New to vintage...Where do I start?

[cubsfan-budman]

Hi gang,

Been lurking for a bit, reading as much as I can, scanning the B/S/T forums and eBay as well. The price of getting into vintage is daunting, but not nearly as intimidating as the sheer scope of data regarding vintage. I'd like to reach out for some guidance from the community here.

I've been collecting modern for years. My PC is largely made up of stuff from 1983 to 2012 (I collect Ryne Sandberg) and a nice set of Topps 58/59 cards that I got from my dad. I'm getting pretty fed up with modern lately. When trying to gather more Ryne Sandberg cards, I realized that there were more Sandbergs made since he retired than were ever made while he played. Something about this bothered me. Anyhow, I started researching vintage.

I have narrowed my interest down to 5 sets. My criteria are based on a few things:

1. Subjects. I am interested in HOF 2nd basemen in particular (Frisch, Lajoie, Gehringer, Hornsby, Doerr) so I tried to find sets that included these players. I realize that I have players from 2 eras here and that no one set will have them all.

2. Aesthetics. Wanted something cool to look at.

3. Price. Especially at first, I didn't want to dive in head first with something super expensive. I am far more of a collector than an investor. I can never bring myself to let go of something cool.

So, with that in mind I have been considering:

1911 T201 Meccas
1921 Exhibits
1934-36 Diamond Stars
1939 Goudey
1941 Play Ball

I *think* that bang for the buck the ~WW1 T201 set is going to be the most affordable Lajoie around, but any guidance here would be appreciated.

As far as the Exhibits, that's somewhat of an intermediate era set. Not sure if it's essential, but I love the look.

And the 30's to 40's era stuff...are there any huge obstacles for these sets? Any reason that I should choose one over the others? The 39 Goudey is a decent looking set, but I love the backs. Pretty short on subjects too.

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read. All suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Christian