I'm about 12% done with 62 cards (5 HOF'er cards, 5 SL'ers, the rest commons of some variety).
After picking up my first few cards (Pfeffer & Mordecai Brown Cubs shirt), I decided to focus on the backs. I am still doing that but have most of them except for the 10+ toughest ones (Cobb, Drum, Red Hindu, Lenox, Uzit, Piedmont 350-460 Fac 42, Broad Leaf). Also, still need AB460, AB350 (no frame), Cycle 350, & Sovereign 150.
After doing backs for awhile, I identified small groups of cards that I could go after. One example is the 150 Series cards that has already been mentioned. Another is the horizontal pose cards. Another was to get all the poses of a particular player.
I also started working on a few team sets. Of course if you do team sets, then pick your teams carefully. My four team wantlists include the Cubs (which includes 13 HOF'er cards), NY Giants (which has lots of cards including 10 HOF'er cards), Tigers (9 HOF'er cards including all 4 Cobbs - OUCH!), and Pittsburgh (which is not too bad for HOF'er cards except for that pesky Honus Wagner fella). I didn't pick too wisely it seems.
My thought was if I broke the Monster into smaller, more manageable pieces, then I'd get a sense of accomplishment as I checked them off one-by-one thus keeping me motivated. I think this approach will work... but it requires some self disciple (which I apparently lack) to focus your efforts on your goal rather than work things randomly based on what you find on eBay or the B/S/T boards.
Of course if you do follow this type of approach closely, you will miss out on good deals. So, you must ask yourself which is better... getting that impulse buy card for 20% below value for example, or making a dent in the group you're working on with your plan?
I think most people end up just looking for good deals where they can pick up cards quickly and not really force themselves to stay focused on any particular plan of attack. Mostly I've been in this club. It's not necessarily the best approach though because you'll find those tough cards you've waited on will be even tougher by the time you get around to needing them in your plan. Of course, maybe you'll have more money to spend by that time too.
My latest approach (which is sure to change again in 6 months) is to rank the common player cards based on difficulty and their eye appeal. Using this approach, I have some of the tougher commons near the top of my want list along with some cards that I just plain like (Overall portrait for example). As I work these off, I'll start figuring out if I want to go back to tackling team sets, HOF'ers, SL'ers, or what ever.
Maybe all this just points out that maybe the key to taming the Monster isn't in having a good plan, but being flexible to changing your plan often!
Good luck!
