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.
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