Most Rewarding Way To Complete a Set?

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Posted By: Mike

What is the most rewarding way of completing a vintage set?

A) Acquire as many commons as possible with your current funds so you can see immediate progress (ex. 25% complete after a few months), only to add the more expensive cards very slowly later on.

B) Acquire a few big-ticket cards early on. You are able to enjoy looking at the Cobbs and Matty's right away, but then you look at the progress of your set (say 5% after a few months) and sometimes get discouraged.

C) Buy commons early on, then start purchasing the bigger names somewhere in the middle to renew your enthusiasm to finish the set.

I'm sure this topic isn't nearly as interesting as finding out who posted what using a certain AOL IP address, but I'm very curious because I lost interest in a set after trying option "A" and have recently started another set trying option "B". So far, "B" is winning.

Mike

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Posted By: Ed

Grab the big dogs early. Then have fun with the commons. That said, anyone have a Ramly Big Train for a really cheap price so I can start my T204s?

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Posted By: JK

You forgot one:

(d) Buy a complete set in a major auction.

I actually prefer (b). Im not typically a set collector (because I dont like buying commons) but I did complete the E93 set - I did so after picking up the Wagner and a couple of other HOFers. I actually enjoyed building the set but have found it difficult to begin any others due to my bias against spending on the commons.

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Posted By: Jim Clarke

If I were a set collector I would buy an under-valued set from an auction/Ebay and then fill in the holes. I always need to have good value in my eyes when I buy things and putting a set together card by card is not good value.

JC

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Posted By: Anthony

I'll take C.
I like getting a few commons to see if I really like the set, and at what condition level I want to complete it in. This way if I change my mind I don't waste as much money.
Nothing worse than completing a set and then deciding you really want a nicer version, and have to go thru and upgrade.

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Posted By: Josh Adams

I say buy the higher priced cards in the set first. The HOFers will always go up in price. Buy them early and save some bucks. Commons don't really tend to appreciate that much, do they?

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

I don't know if it's the most rewarding way, but I am inclined to go after the big name/high priced/scarcest cards first as it saves some financial eyebrow raising later on. I am taking this approach with T206. Once I decided I would do the set minus the big six (shouldn't we just shorthand it on this forum, i.e. T206-6 ?)I next bought an Elberfeld Washington portrait, Arch Persons, then Lundgren Chicago followed by the Smith Chicago & Boston card. Basically knocked off the four scarcest after the big 6. On to the Southern Leaguers!

Dave

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Posted By: peter chao

I normally go with Option B when I can afford to. Going for the most expensive cards first makes a lot of sense because you may not be able to afford them later.

However, if you're not sure that you can afford the big name cards now, then it's probably better to buy some commons first to see if you really like the set.

Peter

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Posted By: Bob

It's been my experience when completing tougher sets to try and get the hard cards whenever they appear, in any decent grade. You can always upgrade later. I think with the difficult sets that you are making a big mistake not to jump on "commons" when you can, even at first, because they may not appear again.

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Posted By: Chad

With one set I started with the tough cards and am working through the commons. With the other, much more difficult set, I'm starting with the commons and hoping I make enough money one day to get the tough cards. So, yeah, I'm buying a lot of "commons" right now. (Actually, I love all the cards in both sets so I don't mind scooping up the commons.)

--Chad

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Posted By: peter chao

Chad, what's your favorite card set with Negro Leaguers.

Peter

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Posted By: Chad

That's one of my favorite sets period, along with the Old Judges and the '53 Bowman color set (Though I only collect the Billikens right now). Really, I love all the Cuban sets from the 20's and the Victoria set from the early 50's. The Toleteros are great, too, but more for who's in the set than the cards themselves. For me, the photographic cards from the 20's are tops, especially if the image is crisp. (Come on Matt, show 'em what I mean. I know you're out there!)

--Chad

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

At the risk of being "lambasted" again, as I recommended this on a prior Thread....acquire large
lots. It's the most practical, and in the long run, less expensive way to start large sets of 200-
600 cards.

The star cards are always available, it is the commons, or minor stars, that will make or break
your persistence in completing a set. Take for example a common T206 in Ex condition, not too
long ago it was a $50 (or less card)....now they are going for $100 - $200 each. That's comes
to an awful lot of $$$$$ to complete this set.

I've seen so many collectors give up on completing a set....such as a T206....simply because
they become discouraged in not being able to find the tougher commons. This problem is more
prevalent, nowadays, as collectors lack the patience of ones a decade, or two ago.

TED Z

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Posted By: Jason L

I am assembling the T206 Cubs (my first real foray into pre-war), and I chose to go for route A...I have a little more than a dozen commons...the pace has been acceptable, but I do have a certain emotional emptiness that can only be filled by a HOFer.

So I think I may change to a hybrid of your A and B
which is to say

Steps:
1) Buy 1 common and 1 HOFer,
2) rinse
3) repeat

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Posted By: peter chao

Actually, I'm reconsidering Ted's strategy, in a way it makes sense.

If you were going to put a baseball card in between the spokes of your bicycle wheels, wouldn't you put a common card there before you put your Mickey Mantle there.

If you had to throw out a bunch of cards for a war paper drive, wouldn't you throw out your commons first and then perhaps hide that '33 Goudey Babe Ruth.

If the above is true, then there are a lot more well-preserved star cards out there than commons.

Peter

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Posted By: Ray Piskadlo

I say "C"... especially if you are new to vintage cards. You learn what a real card looks and feels like.

I started collecting T206 cards in August, 2003. I set myself to a monthly budget. Some months I collect commons, other months I decide to get a HOF. Whatever my mood dictates, I'm open to either option. I'm up to over 200 cards... including all three Matty's, a Cy, a Johnson, 2 Cobbs, and a Lenox, CB, and a Broadleaf back. With any set, patience is key!!!

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Posted By: Brian McQueen

Mike,

Good question. I prefer being able to acquire a group of the cards in the set I’m thinking about going after right at the start. This gives me a good start on the set and is more preferable in my opinion as opposed to trying to start acquiring cards one at a time on Ebay, etc...

I collect a good deal of PCL sets so trying to find HOFers isn’t usually necessary with these. Sometimes I let what’s currently available in the marketplace determine what I go after. If there’s a lot of 25 1910 Obaks available that I can buy to get myself started, I might go ahead and decide to work on that set even if I hadn’t considered it previously.

Many sets that you will come across have one or two cards in them that, for whatever reason, are harder to find than the others. If I stumble into one of those and am faced with a situation where I’ve just knocked off the scarcest card in a given set, I may end up trying to complete the entire thing knowing that the hardest card is already out of the way. This may not necessarily be the most valuable card in the set either just one that is a known "thorn" in the sides of those that collect that particular issue.

Hope that makes sense,
Brian