A nice set to build??
 

Hello im new to the site and was curious about what sets did most of you start with first? Really want to put more vintage cards in my collection. Would just sticking to the T206 be best or would a smaller set? thanks BW

how about a set of "type" cards...it's a great way to add variety and interest to your collection.

All I can say is CRACKER JACKS!...I have a low-grade, presentable marquard I can start you off with!

I think CJ's are out of the question. Since Jackson is in it. looking for a type with about 50 cards to start me off. When or if i finish i can go to a bigger set. CJ set would be nice.

My vote would be T205s, great looking set with half the cards of the T206s. You will find that most of the board will push the T206, but ultimately it's going to come down to what you like most.

r/
Frank

Thanks for the help. I have looked at T205s before Ill see whay i can find.

I posted a thread like this a while back and I got some great advice. Some things that I've found since:

1. Look exhaustively at every set you can find. For pre-war, deanscards.com has a good card guide on his homepage with set descriptions and checklists. I started with T201s and a few Exhibits, but found TONS of other sets that I really liked and have kinda derailed my focus. No regrets, but there's a LOT out there and it helps to look at it all.

2. Use the B/S/T on this board to find great deals and build relationships. There are some very nice folks on the board and I think you have the best chance of finding "authentic" cards there, versus ebay. Also, so far, I've tended towards graded cards as I feel that they're more likely to be authentic over raw cards. Until you know as much as the pros, I feel like you're better off buying that way.

3. There are about a million auction houses other than ebay (who knew?!?). I've found some good deals there, and you can often buy lots of 2+ cards at once to build out your sets.

So, with that in mind, the T201 set is really cool, really "vintage" looking and relatively inexpensive (Cobb, Lajoie, Speaker, Johnson and Matthewson will cost you), but the art isn't particularly realistic.

I really like the late 20s, early 30s Exhibits cards as well. They are basically just postcard-sized photos and I'm sure that with a few exceptions most of the big-name HOFers are represented. Lots of times, these cards are pretty inexpensive.

Another good bet is the 1939-1941 Playball sets. Cool photos, fairly cheap, etc.

Another late few sets I like are the early 50s Bowman cards. Very cool art and good players. Longer checklist though (but nothing like the T206 checklist :) ).

Good luck!

When I got back into collecting a couple years ago, I started with the cards of my youth. I made a major dent in the vintage Topps/Bowman sets. I reached the point where the cards cost a car payment or even a mortgage payment and grew frustrated so I turned to Pre-War. I eventually settled into the T206 chase but bought cards in dozens of sets first, in search of that warm, fuzzy feeling. There are a bunch of cool sets out there but one thing that the T206 set has going for it is constant availability. You can score a card as often as your wallet can stand it. The other sets seem to come around a little less often. That said, another deciding factor might be your tolerance for standing idle. Would a card or two every once in a while keep your monkey fed?:D

Personally, I would spend a bit of time finding out what you really like if possible by attending a few shows.

I started by collecting T206, but realized that the overall cost to build a set would have been nearly impossible on my budget. I also began to realize how relatively common they are. As a result, I settled on building two different sets (E93 & W554). Neither of these sets are impossible to find, but they are also not so common that you could just go to any show and find either. For me, I wanted some that was a bit more out of the ordinary and difficult to find.

DJ

Thanks for all the info! The downside to where i live is there isnt any shows or hobby shops. I like the exhibits but looked on ebay and only found one. Im going to keep looking and I'm sure Ill find something I like. Just going to try for psa/sgc 1 and 2's

one other suggestion, check out oldcardboard.com. There is a link at the top and the site has galleries for a lot of different prewar sets.

Dj

Yes....it is a site that I still use quite often.......:)

T210
 

T210 is a really cool set. Completing the entire set isn't realistic for most of us, but a team set or series set is attainable with some patience.

You could always go for the T206 mustache subset.....:D:D

Ive been on the site since I got home from work. dug out the few T206's i had and looked at them. the Zee-nuts are nice I like the T210 to.

Easy subset............
 

That is fairly easy......Mr. Titus: the one and only mustachioed T206.