Set Collectors Advice
 

Any advice for a collector who would like to seriously work on a set, but is just...uh, distracted easily?

For more years now than I care to remember (probably close to 25) I've said that I want to collect a complete 1956 Topps set. The problem is I can never get very far into it without getting distracted by single star cards (ooh, nice '63 Yaz! And look at that '58 Aaron!) The closest I ever came was in college when I came a few cards short of obtaining every New York Yankee in said '56 Topps set.

Any tricks as to discipline to stay focused? I don't typically buy cards in lots, which is something I suppose would help. Already have a good start on '56 in that I have the Mantle, Williams, Mathews, etc. plus a couple of commons...but motivation-wise I suppose it comes down to the fact that I know I will get bored chasing a Fred Hatfield card when I could be looking elsewhere at Willie Mays. Does anyone else have this problem? I suppose HOFers can get boring in their own right... I think I just need something to help change my paradigm.

Thanks!
-John

Not sure
 

Not sure how old you are but figure out if you want to collect 95% of commons of players you've never heard of/watched..... Or just collect a subset of the HOFers etc. For example if a nice EXMT '56 set cost 5K, would you be better off spending 1K on the stars or cards you like from that set and reserve the other 4K on other stuff you really want? Also consider piecing a set together is usually not a good financial/investment move as the sum of the parts usually costs more than the whole

Thanks. I'm 38, been collecting cards on and off since I was 9 years old. The '56s have always been the cards that held the most mystique to me, the ones that best captured that classic vintage look that first interested my child's eye more than 20 years ago. Growing up in the early '90s - the vintage baseball thing was very much in, and I soon lost interest in collecting new cards and focused only on the older stuff. Collecting for investment is not my style, but you do make a good point in that piecing together a bunch of commons a couple of cards at a time is probably not the cheapest way to do it. I would not be looking at anything as lofty as an EXMT set; mostly VG probably is more my speed. Maybe a better plan is to put aside the cash I would be looking to spend first and then decide if it's worth blowing on a lot of commons or if some other shiny star card piqued my interest first...

I hear you. I've started quite a few sets and then get bored and start something else.

I'd say the "trick" to it is - either be willing to lay it aside until you regain interest again, or just plow ahead anyway and keep after it even when you aren't interested. The second option seems to work best for me.

I have started and given up on a couple of sets. My advice would be try to make sure it's something you're really into. And don't expect to be able to flip most cards for any kind of a profit. It will be hard to break even if you change your mind on anything except the big cards after factoring in ebay or AH and shipping fees.

I enjoy building sets, but have found myself getting distracted in the past. A trick I found that has worked for me is to break the set into smaller sets so there are several "completions" along the way. I collect one series at a time and have recently started buying cards in numerical order. Since I put my sets in binders, this makes it fun to fill up the sheets as I go. Gives me more of a sense of accomplishment and I can see the progress. Just my little trick to stay focused.


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This is good advice. Have you ever built a set before? The way I look at it is collectors are either set completionists or they are not. Start with a small, cheaper set to set if you can make it all the way through. Maybe 63 Fleer which is star packed but has its share of commons too. I would say the 1954 Red Heart with only its 33 cards but between Mantle and Musial it can get expensive just to try it on for size.

One tip I might give is go to a show or two if possible. Walk around and look at a complete set or flip through handfuls of commons. This will either get you excited seeing cards with players your not familiar with or it will overwhelm you and you'll loose interest in completing the entire set.

Once you are convinced that finishing the entire set follow the above advice and make small subsets to go after. Make sure each "subset" has a few stars and at least one big name as well as commons that way you can chip away a bit at a time and still see progress.

Teams are good way but for me I would want to be creative like go by when each player started or ended their career. That way it forces you to do a bit of easy research and learn a bit more of each "nobody" and they become real people who didn't just happen to play in the majors but we're actually good enough to make it to the majors. It sort of humanizes set collecting.

Just a thought but keep us posted one what you decide.

Good luck.
Drew

I'm also working on a 1956 Topps set and, like you, have a wandering eye. I've found it helpful to give myself random numerical goals. For instance, I now have 249 of the 342 cards in the set, and am shooting to have 300 by the end of the year. So, I can reach that goal by knocking off many of the commons I need, and still have funds to go after that '57 Topps Frank Robinson or '33 Goudey Lefty O'Doul on my want list.

My other suggestion is to just be patient. If you're like me, there's no hurry to complete your set. Enjoy what you have, and make progress when you can.

Thanks for starting this thread. I completed a '53Topps set a couple of years ago. I just love that set! Since then I stopped and started a few different sets. I really had given up on set building. However, I just get drawn back in. I have figured out that I was aiming a bit high in terms of condition, especially when I was trying to build sets card by card. Everyone of course is different with varying budgets. I really just want the cards. I am not buying beaters, but for me I have decided that vg or vgex is ok for me. I started looking for a set that I could handle. So, that has led me to '56 Topps, and I am really enjoying it! I am a little less than half way finished. I have bought a few stars here and there and some lots to get the commons and semi-stars cheaper. That has really kept my costs down and sped up my progress. I am having a good time!

This is me as well. For my 56's I think I would like to try to get most of the star cards in at least EX condition, but even that may be a tall order budget-wise. (I typically buy cards once or twice a year with Christmas and birthday money...) My Mantle that I already have is VG. But like you allude to, for the rest of them VG or VG-EX will probably be ok. I can tell you right now I'm going to have a hard time shelling out $$ for common cards in EX or EX-MT condition on a limited budget. I think a set with a binder full of a lot of VG cards and then some of the stars maybe slabbed in slight better condition would look nice. Thanks for the reply!

Thanks. Yeah, you're right (and I've found this especially as I get older and have other concerns like - oh, you know a family...:)) that there really is no hurry. I put the cards aside as a kid at some point in high school. Got back into them my senior year of college. Collected hardcore for about 4 years before discovering that I didn't have time for both the cards and grad school. Then got back into it again a few years ago in my mid-thirties... I guess the point is that I know the hobby I have loved since I was 9 will always be there for me when I need it.

Thanks all for the responses. There is some good advice in here as to how not to get distracted (and how sometimes maybe getting distracted is ok!)

-John

Set collecting
 

Here is my advice... First save up some money that you can spare over a little time , then I would buy lots of cards in the vg-ex range. Stick with lots where you are spending only a dollar or 2 per card. The stars will be more expensive, but they are also available in lots sometimes. Once you get a few lots you will have some doubles, then try and work trades out with fellow members to hit the holes in your sets. Commons for commons, stars for stars... Makes collecting even more fun when you can open up mail of cards that are free! Plus, I don't think there are going to be a shortage of guys not working on the 56 set, this is one of the first go-to's for vintage post war set collectors...

Hope this helps a little,
Nate Mack

That's precisely what got me into collecting stars and HOF'ers when I started collecting again as an adult circa 1990--couldn't see paying significant $$$ for guys that most wouldn't know from adam.

Better to follow your instincts,

Larry

Yes I understand that you are on a limited budget...budget is always a factor..there are just some cards that are too far over budget but some people think as the years go by some of the mid to low graded common cards will drop in price so you can have fun for years...