How much do different "common" backs matter?

[phikappapsi]

first off; WELCOME.

now; not that I'd ever intentionally point anyone away from collecting the monster; but let me attempt to point you away from collecting the monster (for now).

Being new to vintage can be really exciting; and you see so much about t206 you naturally desire to be where the "action" is. However; that set is truly a behemoth, ultra convoluted, complicated, and ceaselessly annoying (sometimes in a great way, but also in the less fun way).

I think a lot of new vintage collectors dive headlong into the monster, really excited about it, and then get really overwhelmed very quickly, and eventually lose interest.

There are a ton of really amazing and more attainable vintage sets out there. I'd gently recommend biting off something a little easier to chew for your first vintage meal. and really get used to the era, before taking on something that can quite literally be a lifetime endeavor to never finish

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by phikappapsi

first off; WELCOME.

now; not that I'd ever intentionally point anyone away from collecting the monster; but let me attempt to point you away from collecting the monster (for now).

Being new to vintage can be really exciting; and you see so much about t206 you naturally desire to be where the "action" is. However; that set is truly a behemoth, ultra convoluted, complicated, and ceaselessly annoying (sometimes in a great way, but also in the less fun way).

I think a lot of new vintage collectors dive headlong into the monster, really excited about it, and then get really overwhelmed very quickly, and eventually lose interest.

There are a ton of really amazing and more attainable vintage sets out there. I'd gently recommend biting off something a little easier to chew for your first vintage meal. and really get used to the era, before taking on something that can quite literally be a lifetime endeavor to never finish

For the most part I agree with Joe.

The great thing about T206s is if you do start the set and then decide you don't really like it you are OK. I have started collecting it 3 different times, then decided I was bored with it. There is enough demand for the set that unless you highly overpaid you can easily and quickly sell them and not lose a penny.

[Farm_kid]

My first 3 T206 were common raw cards. Probably paid too much because I didn't know what they should be worth. But those three got me interested, if not hooked. After that, I figured out I didn't know much about these cards so I only bought graded cards. PSA 2s. Now after 10 years and 200 graded cards, do I actually go for raw cards (commons only)

The backs are cool and all, but not as interesting to me as much. Other people absolutely go crazy for the variety of backs.

[Ronnie73]

Welcome to the T206 Monster. Knowledge is key when it comes to this set. So educate yourself as much as you can. Learning about the set over time turns into research which is just as exciting as collecting the set. I wouldn't be concerned with T206's being your first dive into vintage. T206's were my first set and it continues strong for nearly 10 years now. Just make sure you want to collect it for the right reason. If it's because so many others collect it, then that's probably the wrong reason. The nice thing about the T206 set is you don't have to collect the complete set to be a collector of T206's. You can collect just a team set or just one type of card back or even a run of all the backs available with the same player front. There's really no wrong way to do it. I sometimes recommend collecting the Polar Bear backs. There's 250 different. Once complete, your nearly half way to a 520 card set. As others have said, if you make smart purchases, you will likely break even or better if you lose interest and decide to sell. There's no wrong way to do it. Just educate yourself, ask a lot of questions, and take your time. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon with this type of set.