Approach to Building Sets
 

Hi all- My name's Matthew, and I'm reintroducing myself into the hobby after a good 20-year absence since I was a kid. After some research, I'm interested in building a set from the early to mid 50's (not '52 Topps), and I think I'm willing to buy graded cards as opposed to raw.

My general, overarching question is this: What are you glad you did with respect to building an old set? Any recommendations for a newbie?

Some thoughts I had include:
Creating a blog with pics (and videos?) of my set as I create it
Not buying huge lots of card, but rather buying one (or several) at a time
Getting all close to within the same grade (EX to EX-MT) by same company
Finding a creative way to display cards instead of a box

Again, any particular strong wish-I-would've-done-this-and-not-that's you're able to share would be greatly appreciated. If it matters, I'm leaning towards '51 Bowman, or Topps' '55 or '56 issue.

Thanks in advance! Any examples anyone can share would be welcomed and appreciated.

Topps 1950s
 

I have all of the Topps 50s sets and all in ungraded form in binders in plastic sheets. In graded form, display is difficult for full sets. I built all of my 50s sets card by card, but many years ago. The 57s, 58s and 59s in large part by packs ( not currently recommended)

Hello Mathew and let me one of the first to say welcome to the boards. I know that you will find many great people here to help and guide you along the way.

As far as collecting sets you pose some good questions. I think a photo journal would be a good idea but would also recommend writting down where and how much you paid for certain cards. There all always some great stories about odd finds in the strangest places as well as deals that were great along with some that turned out to be not so great. Write them down so you can go back through and relive the entire collecting experience.

As far a display I have often wondered about that. I am not one to just put cards in a book or box without the ability to display some of my favorites. It is very difficult to do a full set but any creative ways would be great to share. There was a thread a while back called "Show off your displays" that might give you some good ideas. There are some amazing ways to display collections in there. Not to brag but a few of the cases I made for display are in there as well. Here is the link: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...=show+displays

Stay on the boards and it nice to have you,
Drew

Hi Matthew,

I have a lot of complete sets for both football and baseball and can share what I've found to work.

First, I agree with the previous comment that it is pretty difficult to display graded sets. I have a few sets that are mostly graded but they tend to be very small sets. I have them in a binder using 4 per page vinyl sheets. Graded cards fit into these sheets pretty well but the binder is heavy and hard to page through. Not recommended at all. The rest of my sets are mostly raw cards so they fit nicely in binders using 25, 9, 8 per page vinyl sheets depending upon the size of the cards in the set. I like this method a lot as you can easily store your cards and look them over without damaging them. I can even let my kids look at them without worrying that they will transform an EX Ty Cobb into a G with some bite marks. I'm planning to insert reprints/replica's of the cards I have that are graded into the appropriate empty spaces in my albums so there are no empty spots. I haven't gotten to that project yet.

I am thinking about building a display case to house one or more of my sets that are mostly/all graded. See other threads on what some of the display cases people have built look like. Some are awesome! I plan to rotate sets through this display case so I can enjoy them but don't need to fill the house with them (my wife would kill me).

I haven't yet invested the time to build out an on-line album for any of my sets but do plan to do that some rainy ... year. It think it's a great idea for sharing your cards with others but nothing beats being able to flip through your set so both an on-line and physical album are useful. I've heard photobucket.com is pretty good for this.

In terms of acquiring cards, I try to buy common cards in lots as you can get a great deal for them in bulk as most dealers just want to get rid of commons. I buy most of my stars on ebay, other auctions, or from Net54 members. If you are patient, you *will* find great deals out there. I don't start by trying to get every card at a certain grade. Instead, I work to get the set completed with the best I can find for the price and then upgrade the cards that aren't worthy of being included and sell off the ones I've replaced. If you do a good job of picking up deals, you will be able to sell these cards for more than you paid for them and apply that extra $$$ toward the cost of newer, upgraded cards for the set.

If you are going the graded route, getting all of them graded by the same company looks the best from a display purpose. You can also then register the set in one of the grading companies registers which is pretty cool! Don't forget that you can always submit raw cards for grading or switch a graded card from one grading company to another if you wish so you don't have to JUST purchase cards from a particular grading company to ultimately end up with a complete set with grades from one company. You'll also find that purchasing raw cards is way, way cheaper than their corresponding graded versions ... you just have to really watch to make sure you are getting the grade that is stated in the auction ad and not be afraid to send cards back if they don't meet your approval.

I hope this helps.

jeff

P.S. Check out the look of 1953 Topps. I think it is the coolest looking set in the '50s and highly recommend trying to put that set together. I've been working on it for a while and it looks awesome!

I have started quite a few sets, but I have not completed many of them. With the '38 Goudey, and '54-55 Topps Hockey sets I bought the cards one at a time occasionally buying a star when I had extra $$$ as I saw them for sale. Those sets are smaller so you don't see multiple cards offered for sale together very often. The hockey I did in high grade, so I was fairly picky about condition. With the '57 Topps set, I bought a bunch of lots and slowly picked up stars if I saw a good deal. That set I wanted cheap, so I have some beaters in there. The '55 Topps set I started in the 90s when I was still in high school but have had trouble focusing on completing it. I picked it because it was only 206 cards, but that's actually a lot if you want it high grade and have to spend $10-$30 a common. I'm about 70% there, but I don't have the Clemente, Koufax and most of the stars from that set. I probably won't be obtaining them anytime soon due to budget issues. The frustration with the 55s is why I chose to build the '57 in off-condition. I've started the '53s as well focusing on the stars first so I have the Mantle. I'm also doing this set on the cheap. It's a set I'm trying a different approach.
Some of the guys on this board complete the common Topps sets fairly quick, but for me it can take years. With the '57, I took about 2-3 years, the hockey and Goudey took me 13-15 years. At my rate the 55s will take me 30+.

Craig

Welcome back to collecting and few thoughts from a fellow set collector.

I would agree with buying non-graded in bulk on ebay. I have gotten some great deals over the years this way. If you then want them graded you can always do that yourself. One person above wrote about writing down where you bought cards and what you paid for them. I really wish I would have done more of that.

I normally try to get my sets in VG and above and upgrade the VG from there. Trading away my doubles after upgrading while working on other sets. It's also a great way to meet other collectors that share your passion.

I've never figured out a great way of displaying my collection. I store mine in individual semi-regid and regid sleeves and then in boxes. I like this because if I only have 5-10 minute to thumb through some cards I don't need to pull out a whole binder. If I want to look at everything I just pull out the box, which isn't much larger than a binder.

I also second the '53 Topps set. By far my favorite of the 50s, but to each his own. The biggest drawback from that set is the lack of some HOFs like Ted Williams, Snider, Musial, etc...

Pinpoint
 

1. From a financial standpoint you will save a lot of $ buy buying a large "starter" lot, from there you can have fun cherry picking stars, high #'s, and upgrades

2. Make sure you pinpoint very closely on the grade you are HAPPY with and also the set that really motivates you...I correctly started building '57 but in the beginning ignored centering, and now, I am having to upgrade my o/c cards.

3. I like buying raw card commons as the price of grading fees usually gets rolled in to the sales price and I think it's silly to pay $10-15 for a graded EX-MT common rather than $5 for a raw one, which I like to be able to put into my vinyl sheets/binder anyway. For $100+ cards I like the added security of buying graded.

4. I would go with '56s of the ones you listed due to the background action shot and think it is a step up on the '55s which have a plain background. I personally would be satisfied with just the Koufax and Clemente and don't need the other 200+ cards...Make sure you want to spend money on several hundred commons, or could you be satisfied just buying stars/cards you like from that set? Do you want to pay $20/ea for high # '55s?, etc?

5. I prefer the standard card size of post '56 cards and find the cards fit well into my vinyl sheets. The larger cards go in 8 pocket sheets. In these, I feel like the cards are a bit loose and wiggly around and that is one of many reasons I am not building '52-56 sets

Well, the approach to buying a graded set is gonna be completely different than raw. You'll probably find less lots.. Unless you get them graded yourself. If you're gonna document the entire process, it might be interesting to document the process of picking out the high grade cards, whether it be on ebay or this board or shows, with before and after photos of the cards. Be sure to document any upgrades and downgrades. Sometimes downgrades are necessary to complete a high grade set. Say you've got a 9 of a very desirable card, but may be willing to sell and downgrade to an 8, in order to fund other cards. Or the instance of trading said 9 to someone in exchange for an 8 of the same card, plus others. My dad used that last maneuver a couple of times while building his '54 Bowman football. Also, as you do this, eye appeal will play a factor, beyond the numbers. All 8's are not the same(same goes for every number). Sometimes, you may just not be happy with a certain card, and move it, to exchange for a better looking card of the same grade(sometimes even lower)..That's about all I can think of for right now.

Keep in mind the grade numbers I used are arbitrary, and can be swapped with any desired grade.

