Set Collectors - Report in your progress!

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Whenever I start to build a set, I have always tried to get the big ones first ...

Robert provides a good lead-in here.

Hi guys. I haven't ever posted much in set builder threads, because historically - since about age 11 or 12 anyway when I first got into old cards - I have been mostly about the stars and HOF'ers - basically a singles collector.

However as time has gone by, I've realized as I get older (I'm about to turn 44...) that it would really be a shame not to put together at least one vintage set that I like. That's what led me to choose 1972 last year - the set is older than I am, but by far my favorite of the 1970's. I just love how the psychedelic design seems to represent the era so well. And, as Robert pointed out - I'm kind of taking the tactic of getting the big cards first so as to give myself a downhill run in terms of difficulty. I already had the Nolan Ryan and a few other cards in '72, so here and there have been buying common lots. I'm not far enough in to be organized enough to have an exact count yet, but I'm guessing I'm somewhere at 150/787 on this, the original postwar "monster".

'72 really should be enough for someone who is notoriously bad at organizing things, but if you will checkout my avatar - you will see my latest prized possession. You know where that thought leads: "If you have the '67 Seaver, why wouldn't you go after the rest of the set?" This may be insane, but a few weeks ago I decided I was going to chase '67 as well. In some self-destructive way, I like the idea that the set is more difficult because of those high numbers. Anyway, with '67 I'm just getting started, but in addition to the Seaver I have maybe 25 VG range commons, and some of the bigger names on the way.

Condition - I'm not going to be any kind of snob with '67, since the high numbers themselves there can act as expensive star cards if you go for everything in EX-MT or anything like that. So on the whole there I think I want a VG range set, with the stars EX or better if I can swing that. '72 I started nicer - my stars on average are probably EX-MT or better, so I'm going to try to do the commons average in EX - assuming this market bubble we are living through right now does not extend it's insanity to 1970's cards.

Thoughts? Honestly I'm here mainly for encouragement. I can't tell you how many times over the past 25 years or so even as an adult collector - I've started and then quickly abandoned the idea of doing a vintage set. I really just feel like the time is right - and if I don't get moving on this idea now, it will probably never happen.

Thanks!

As Leon would say, every thread needs some pictures: