Most Effective Method for Vintage Set Builders

I am new to the forum and would like to solicit experiences of vintage set builders as the pertain to the most effective means of completing/collecting complete sets.


I started my vintage set collecting endeavors by purchasing a complete 1968 set ($1200) that would probably grade in the VGEX-EX range with a few EXMTs and Gs scattered throughout. My preference is to have my sets in EXMT with stars in NMT if not to expensive. I can tolerate a few EX+ mixed in the set for "non-important" cards. As a result, I spent a considerable amount of time upgrading and may have erased all initial savings. I am not certain of my total spend on the set.


As part of an experiment, I decided to complete my next two sets (1965 and 1966) by acquiring all cards along the way with the hopes of not having to "upgrade".


The 1965 set went smoothly and finished with a total spend of $2797 for a set in EXMT or better with all stars at EXMT or better.


The 1966 set has been another experience all together. I am currently sitting at a spend of $3229 with two cards remaining that will likely add at least another $150. There is no doubt that I failed to consider the cost of the high # and SPs in 1966.


Data conducted during my experiment has proven "inconclusive".


My question to the readers is: do you believe it is most efficient to purchase a complete set or assemble the set from scratch? I am considering a jump to 1967 or 1964 next.

[swarmee]

Buy the complete set.

[cesarcap]

Having done both (buying complete and lot by lot/card by card), buying complete sets is easier and cheaper. Not as fun however. Also, I've offset some of the upgrades costs by selling cards or trading.

BTW, I have extra 67's and would be interested in trading for 68's.

Cesar

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I am finding that complete sets or at least large partials are the best buys. I always said I wanted to build my sets a card at a time and have control over each card, but I now see that led to spending more money and bogging down and abandoning sets. Buying complete sets or large partials still allows me just as much enjoyment as I work through them and upgrade if needed.

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Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

I am finding that complete sets or at least large partials are the best buys. I always said I wanted to build my sets a card at a time and have control over each card, but I now see that led to spending more money and bogging down and abandoning sets. Buying complete sets or large partials still allows me just as much enjoyment as I work through them and upgrade if needed.

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My inclination is similar. I have tried to find similar sets on Ebay and suspect that I could be spending more using the "one card at a time" method. Though I very seldom see a set in the same "true" condition as these two just completed.

It is worthy of note that my cost on the 1966 was much lower at around the 500 card mark. The High # and SPs wiped me out.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by sfh24

My inclination is similar. I have tried to find similar sets on Ebay and suspect that I could be spending more using the "one card at a time" method. Though I very seldom see a set in the same "true" condition as these two just completed.

It is worthy of note that my cost on the 1966 was much lower at around the 500 card mark. The High # and SPs wiped me out.

I hear ya. Sometimes when collecting a set that has challenging high numbers you can get a deal on most or all of the low #s (outside of the big cards of course) by buying most of the set outside of the highs so that you have $ left to tackle the highs. Good stuff though. It is a fun hobby.

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[commishbob]

I've gone the 'big' starter lot route and found it to be the most fun. At least with the 50s through 1970 sets I've put together. I look for lots that contain 50 to 60% and the rest I pick up at my local hotel shows or online. I know it would be cheaper to just buy the set. I've done that with some sets from the 70s and 80s but I find that I never really enjoy flipping through the cards as much as I do with my "blood, sweat and tears-built" ones. I can tell you when, where and how I found the last cards I needed for those.

[BearBailey]

I’ve always found it cheaper to buy the whole set especially with difficult high numbers or sp cards. I also find it more enjoyable to build the set card by Card and focus on grade or centering or whatever you are after.

Originally Posted by commishbob

I've gone the 'big' starter lot route and found it to be the most fun. At least with the 50s through 1970 sets I've put together. I look for lots that contain 50 to 60% and the rest I pick up at my local hotel shows or online. I know it would be cheaper to just buy the set. I've done that with some sets from the 70s and 80s but I find that I never really enjoy flipping through the cards as much as I do with my "blood, sweat and tears-built" ones. I can tell you when, where and how I found the last cards I needed for those.

You make a good point. I am intimately acquainted with every card in the sets I have compiled. I know the exact condition and flaws of every card.

[jason.1969]

If you have the time and the money, card by card is definitely the most fun. Nothing like handpicking the entire thing and enjoying the chase for potentially years vs days.

But I realize there's a very big If attached to that.

The only "vintage" (get ready to laugh, most of you) set I completed as an adult was 1978 Topps, where I admittedly got started with a 600 card partial set drained of all HOFers. As you can imagine the centering of most cards was poor and I had every sense I was on the back end of some other guy's upgrades. No real harm since it added to the nostalgia of how I remembered these cards as a kid.

In contrast, though not a "real" set, I built my 1956 Topps Dodgers set one card at a time with the express intention of framing it for my wall. As a result I am thrilled with every card, and two of the cards even have a fun story in that I was able to pick up the Hodges and Robinson in person from a guy who got them straight outta packs in 1956.

