come close to completing a pre-war set. Instead, I've collected in a somewhat scattered manner, picking up a card here and there that appealed to me at the time. However, I am entertaining the idea of starting a set in the near future, and would be interested in hearing from the more experienced collectors about their set building endeavors.

I thought it would be interesting to see what sets everyone is working on, and what sets people have managed to complete in their lifetimes. Also, feel free in your response to share any general remarks, impressions, or frustrations you had regarding a particular set when putting it together.

How long did it take you? Were the cards readily available? Was it affordable compared to other vintage sets you've worked on?

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Posted By: leon

Depending on your "wants" you might consider type collecting. It is very open and exposes you to a vast array of cards. best regards

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Posted By: Keith O'Leary

Ben,

I've collected the 19th century "Champions" sets for 10 - 15 years or so now (Allen & Ginter, Goodwin, Kimball). Not entirely baseball, but all sports cards and many luminaries of the times (John L Sullivan, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, etc.). Out of them all (N28, N29, N43, N162, N184), I find the cards in the N28 set to be the most readily available and there are 10 baseball cards included in the 50 (Anson, King Kelly, Comiskey, Ward). I highly recommend this set.

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Posted By: Scott M

Ben,

Usually I look for a group of cards from a set that I can purchase at one time for a reasonable cost. Thats how I begin and then its a matter of hunting down the rest. If money is the primary constraint then research sets that don't contain Cobb or Wagner. There are several early sets that don't have one or both of them and that would remove a large chunk of money from the search. A currently not too popular set is E91's - and with patience and work you can pick up some nice g-vg commons for $10-15/card to get yourself started. Good luck.

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Posted By: mrc32

I have spent the last 3 years or so working on a 1954 Topps set. I myself started out with a small budget, but over the years as I have made more I have been able to spend more.

I agree that the key is finding a good starter lot someplace(probably on ebay). That is how I started my 1954 topps set. I enjoyed the design very much, I had a 3 or 4 of the stars already and found a wonderful group of commons for a couple hundred bucks. Bang- I was off. I have also started a 1960 and 1970 topps sets.

But I've decided to put the 60 and 70 sets on the shelf for a while as I persue T-205s. These are MUCH more expensive, but I think more enjoyable. I have never been in this hobby to make money, but for the enjoyment. But I must say that it is much easier spending bigger money on cards that will hold thier value or even gain it over time like the T-205s.

So my suggestion, is pick something that is pleasing to both your eye and your wallet. Then look for a good starter lot and plunk down your money. Just be patient on the lots. Always look for quality!

Good luck and let us know what you decide...and early 20th century set or something in the 50s....

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Posted By: TBob

You are a lot younger than I am so you should have a lot more of it (patience)
If you build a vintage card set (I have built a T206 and T207 and E93, 94 and E98 in the last 2 years) you need to search ebay and check out auctions which offer multi-card lots such as Lipset, Mastro, Smolin, Lelands, etc. Not to be ignored is the great group of guys and gals on this board who have helped me with my sets. I am indebted to guys who helped me with my want lists and even took the time to find cards for me at great prices.
I can not overemphasize 2 things: on cards which are very, very tough, grab what you can when you can, you can always upgrade later. On cards which are more plentiful and commonly sold, lay off cards in lesser condition than you desire and wait for the right one. I let umpteen T206 Cobb bat off shoulders go by on ebay until I fund the right one at the right price.
Good luck and I hope your pocketbook is deep if you want to go after the big sets or the rare ones.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I mostly collect stars from sets (I can't stand buying commons), with one big exception: Exhibit cards. I have been working on the 1920's baseball and boxing sets for a long time.

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Posted By: Ben

But set building gives a focus or purpose to one's collecting, something I feel I've lacked in the past. Type collecting is just so open ended, that in the end I feel kind of unsatisfied.

So I'm considering the e92 set, and plan to consider all brands (Dockman, Crofts Candy/Cocoa, and Nadja) as part of one set. Chances are I'll end up with mostly Dockmans, but the odd Crofts or Nadja would be nice as well. I think its a great looking set, although there is a Cobb, and 2 Wagners! And I already have several including the Matty (my fav card).

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Posted By: petecld

Ben,

I am a set collector and completing a set is a great feeling but like Tbob said patience is a MUST. It's taken me years to complete some sets.

If budget is an issue I'd stay with the type collecting. To complete any set you'll run into the Cobbs, Wagners, Ruths, Gehrigs, Mattys, etc. in just about any pre-war set so no set will be completed cheaply.

For a beginning set collector, I suggest E95.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Caramel cards are the way to go. Most sets are small and fairly easy to complete. It's just forking over the money for Cobb and/or Wagner that can slow things down. An inexpensive and easy tobacco set to put together is the t201 set. The Dougherty/Lord card is no longer as tough as it used to be and the Cobb/Crawford is the big ticket item, but cheaper than any other Cobb tobacco card. At one time, Owned 3 complete sets so I could display one set open, one set folded and set with stat back between them.

If you want true punishment, ty and complete a t208 set :-p

Jay

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Posted By: hench1

Ben, you are in for a lot of fun-really a prolonged Easter egg hunt for adults. I just completed a master set (every variation and every back) PSA graded of T205s. It took me 12 years. However, keep in mind that that includes a couple of extremely difficult backs (Drum and Hindu) and the very rare Hoblitzell no stats card. You can complete the vast majority of the set in a much shorter period of time. Especially since ebay has lots of gold borders listed now as compared to a few years ago.

I agree with TBob that you should grab the tough variations as soon as you can (I passed on a Drum back and didn't even see another one for over 2 years).

If you are collecting T cards, learn their measurements to check for trimming, get a halogen lamp to check for recoloring and try to deal with reputable, established collectors and dealers. Beware of some well known dealers who are above selling altered vintage cards. You can probably learn who they are from the board members here.

Good luck and happy hunting!

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Posted By: Glen V

If you can put up with strip cards, there's only 26 cards in the W513 set and no major stars.

For cheaper and smaller, collect the 4 baseball players on the '37 Dixie Lids.