Now to the set selection. I've noticed a few recommendations of the '53 Topps. It's a nice set. '53 Bowman Color would be a nice choice as well, which could possibly lead to a larger set of the original Bowman run('48-'55), and would be far more realistic and affordable than doing the same with a Topps run..

Thanks for all the thoughtful and helpful feedback! I think I'm going to go the creative route and build a display case for my graded sets. Jeff, I like the idea of rotating sets in and out of one case rather than have several around the home. I also don't think I would ever build a collection of graded cards that exceeded 350 or so. That and the Mrs. would kill me...

I think I'm going to stick to the graded as opposed to raw. I don't know much about buying raw cards in regards to grading, and I have a feeling I'd make bad purchases; perhaps I could try this down the road. I also think the casing of the major grading companies are all down well and add a level of beauty to the cards. From auction watching, I realize the added expense... Generally, I'd rather have 1 graded set v 2 non-graded sets.

In answer to mintacular, I--for now--am content buying several hundred graded commons. I'm estimating I could get 4 or 5s for about $5-6/per (?), which would mean $1600-1700 for 300 1956 commons. I'm fine doing that over a few years time. I don't want to ever collect a set where commons cost me $10+!

And so much for sticking to one set at a time... I'm just too anxious, so I think I'll start with 2 or 3. The slow frequency of my buying should permit that.

I think I've been won over on the '53 set. The artwork is just breathtaking! Hope I don't have to bid for any of them against all you fans ;)

I think I'm going to set up a blog of some sort and record just about everything related to my experience. I'll share it with everyone when it's up, if anyone's interested.

Thanks. I have a few other questions, but I'll save them for a new thread later. This has been a big help.

$5/6 per
 

I'd be very surprised if you can find decent mid-grade '53s even VGEX ones for $4-5 in graded form, unless you get lucky and buy a huge lot that flies under the radar. Keep in mind that most VGEX-EX-EX+ graded cards cost the seller nearly $10 to get graded and very few are willing to take a lost and sell them at $5/ea.

That said, you can get the very same card in raw form for possibly $5 range...Also, I think it is somewhat silly to be buying mid-grade cards in TPG holders. In general, the point of having a card encased in plastic is that it is in exceptional quality and should be slabbed (for post-war cards anyway) or is a highly counterfeited issue that you simply want verification of its authenticity. OR you see a card in a TPG that has a technical mid-grade card that is actually much better quality (eye appeal) but can be had at the numerical grade average.

In short, I would argue that you should continue to bat around thoughts and opinions of people here, then dive in, and at worse, change later but at least gave it very considered thought before making a final decision.

As for 53s, it's a very strong set. I would say that the high #'s will cost you a pretty penny (they book $100 in NM) so really figure out if those 90 or so cards many of which are commons you are willing to spend say $20 x 90 = nearly $2,000...

My mistake. I meant '56 cards, not '53 cards, although $4-5 may still be a bit too ambitious for '56 cards.

I'm in the latter camp: looking for mid-grades with good centering, no qualifiers, no giant piece of bubble gum stuck on the front...

The prospect of slogging through dozens of $20+ commons is not attractive to me at all. I may go slumming and dip into G to VG for those, if such cards can be eye-appealing.

I will indeed keep thinking this over, and I'll probably buy a card or two from various sets, both raw and slabbed, to see what's I like most.

Sincere thanks for the advice.

Here's my approach (for what it's worth)

I assemble sets by series. Start at series one and finish that before moving on.

I buy cards that look good when displayed. No wiriting, no creases no serious miscut. I can take a softer corner if it's not noticeably discolored. Generally I collect cards that would rate a 5 or better but may go to a 4 for high dollar stars to save some money.

I keep them in 3" binders raw. I only buy raw unless it's a higher dollar card involved (i.e. 1956 Mantle, 1963 Rose etc.). I still crack it, but I save the little paper grade panel and put that in a pocket at the end of the set for reference.

For me this helps to have little victories along the way. I can feel okay if I get all the low numbers of 1961 and put off the high numbers while I start another set. So far this has worked for putting together a set from every year from 1954 to today - excpeting 1957, 1958 and 1959. I haven't started on those.

Again, what it does is allow me goals. I will have the 1956 set finished by next week (only six cards remain), a 1960 set finished by June (25 cards remain) and then I can work on the 1961 high numbers until the end of the year.

next year....getting started on 1957.

