Set building strategies

[Ronnie73]

I like to manually do the price tracking over using VCP only because you get a better idea of what cards come around more often and then figure out what commons are actually more difficult. Also, the more time you spend researching your set, the more enjoyable it is. If you had unlimited funds, you could just spend your time purchasing all the cards but if you buy one or two cards a week, your gonna need a way to enjoy the set without spending money till its time for the next purchase so research and learning helps pass the time. I personally don't have a preference on wether commons or key cards are bought first. My purchases are done in order of whatever good deals come first. By doing it this way, you get a good mix of commons, stars, and HOFers all at prices you can be happy with.

[Bridwell]

Collecting T206 helped me get comfortable with the idea of collecting a set that will never be complete, since I don't plan to ever buy a Wagner, Plank, or Doyle variation. The same is true of many sets. 2 or 3 rare cards can cost as much as the rest of the set! I'm comfortable with having a group of cards from a set, but I'm not obsessed with it being 100% complete. With that in mind, I start with cards I like that I can get for a reasonable price. Sometimes a group of 10-20 commons is a good way to start.