Thinking about switching direction ... good, bad, indifferent, waste of time?

[NiceDocter]

I think you will find most of the people on here are working on sets or collections over a period of many years and even for a lot of us many decades. If you are in a shorter time frame situation then maybe stick to smaller sets or buy almost complete sets initially and then fill in the blanks. When you try to get in and out unless it is done over a longer time period you usually lose money in the process. The only exception to this is if you find a great deal on a large lot ( such as dealers seek) and buy at a large discount. I’ve found that having a wide range of possible interests makes this more likely to happen on occasion! Good luck and enjoy the hobby! Rocky

[hcv123]

The way I see it there are 2 decisions to make:

Decision 1 - what to actively collect/pursue? The answer to that one seems super clear based on what you shared - stop collecting the 58's and start collecting the 57's.

Decision 2 - how best to turn 58's into 57's? Trading is harder as pointed out in previous posts, but possible - and as stated your best bet to get a closer 1 to 1 value - so put it out there while maintaining low expectations - you never know. If you are getting offers for stars at 30%-40% below comps, I would take a good look at the comps you are looking at and make sure you are comparing Apples to Apples. You could sell your 58's when you feel like you are being offered reasonable prices for them. I understand you are working within a budget, but the 58's I presume are just a part of that equation, so hopefully you can wait for the right deal be it trading or selling while working on the 57 set.

[skelly423]

I'll add my two cents to the conversation as well.

It sounds like you already know what you want to do, but you're hesitant to pull the trigger. Dump the 58s, and grab what you can from the 57s. I've wasted time building sets I don't love, and there's very satisfaction when you finish.

I can't dismiss cost entirely, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time dwelling on what you'll get in the sale of the 58s or what you pay for the 57s. It's not going to be a dollar-for-dollar exchange, but I figure if you're getting rid of cards you don't care for, and are bringing in cards you like, you're coming out ahead.

[Elberson]

As I set builder in the past. I was working on finishing the 67 set. Than COVID and the world stopped, everybody started collecting again, the prices going up, Seaver and Carew passing, has made me put the set on back burner for now. I just don’t know if I want to spend big bucks for the two key RC’S anymore. I would move to the 57’s and follow your passion, but keep the 58’s too and slowly finish it. You can’t go wrong with a 60 plus year old set just setting in the closet. You might need money again in the future and just having it finished will bring you mental happiness lol. Just think of ALL the things we waste money on, you’ll be happy you spent on it to finish

[53toppscollector]

* You should only really collect what you like. If it feels like a chore to put together the 1958 set, there is no rule that says you need to keep going.

* You should list your cards from the 1958 set here and give it a shot. There is no downside. When you've tried selling in the past, you may just not have had the right buyer looking at the board, or they might have missed your thread. It happens. If you don't have luck here, there are other avenues to move the cards.

Good luck. I got within a few cards of having a fully graded 53 Topps set in PSA 5+, and I just kind of lost the love for having the graded cards and obsessing over the PSA set registry. I sold everything off slowly, got my money back and then some, and used that money to start other projects.

[Bigdaddy]

I had no intention to build a '57 set (mostly because of cost), but got a good deal on about 2/3 of the set and ended up finishing it. One of my favorite sets now.

Like you though, I have no love for the 1958 set. Just dad gum ugly, if you ask me. I've got a few, but how many head shots with just a bold, solid color background can a man take??

My advice, sell the '58s on here (or FB) as you can. I doubt you'll find many traders. And then put those funds towards finishing the '57 set. The Dodgers' Sluggers card is a classic, maybe the best Topps card of the 1950s.

[wdwfan]

Thanks everyone for the advice.