Pros and cons however you go but unless you're a dealer relying on flipping at a profit to pay the bills, don't undervalue how much fun this kind of thing can be.

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[jchcollins]

Very interesting reading. As someone who has never in 32 years of card collecting ever really been a set builder - I'm now going after '67 Topps. I can totally see how it's easier to save money on sets at a time, but I'm probably going to go the piecemeal route just because it will be more gradual and interesting. I suppose I could save and wait, but that's not normally how my collecting impulses work. I did just buy a 20 card lot of low-number commons, which for me is a huge step. Normally my head gets turned far too easily on HOF singles or random Cubs cards - even when I'm trying to be disciplined for the short term on something else. For me right now lower grade on some of the commons is totally acceptable. This lot I just got is probably VG-EXish. I had forgotten how fun it is to read the backs of some of these cards with complete stats - guys who toiled in the minors in some pretty interesting places in the middle 50's.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice and we'll see how far this goes. To keep up my star power interest along with the commons at the moment I have complimented them with Clemente, Mays, and Mantle - so there is that. Yay '67!

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Definitely a great question. When I started building my mid grade raw 52 Bowman set, I thought my main goal was going to be keeping my cost to a minimum. But as others have pointed out, that meant just buying the complete set. And that didn’t seem like much fun (and it’s also hard for me to rationalize spending a few thousand dollars all at once on cards). So I’ve been building through small lots and singles. If I ever complete it and then decide to sell, I hope i’ll at least get out the amount I spent compiling it. And if I turn out “losing” money, well that’s a small price to pay for the joy it brings me. I love building this set. I just passed the 50% mark yesterday. If I had it to do over again, I would have purchased one big starter lot first (50+ cards) to lower the price a little, but I’ll just keep that in mind when I decide on what my NEXT set will be.

[jchcollins]

Exactly. It may be more expensive in the long run, but small lots of cards are a lot more easily justified than dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars at a time.

[darkhorse9]

I have assembled every Topps and Bowman set card-by-card, series-by-series, set-by-set.

To me, that's the way "collecting" is supposed to be done. Buying a complete set isn't "collecting" it's "accumulating"

[onlyvintage62]

Originally Posted by sfh24

I am new to the forum and would like to solicit experiences of vintage set builders as the pertain to the most effective means of completing/collecting complete sets.


I started my vintage set collecting endeavors by purchasing a complete 1968 set ($1200) that would probably grade in the VGEX-EX range with a few EXMTs and Gs scattered throughout. My preference is to have my sets in EXMT with stars in NMT if not to expensive. I can tolerate a few EX+ mixed in the set for "non-important" cards. As a result, I spent a considerable amount of time upgrading and may have erased all initial savings. I am not certain of my total spend on the set.


As part of an experiment, I decided to complete my next two sets (1965 and 1966) by acquiring all cards along the way with the hopes of not having to "upgrade".


The 1965 set went smoothly and finished with a total spend of $2797 for a set in EXMT or better with all stars at EXMT or better.


The 1966 set has been another experience all together. I am currently sitting at a spend of $3229 with two cards remaining that will likely add at least another $150. There is no doubt that I failed to consider the cost of the high # and SPs in 1966.


Data conducted during my experiment has proven "inconclusive".


My question to the readers is: do you believe it is most efficient to purchase a complete set or assemble the set from scratch? I am considering a jump to 1967 or 1964 next.

My fourteen cents....Having done this many times. I would collect those cards that 1- potentially go up in value first- Stars, high numbers semi high number,s, semi stars and what I call hometown heros as well

You should try and collect your favorite teams cards first as well as those if you are in a two team city.

Hope this helps,

[jayandbutton]

yes, starter lots are the best approach because you gain the advantage of a price break without missing the joy and fun of running down cards on your want list.

gigantic set partials are very hard to find but small to mid-sized starter lots are relatively easy. heritage auctions seem to have them every sunday night.

[SOX75]

In the last 18 months I've "accumulated" the 1970-1972 and 1974-1976 sets. I grew up as a set-builder collector and sought out getting the sets I'd wanted as a kid.

I've used the same method each time: buy a complete set online. My results have been mixed. With the 1971, 1975 and 1976 sets I did pretty well and only a handful of cards needed to be upgraded to my standards (EX-Mint). The 1970 and 1972 sets were another matter. These were VG-EX sets that have needed significant amount of cards upgraded (over 200 each set). The costs of upgrading the cards have pushed each set over $1200 of total cost.

Guess which sets I've enjoyed most: 1970 and 1972. It's fun to chase the cards, get them in the mail and go through the backs of each one as I'm swapping them out of my binders.

