Most enjoyable low-grade set building experience?

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Posted By: Donny Muth

Hello all. I'm new here to the boards. I've been collecting since 1985, but have taken several breaks since that time. I have just recently started back with my vintage set building.

I am working on a 1965 Topps set. I started with the Mantle when I bought one in 1986 for $33 at Nostalgia World in Memphis, TN. Now I have about 230 in generally EM to NRMT condition. I just picked up 130+ 1965 cards from ebay that should net me about 50 EX-EM cards for that set.

My second set priority are the T206s (I have about 40 right now). I particularly enjoy collecting the T206 back variations.

I also have started 1959 & 1962 Topps, but I have less than 30 cards from those two. I'd like to do the 1955 and 1956 Topps too.

Enough with the background info... Right now, I am being tempted to start a low-grade set of some kind. I would be fine with Poor-Fine grade for this set I think. It would have to be one that I could build without alot of money (which I need to funnel mostly into the 65's and T206s). It would also be kinda fun to trade to get some of the cards... kinda bring back childhood memories of trading cards. I was kinda thinking something along the lines of T205s, T207s, 1933/34 Goudeys, or perhaps even 1952 Topps.

My questions to the board members are: What set(s) do you recommend? Have any of you taken on a similar set building adventure? Which low grade sets have you had the most fun completing and admiring?

Thanks for your feedback!

---Donny

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Posted By: Matt

Donny - I had a great time building the '55 Topps set in low grade.

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Posted By: Joe D.

Donny,

After completing my T200 set (with an eye on quality).... I decided to try to put together a beater set of T200s.

It was a much more challenging endeavor than I thought.... and honestly I enjoyed that process as much or even more than looking for higher grade cards (although I didn't successfully complete the set).


I often think of jumping into a beater set....
if I did so it would probably be an e93 or e98 or possibly even T206.

visit http://www.oldcardboard.com/
and pick out a set you would enjoy.

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Posted By: Paul Carek

I'd go for the '41 Play Balls.

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Posted By: Dave F

E98's are great...and there is only 30 of them. But, even for a beater set, you better have 12k to spend.

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Posted By: shane leonard

Welcome to the boards!
I just bought a huge collection of low to mid grade 1955 topps cards and had a blast putting that set together. It was actually nice not worrying about how to store an all graded set or the cost associated with that. I went to a card store and bought the old style, eight pocket sheets for the set. if you wanted a good jump start, I have a ton left to get you started.
I am thinking about doing a low grade 1948 Leaf set. I think those cards are pretty neat, but the SPs are pretty difficult to locate.

Regards,
Shane
shaneleo@aol.com

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Posted By: nbrazil

try collecting sets that have stain, paperloss and/or pin hole problems. Usually, these cards end up getting a low technical grade, but have great eye appeal. So, you end up paying PSA 1-3 prices on a card that would grade much higher based solely on eye appeal. 1915 CJs are notorious for stains bringing down grades..but, the overall quality of the card is high. Same with T3s for pinholes and paperloss and stains with some caramel issues (e98s) and tobbaco issues (t206s).

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Posted By: Scott Sarian

T201's are a nice set (undervalued in my opinion) which has only 50 cards and can be put together in low grade at a reasonable price. I've enjoyed putting together my near-set, and it's not that difficult to find the cards.

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Posted By: nbrazil

try collecting sets that have stain, paperloss and/or pin hole problems. Usually, these cards end up getting a low technical grade, but have great eye appeal. So, you end up paying PSA 1-3 prices on a card that would grade much higher based solely on eye appeal. 1915 CJs are notorious for stains bringing down grades..but, the overall quality of the card is high. Same with T3s for pinholes and paperloss and stains with some caramel issues (e98s) and tobbaco issues (t206s).

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Back when I collected cards, I did the 1956 Topps set. It was really affordable to pick up low-grade specimens in the early 1990's. I imagine it could still be done on the cheap today. I wish that I had gone after the 1957's, though, as I love the looks of that set far more now. Add to that all the extra players as opposed to the '55-'56 issues.

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

E103 and George C. Millers are possibilities, but the HOFers will not be cheap. R312s are very affordable and you won't have to settle for low grade examples. Plenty of nice vg cards out there.

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Posted By: Matt

Bruce - GCM as a low cost, fun set to collect? The cards are difficult to come by and cost hundreds of dollars.

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Posted By: dennis

also not mentioned yet, 1934-36 diamond stars,1939 playball,1960&61 fleer baseball greats are some nice older sets that can be put together on a budget

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Those Fleer sets really don't cut it. I have always equated them to being the forefathers of such sets as Pacific's "Baseball Legends" or any of the nauseating TCMA issues of the 1970's-'80's. Why spend $50 on a 1960 Fleer Cobb when somebody would practically pay YOU to take a 1980's counterpart of said? Just my opinion.

EDITED TO ADD: I figure that somebody might go on to mention the Topps "Connie Mack All-Stars". These are the true grandaddies of the genre, but I do like them, for some reason. Perhaps it's the odd sizing/condition sensitive issues. I suppose the appearances of old-timers in the one Play Ball set also count to some degree.

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

I mentioned GC Millers because it is a small set (32 cards) and my collection began a few years ago, with a cancelled Paul Waner, a HOFer, for $59, which looked a lot better than any poor-fair card you could find. I had fun finding them and none of the cards are likely better than vg. I've known people that collected the set in cancelled form. Still, Matt, you are right, completion, because of the Andrews card, is very tough. Maybe GCM wasn't the best example.

For me, the Fleer sets, which I collected as a kid, are not period cards, and therefore not very interesting.

Diamond Stars are great and you can pickup up many of them for $25-50 in lesser condition. 108 in the set, though. With all of these sets you are going to run into multiple HOFers which could break the budget. As Dave pointed out, even a beater set of E98 is certainly over 10k.

Another possibility is a subset of a larger set. I put together the Brooklyn players from T205 very cheaply in about g/vg condition. These cards are more readily available and might make trading easier.

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Posted By: Matt

Diamond Stars is a great idea and they're currently pretty low vs their average value. No Ruth or Gehrig can be a plus or minus...

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

The only pre-war set (518 card version) I am working on is T206 and it will average about G I suspect when all is said and done many years from now. I am having a lot of fun collecting the White Borders and reading up on some of the players.

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Posted By: Donny Muth

Wow thanks for all the advice people. A lot of good ideas for low grade sets in there. I think I am leaning towards the '55 Topps as the first one. I've seen VG commons for $1 each on eBay so that seems doable in the near term (year or so) if I keep at it. Lots of others I'd really like to work on too though. sigh So many cards and so little time. And even less money!!! =)

---Donny

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Thank you Donny...

A thread that harkens to the quintessential of baseball card collecting. No grading concerns. Guys with pleasant recollections, not concerned about holding, sorting or storing their cards. A great thread guys!!

For me I have E102s that are a bit worn. Same for the Goudey sets. And 55 Topps. There is obviously a 'thing' about 55 Topps, so many of us dabble in them.

Frank.