My 1974 Topps Approach

[sfmays24]

Dan,

I'm doing the same the thing with the same run, 1973-1979 and working on 1977 now.

Let me know if you need any 1979 cards (I have an 800 count box) and have any extra 1977s?

Mike

[Harliduck]

I actually did the exact same thing as you for my 1975's...

My 73 on up are all NM, 76 and up I bought whole from vending lots and 73 & 74 I built from NM. I have tons of cards in those years from my youth...my 78-80 sets I actually have two...the ones I bought mint and my childhood sets that I have kept...and they were well loved.

My 75 cards I had as a kid were VG at best, some better, some worse...and I had about 2/3rds of the set. I decided to build from there picking up first what I needed, and upgrading on occasion. The set quickly came together as all I needed were mostly commons. Grabbing 20 or 30 here and there from shows etc and the set really became a long term deal. I started this about 7 years or so ago, and just last week I picked up 10 cards as upgrades. Now every once in a while I'll grab the set in the evenings...crack a beer...and just go through the binder looking for upgrades. Getting harder and harder and I'd say I'm about 97% NM with lots of VG doubles...had a lot of fun doing that. I remember at the time I could have bought a NM set for about $300 (much more now) and I am sure I have spent more with this approach, but I made that decision to "build" and I appreciate this set that much more...

Good luck!

[egri]

I haven't tried the building a whole set in low grade, but I have found as a rule that I have a lot more fun collecting low grade cards than high grade. Aside from being cheaper, I don't have to worry about things like accidentally dinging a corner, because someone else did that for me way back when.

[G1911]

This is how I do all my sets - no attention paid to condition, not a graded card in sight. Anything slabbed gets cracked out upon acquisition, and 95% of my cards are not even kept sleeved at all, just loose in boxes. It's more fun this way, and when every corner is dinged there's not much point in penny sleeves and top loaders.

[steve B]

Sort of how I did mine, late 73 and 74 were my first years buying any good number of packs. Had 74-76 mostly complete and just never really stopped. I also didn't put much effort into finding the missing ones in 77-8 once I moved to a place with a card store.

So I didn't finish the 74 set until sometime in the late 90's,

Still not done with 75, or 75 mini
Something like 9 or 11 cards from 76.

77-83 I completed.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

It's only January 24, but this could be the thread of the year! I am starting down this very road. I used to fret about condition of all my cards and then one day it hit me that it really doesn't matter all that much. Outside of a friend or two, no one but me sees my cards and binder sets anyway. This is supposed to be about FUN and not stress and worry about what someone else may think about the condition of my cards. I am working my way through '73 (my birth year). So far, most cards are vgex ish, and that is probably better than what I even intended. I plan on moving through '73-'75 in like fashion. I already have '76 so I may move on to the later 70s after that. Good memories and low cost!

[Tere1071]

I need the 73 and 74 sets to fill the gap in my span of collecting from the packs 1970-1975. I am looking at vg-ex sets for those years. I am working a deal to finish my 70 set which will range from vg-ex to ex-mint first. If anyone is looking for mid-grade 1971 and 1972 cards which include quite a few semi-high and high numbers, I have quite a few that I'd like to offer for trade towards either the 73s or 74s.

Phil aka Tere1071

[thechefs2003]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

It's only January 24, but this could be the thread of the year! I am starting down this very road. I used to fret about condition of all my cards and then one day it hit me that it really doesn't matter all that much. Outside of a friend or two, no one but me sees my cards and binder sets anyway. This is supposed to be about FUN and not stress and worry about what someone else may think about the condition of my cards. I am working my way through '73 (my birth year). So far, most cards are vgex ish, and that is probably better than what I even intended. I plan on moving through '73-'75 in like fashion. I already have '76 so I may move on to the later 70s after that. Good memories and low cost!

Exactly how I feel! It's a fun hobby for me, not a business.