Approaching The Monster - T206

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

As I breakdown my collection and the goals I have for it, I'm looking at starting the chase of The Monster - 520 T206 set. I'm looking for some input on my approach.

Acquisition Strategy
Target 50+/- cards per year, for 10 years. Create a spreadsheet with estimated expenses per card, and of the 50 cards per year, acquire about 37-38 commons, and 13-12 uncommons/HoFers/important cards. Thoughts?

Grade
Not too concerned about corners. I'm more focused on the surface. 1-2 will work for the commons. SGC 1-3 for the important cards/HoFers, as long as the 1 is under-graded. Sound about right for a budget?

Backs
I don't think the backs are too important to me. I'm just going to target the best price I can find for each card. For those of you who have attempted/completed this set, would you recommend targeting a certain back, or does completing this set with a budget negate the importance of the backs?

Storage
Breaking it down, I want to put the commons in a binder, and the uncommons/important/HoFers in slabs. Thoughts?

Marketplace
Where is the best, most trustworthy place to buy raw T206?


Are there any other factors I'm overlooking? Thank you in advance for any and all advice.

Kyle let me just say if you need a spreadsheet.... Look no further. I'd challenge anyone to come up with a better spreadsheet than I have. I've put an astronomic amount of work into the one I've created.

There's no set amount on what to get. Just start with cards that you like first. Browse listings if you see a card in a grade you like going for cheap get it while you can. Some cards/player fluctuate and become much more expensive throughout time. You can wind up wishing you got a card when you had the chance. Titus, Durham, Adkins, etc.

I got to 520 first without regard to back and have been upgrading/diversifying backs over the past year. I probably had about 50 of the rarer backs (PB, Sovereign, Overprint, Old Mill) when I completed the set and am now up to 125 or so.

This was my mentality going into it. I have for the most part disregarded backs. But obviously sometimes trying to get one when it's in range of a low price. The grade has effected the numerical grade of the card purchased but I wound up with an example of a back that I hadn't previously owned.

I've also made some minor upgrades along the way when, quite simply, the chance arose. Same instance I found that I was able to purchase a card that I already had in better condition cheaply. Then sold the lower grade of the two.