You'll hear this repeated over and over, but it can't be said enough, "Collect what you enjoy." That way whether the value of your collection rises or falls, you'll still enjoy the process and hobby of collecting cool cards.
If your goal is to become a vintage card INVESTOR, then that changes the discussion.
But if you are looking to get in to vintage card COLLECTING, then there are lots of options. Set building can be really fun...so if you are interested in that, try picking up a few commons and minor stars from some sets that interest you and see how they look an feel in hand...and if something strikes you as interesting, then start researching and building out that set. Pretty quickly you'll start to discover your preference for condition....if you don't mind creases and marks on your cards, your money will go a lot farther than if you exclusively chase Near Mint vintage.
Another option is to decide which ONE vintage card would be awesome to have, purchase it, and then build the set around it (i.e. grab a 1955 Clemente rookie, and then enjoy adding all the other common, star, and HOF players from that set). Or grab a T206 Cobb, and then build a T206 Tigers team set.
I also enjoy reading biographies and baseball books from the time period I'm currently collecting. My first big vintage purchase was a 1952 Bowman Mays, and I enjoyed that card even more after reading a biography of him. I followed that pattern after I bought my first Ruth and first Mantle. Reading about pre-war baseball greatly enhances my enjoyment of the few T206 and Goudey cards I have, and reading about the early 50's Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees really gives me a better appreciation of my post war Bowman and Topps cards.
I haven't really gotten in to collecting cards from the 60's or 70's, but I'm sure there are some good books about those eras as well.
At any rate...$3000 can get you a ton of satisfaction in this hobby if you enjoy the learning and researching aspect of it.
Keep us posted on how your collecting goes!
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