Post your Experience - Built a set, sold it, trying to rebuild

[conor912]

I think it's important to really think about what you miss. Is it owning the set, or building it. As with anything in life you do for a second time, it would be tragic not to apply what you learned the first time around. Assuming you go at it with the same gusto, you already know exactly what it will cost you in time and money. Is going through that again where the fun lies for you, or does it seem tedious? If the latter then maybe just buy a complete set, upgrade a few, and call it good.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by conor912

I think it's important to really think about what you miss. Is it owning the set, or building it. As with anything in life you do for a second time, it would be tragic not to apply what you learned the first time around. Assuming you go at it with the same gusto, you already know exactly what it will cost you in time and money. Is going through that again where the fun lies for you, or does it seem tedious? If the latter then maybe just buy a complete set, upgrade a few, and call it good.

Good synopsis. For a lot of us the hunting is a lot, or most, of the fun. Once I sold my type card collection I wanted to still collect. So what did I do, start a T205 set sprinkled in with type cards. My guess is that over time the type cards win out.

[Exhibitman]

I've built and sold off the 1954 Topps set two times over the last 40 years. It was always my favorite 'Golden Age' Topps set. The first set was raw and assembled mostly from a few large auction lots and local shows. My #1 Williams came from Goody Goldfadden's store here in LA. I sold that one around 1987, piecemeal. The second set was mostly PSA graded and mostly 6-7. It came from card shows and was mostly self-submitted to PSA. I would sell off the 8-9 cards I got and buy slightly lesser cards with the proceeds. That set got liquidated around ten years ago. Since then I've been rebuilding with decent looking vg-ish cards, with a few better and a few signed, plus a few I still had from prior sets.

My main takeaway from the experience is that if you love the set and want to own it, you eventually end up with a set that is a sweet spot combo of cost and aesthetics, so you may as well decide what you are comfortable with and go there first. For me, I wanted a 1954 collection with decent looking cards that didn't have too much money tied up in them. They're just such beautiful cards

[Ronnie73]

One thing I have finally learned, which took me nearly 35 years is I enjoy the hunt and build of the set. I lose interest when I near completion and usually end up selling it because I'm bored with it. So I decided to collect all Front/Back T206 combo's. There's no chance of getting near completion or getting bored with it. I've never built a set twice if I sold the first one because I remember that I didn't enjoy the first one when it was complete. I do have complete sets of cards and don't even look at them. I spend much more time looking at cards from a set I'm working on. I have 4 complete 1973 Topps sets and one sits in a binder and the other 3 are in 660 count boxes and I don't look at them. Maybe I'll build a set number 5 just because I enjoy the hunt for single cards at card shows. It reminds me of the 1980's and having fun checking cards off of a need list.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Ronnie73

One thing I have finally learned, which took me nearly 35 years is I enjoy the hunt and build of the set. I lose interest when I near completion and usually end up selling it because I'm bored with it. So I decided to collect all Front/Back T206 combo's. There's no chance of getting near completion or getting bored with it. I've never built a set twice if I sold the first one because I remember that I didn't enjoy the first one when it was complete. I do have complete sets of cards and don't even look at them. I spend much more time looking at cards from a set I'm working on. I have 4 complete 1973 Topps sets and one sits in a binder and the other 3 are in 660 count boxes and I don't look at them. Maybe I'll build a set number 5 just because I enjoy the hunt for single cards at card shows. It reminds me of the 1980's and having fun checking cards off of a need list.

As often is said, the hunt is a lot of the fun for a lot of collectors. I think the hunt is probably why I stay with type cards. It is somewhat limitless. And then there is the collecting of cards we just like, which is a category I think a lot of us fall into also.

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've built and sold off the 1954 Topps set two times over the last 40 years. It was always my favorite 'Golden Age' Topps set. The first set was raw and assembled mostly from a few large auction lots and local shows. My #1 Williams came from Goody Goldfadden's store here in LA. I sold that one around 1987, piecemeal. The second set was mostly PSA graded and mostly 6-7. It came from card shows and was mostly self-submitted to PSA. I would sell off the 8-9 cards I got and buy slightly lesser cards with the proceeds. That set got liquidated around ten years ago. Since then I've been rebuilding with decent looking vg-ish cards, with a few better and a few signed, plus a few I still had from prior sets.

My main takeaway from the experience is that if you love the set and want to own it, you eventually end up with a set that is a sweet spot combo of cost and aesthetics, so you may as well decide what you are comfortable with and go there first. For me, I wanted a 1954 collection with decent looking cards that didn't have too much money tied up in them. They're just such beautiful cards

I have forgotten how beautiful that '54 Topps set is. Thank you for posting it!!

[steve B]

I had a 48 Bowman set I'd put together. Not in decent shape, mostly beaters. Berra had a yellow jersey, Musial had a nice peel on the front. A couple cards were worn round as well as being waxed for flipping.

Sold it to help pay for a ski trip. I started again a few years later, but trying for nicer cards. I got to a bit over 1/4 of the way and it just sort of stalled. Money, too many other projects etc. Someday....