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Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

'53 Topps set complete
'65 Topps about 60% complete
'54 Topps--I have the 3 big rookies, both Williams cards, and 32 commons.

I have other star cards from other sets that I think I might build around someday. However, I am getting a little bummed. I really love the idea of set building. In a sense, set building works for me because it allows me to spend a little here and there and not overspend in the short term and stay in budget. But, I know that over the long haul I am spending way more on commons and sets than they will ever be worth almost no matter how I go about it. I am not doing any of this for anything other than collecting fun, but my collecting pendulum is swinging back to just picking up selected cards from the sets that I find visually appealing. If I go this route, I can pick up a nice mid-grade or better star card/rookie every so often and probably eventually acquire most of the cards from the '50s and '60s that I want. It's just that when I am paying off one of the big cards over the course of a couple of months, I get to wanting to buy a little something. This leads me back to commons and the cycle starts all over again!

Can any of you guys who collect on a budget relate to this? If so, how do you handle it? Thanks.

I think the best approach is to just go for lower grade sets. You can still buy the nicer stars or the nicer cards that appeal to you if you please....but a card is a card is a card...who cares if your Arnie Portacarrero is in mint condition
Spend far less by not worrying about the tiny differences of a dinged corner or crease.
If you are not chasing NR Mint Art Mahaffey or Lou Klimchock for 10x the price of a well loved common, your budget will go much farther

Same with the stars...you either have a 1954 Willie Mays or you don't....the price between fair/good and NR mint is ridiculous if you are mainly interested in filling the set