Best set for a new set builder

[Griffins]

I'd vote for a smallish set, to make it easier and not get bogged down. Pick and era you like, or players you identify with, and start plugging away. The nice thing about a small set as opposed to a larger one is that you can complete it and jump to the next era, giving yourself a wide range of represented players over time
Pre WW1
T201- 50 cards, Cobb and Matty, overlooked and somewhat undervalued
E95 and E95- small sets, lots of color, good player selection

20's
'21 or '22 Exhibits- reasonable cost, fairly attainable, all the stars of the day- Ruth, Cobb, Johnson, etc

'30's
'34 Goudey -96 cards, good player selection, but not Ruth. The high numbers are not as tough as they are supposed to be, IMO
'34-'36 Diamond Stars - 106 cards, or 96 if you stay away from the high numbers, which are repeats of the lower 96 and tough to find. No Ruth or Gehrig, but a strong selection of players, great design, and the thick cardboard stock makes them more presentable when well worn

'40's
'41 Playball. 72 cards, great design, all the stars of the day. Dimaggio, Williams, Greenberg, etc

'50's

'53 Bowman. Best design of the post war era, IMO. 160 cards flawlessly produced with just good, clean photography. Mantle, Feller, Spahn. Downside is no Ted Williams or Jackie Robinson.

'54 Red Heart - 33 cards, good player selection (Mantle, Musial, Snider) but no Robinson or Williams. Very attainable

'56 Topps- 342 cards (354 if you add the team variations), but the first year there were no conflicts between Topps and Bowman so you've got everyone except Musial. A bunch of variations make it interesting.

'60's

'63 Fleer- 67 cards, most major stars, just two tricky shortprints, Adcock and the checklist, but those aren't as tough as you'd think.

'64 Topps Giants 60 cards, every star of the era, easy to find.

[B O'Brien]

Not to hijack a thread, but what kind of cash do you think it would take to do the E95's in G-VG raw or graded, don't really care.

I know I am a T206 addict, but it would be nice to at least think about something else, even though I am 90% I would ever do it.

Good luck on your summer project, it sounds a lot more fun than any of mine!
Bob

[Robextend]

I agree with the 1934 Goudey set...I think that would be a great start.

[Easy506]

I think the 1941 PlayBall set would be a great set to start with. It has some classic cards but most are very reasonable. The low number of cards is important too as you would be less likely to burn out midway through.

[fkw]

Best Budget Set of All Time!
1931 W517
2/3rds of the cards are Hall of Famers! (including variations, 40)
A set of 60 can be built for about $2-$3K in VG fairly easy.

A few number/team variations, and many color variations too.



It was my first vintage set I worked on when I was a kid. Still like em

[JP]

1956 Topps. Great looking cards, lots of variety, VERY accessible. Probably my favorite post-war set....

[dstraate]

Wow guys, great stuff with all this info I may be a bit more overwhelmed than yesterday.

I printed the thread and will keep these in mind moving forward

Thanks a ton

[Griffins]

you might consider buying a low grade example of any set you're considering going after. Nothing worse than starting a set and then realizing you just don't have any sort of connection to it.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Originally Posted by B O'Brien

Not to hijack a thread, but what kind of cash do you think it would take to do the E95's in G-VG raw or graded, don't really care.

I know I am a T206 addict, but it would be nice to at least think about something else, even though I am 90% I would ever do it.

Good luck on your summer project, it sounds a lot more fun than any of mine!
Bob

21 of the 25 E95 in really decent shape just sold for 4000.00 in rea and it included a nice Cobb and Wagner I think they were really nice 2 grade. I wish I could've got them but then again always fun to build a set card by card over several years, I am slowy working on the E95 and up to six cards, my goal is to finish it over the next 10 years, maybe less or longer. After picking up a couple nice E93 from Brian I might start working on that set as well it is so nice and compliments the E95 so well would be a really fun project.
I agree the 34 set is awesome to build I put one together over 10 years with about a total of a 4 year break inbetween.

[bbcard1]

The 1934 Diamond Stars are interesting, have lots of stars and would be one that would be interesting and does not seem too bad on costs. Very pretty cards.

[canjond]

I did an E95 set in all 2/3's (Cobb a 30, Wagner a strong 20, and Plank a 40) for about $4000-4500.

[smtjoy]

Super list Anthony, I think all of those are all right on.

I am a big exhibit guy so you cant go wrong with the 1921 exhibit set and if on a lower budget the 1922 set.

[B O'Brien]

Thanks for the replies on the E95.

I might also say the 1933 Delong set would be at the top of my list, but that is just because I love the look of the cards, super cool! I have never owned one, but really like looking at them. I like the write ups and info on the backs too.

Bob

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by Griffins

'56 Topps- 342 cards (354 if you add the team variations), but the first year there were no conflicts between Topps and Bowman so you've got everyone except Musial. A bunch of variations make it interesting.

agreed, plus they are gorgeous cards and under appreciated.