Another tip I discovered...look at other online auctions besides eBay for sets. I got my 1971 set through Heritage for $500 and it is damn near perfect (to me) right out of the box. A similar set on ebay from PWCC or other sellers would have pushed this set well over $1,000. The auction sites that you need to get approved to bid make a lot of sense because there are fewer competitive bidders. But the caveat is that 20% buyer's premium that you need to consider.

My takeaway from my experience is to really look at the high dollar and high number cards for their condition prior to buying. The commons are readily available cheap. But high number cards can go for $5 or more each and it really adds up.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by SOX75

In the last 18 months I've "accumulated" the 1970-1972 and 1974-1976 sets. I grew up as a set-builder collector and sought out getting the sets I'd wanted as a kid.

I've used the same method each time: buy a complete set online. My results have been mixed. With the 1971, 1975 and 1976 sets I did pretty well and only a handful of cards needed to be upgraded to my standards (EX-Mint). The 1970 and 1972 sets were another matter. These were VG-EX sets that have needed significant amount of cards upgraded (over 200 each set). The costs of upgrading the cards have pushed each set over $1200 of total cost.

Guess which sets I've enjoyed most: 1970 and 1972. It's fun to chase the cards, get them in the mail and go through the backs of each one as I'm swapping them out of my binders.

Another tip I discovered...look at other online auctions besides eBay for sets. I got my 1971 set through Heritage for $500 and it is damn near perfect (to me) right out of the box. A similar set on ebay from PWCC or other sellers would have pushed this set well over $1,000. The auction sites that you need to get approved to bid make a lot of sense because there are fewer competitive bidders. But the caveat is that 20% buyer's premium that you need to consider.

My takeaway from my experience is to really look at the high dollar and high number cards for their condition prior to buying. The commons are readily available cheap. But high number cards can go for $5 or more each and it really adds up.

Stop, stop, stop! LOL! You are making too much sense and feeding my tendency to get off track! I had made up mind...no more sets...especially in the 1960s and 1970s, but I think I could afford to do what you are describing. Before discovering Net54, I was content with the types of cards you are describing, but then I started seeing all the super-duper high grade graded stuff others collect (which is cool if that's what you like of course) and have become a very fickle collector...high grade this and that, graded cards, then football, then dabbling in prewar...and now this thread is bringing me back to my collecting roots---decent sets in binders that don't cost a ton of money. Honestly, it is all fun to me. All the different ways I have gone over the years have led me to broaden my collection and have a real variety. This thread has me thinking about picking out another 70s set and giving it a whirl. I did this with '76 Topps earlier in the year. I have a few upgrades I still need to make. Also, good point about other auctions houses besides ebay. There are some good deals to be had other places!

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Do any of you guys know of a binder big enough to hold a 1970s set in 9 pocket pages? I like the Archival Methods binders, but I don't think they are quite big enough.

All of my 1970s sets are in "Ultra Pro" binders. They seem to hold them well.

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Do any of you guys know of a binder big enough to hold a 1970s set in 9 pocket pages? I like the Archival Methods binders, but I don't think they are quite big enough.

[SOX75]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Stop, stop, stop! LOL! You are making too much sense and feeding my tendency to get off track! I had made up mind...no more sets...especially in the 1960s and 1970s, but I think I could afford to do what you are describing. Before discovering Net54, I was content with the types of cards you are describing, but then I started seeing all the super-duper high grade graded stuff others collect (which is cool if that's what you like of course) and have become a very fickle collector...high grade this and that, graded cards, then football, then dabbling in prewar...and now this thread is bringing me back to my collecting roots---decent sets in binders that don't cost a ton of money. Honestly, it is all fun to me. All the different ways I have gone over the years have led me to broaden my collection and have a real variety. This thread has me thinking about picking out another 70s set and giving it a whirl. I did this with '76 Topps earlier in the year. I have a few upgrades I still need to make. Also, good point about other auctions houses besides ebay. There are some good deals to be had other places!

I've rationalized set buying that they will be easier to sell off because I can list one item rather than try to sell a bunch of cards separately.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I have posted in this thread a few times. Thanks to the threads on the 1970 and 1972 Topps sets, I am specifically thinking on the early 70s sets. Early on, I was advocating the purchase of complete sets and then upgrading where needed. Honestly, I wrestle with this a lot, and I can see from this thread many of you do, too. I am a budget collector and can't necessarily just jump out there and buy a complete set. Sometimes I can, but regularly, no when talking about early 1970s and on back into the 1960s.

I know that I will spend more on each set in the long run, but I will just have to be content with a few cards at a time or some larger lots minus some of the stars. Compared to some of the 50s and 60s cards and sets I have bought, the 70s material is much more affordable. So, I won't be spending as much as I go anyway. It's all for the fun of seeing those pages in the binder fill in over time anyway. I am mulling over which 70s set I might try first, and I am kind of leaning toward '71. I am just not sure if I can control my OCD with those black colored corners and edges!