If you're sticking with graded exclusively, my two cents isn't needed, but one thing I did when putting together sets came back to haunt me years later. Back in the '80's, picking up most of my cards at dealer shows, I came to strongly dislike the look of cards displayed in albums. I wanted to hold and handle them individually, but also protect them at the same time. I settled for storing sets like NM '53 Topps cards in mylar sleeves, but I stacked them together in boxes with the cards standing on end. After a long period of storage and not looking at them for about a decade due to other issues in my life, I pulled out a box one day and saw to my unhappiness that the cards had developed a noticeable bend from the depredations of gravity. Upshot is that old cards should always be stored lying flat, if possible, or at least on their sides, or if you don't look at them for long periods of time, maybe sell them.

Thanks, Volod. I'll make sure mine are flat. I would have never thought of that!

Does this mean storing cards in albums will lead to bending too? All my albums are stored vertical (like books on a shelf)...

Binders
 

Matt--I have a full Topps run and they are all in binders through 1994 ( beyond that, with the exception of the Heritage sets, they are still in factory boxes :) ) I keep the binders vertical and have not had bending issues, but the binders and sheets are fairly packed together on shelves.

I have every one of my sets (1954 - today in 3-inch binders standing vertically. I only have one set that seems included to bend (1963 for some reason.)

The real problem I had was with the smaller sets (i.e. 1954-1956) where there aren't enough pages worth of cards to fill up an entire 3" binder. I didn't want to use 2" because of aesthetics. What I did was create a sort of "pillow" that was the same size as the sheets and that hooks into the three rings and fills the space behind the set. Usually a 3/4 inch filler works. That keeps the cards from slouching in the binders.

Phew! Thanks...one more thing I didn't want to have to worry about...

I believe the problem I encountered with bending was due to the cards being stored individually, and on end, in relatively thin and flexible sleeves. That allowed gravity to pull on each card in a way that would not affect them in heavy album pages. After I noticed the problem, the solution was to just turn the boxes so that the cards were on their sides and gravity could no longer bend them.

Binders
 

There is no doubt something else you need to worry about Matt....think.

For what it's worth, I store my binders either lying flat or standing on end. By lying flat, I mean just that -- they're sitting on a shelf in the same orientation that they would be if they were sitting on a table in front of me, about to open and enjoy looking at the cards (and isn't that what it's REALLY all about?). And by standing on end, I mean they're open-end down inside a storage box, so looking down into the box you can see the spines. I figured this would be a safe way to store them because then all the card pages are evenly suspended from the D-rings, with no pressure on the cards. Anyone else out there store their binders this way?

I don't have as many cards as others on here but I store my football sets and cards in penny sleeves which are then inserted into hard top loaders.

For my baseball cards they are in penny sleeves inserted into Card Saver 1's.

I used to store them in sheets but what bugged me is several cards in each sheet would creep up leaving the top exposed. It just drove me nuts.

I also like to be able to handle each individual card and the Card Saver's and Top Loaders do the trick.

99% of my cards were in Top loaders and sat in a plastic storage container for 15+ years before I started collecting again just a few years ago. No bending issues.

Erik, this is a very real issue for me too! Even though I handle the binders and pages very carefully, I can't stop this from happening. So it just gives me all the more reason to be EXTRA careful! Also, I found that when I would move the binders either to or from my storage box or shelf, the first two or three pages would sometimes get hung up on the binder rings. I solved that problem by adding so-called boomerang page lifters to the front of each binder. The page lifters help keep the pages from moving around once I close the binder cover.

You are more patient than I am regarding this. I am too OCD and it just bugged me to no end so I switched everything to Top Loaders and Card Saver 1's.

And, as I said earlier, I like to handle each card individually, something I could not do in sheets.

I too have faced some bending problems. I purchased some coin ablums for a family member from the Lighthouse Company. They all had an interesting feature.

At the front of each album is a fairly thick plastic bar that slides up to lock the pages tight against the back of the binder. You simply slide the bar down to unlock it and turn pages. This keeps them rigid and protects the pages.

Has anyone seen this type of feature in a card album? I would also like to find an D-Ring album that has either a leather type finish or a pebble grain finish, just seems a little nicer then the standard plastic card album

Necessity the mother of jerryrigging
 

Nice suggestion, Hot - I've never seen it, though it seems like something the industry could use. I went to the Lighthouse website, but saw only coin and stamp supplies available there. Maybe they would consider branching out.
http://www.lighthouse.us/epages/ligh...ies/US/US_2203

Yes Steve, sadly I think they only deal in coins and mainly stamps. I am not creative enough to execute a design for a locking sheet that would hold the pages flat.