Need some direction and opinions please

pinhigh

It is not something that needs to be immediately decided but I have a question for you guys concerning the future of my collecting. I have three routes that I may take. First, I could collect a complete set that I like from each decade. If I do this, I would increase the condition with each decade. For example, my '53 Bowman set will be composed of PSA 6 cards, the '60s set (most likely '67 Topps) would be composed of PSA 7 cards, the 70's set would be composed of PSA 8 cards, and I would like the '80s set (would be '80 Topps) to be completed in PSA 9. My second choice is to collect complete sets of '50, '51, '52, and '54 Bowman sets in PSA 6 to go along with my '53 set. Or, my third choice would be to attempt a HOF set - not sure of condition. I would be interested in hearing your opinions on which route you would choose and why. I am first and foremost a collector. Thanks for your replies.

RayBShotz

Pinhigh - I personally like the set per decade approach. My main emphasis is 69Topps but I am dabbling in the 70's and 80's also. Someday I may even start a 57' Topps set. It sounds like you have established some reasonable grade goals for each decade also. Just curious, which 70's set do you think you would like to add? Why? Good luck with your choice.
Regards
RayB69Topps

mikeschmidt

Personally, I prefer tying the generations together with a set from each decade/generation.

However, I would say this in regards to both of your approaches:

Putting together any 1950s set in EX/MT, with 1953 Bowman Color in PSA 6 -- it would probably be cheapest to purchase a mid-to-high grade raw set and get it graded yourself. Picking up the PSA 6 cards individually will be rather time consuming and costly. Whereas a set that is less than NM will probably be the cheapest way. Same games for putting together any 1950s Bowman sets.

As a set collector -- I can tell you that even finding every card in a condition close to what you want is prohibitive. If you purchased a 1950 Bowman set that was EX/MT, though, you could get the entire set graded -- and then you could normalize the excess on Ebay if/when replacement cards come up. You'll have a bunch of 5's you'll want to upgrade to 6. And perhaps you will have the money to do that by selling any 7's you get that you can "downgrade" to 6. Even a 1967 Topps set in NM condition is likely best put together by purchasing an entire NM (more or less) set and going from there.

I hate to keep trumpeting one place (Mastro) -- but keep an eye on their auctions. They usually have mid-to-high grade raw sets available, and if any of the sets you want are in your condition range (not too many NM/MT cards), it could be a great opportunity for you.

As an example, the Superior Sports Auction had a 1955 Bowman set that was generally in Near Mint condition in their recent auction:
Here's the set

It sold for about $3,600. Now the stars were not in Near Mint shape -- some were, but not all. But for that price, it is the easest and best entry way to building a Near Mint PSA 7 set. Many commons do not show up on Ebay in PSA 7 (EVER), and for $11- a card, it is the best way into the set collecting bug. Just my thoughts -- but for anyone building less than a PSA 8 set post-1960 or less than a PSA 7 or PSA 6 set pre-1960, purchase a raw set, and work from that.

ngfred

Mikeschmidt,

I understand your point about buying a set or a big lot and have it graded yourself. However, is that a big risk in terms of cards being trimmed? Or is trimming not a problem since no one bothers to trim commons? Please advise. Because I'm building a 57 Topps set in PSA 5 or better.

Thanks

mikeschmidt

Ngfred-

It honestly depends on the reputation and integrity of the seller. For example, I would tend to trust Mastro's assessment of the sets it sells (at least with a 95% confidence interval). E.G. If they have a 400 card set and say it is clean -- I would expect at least 380 of the cards to not be rejected because of evid. of trim. (there may be some minimum size req., which is something different...)

It really does depend on the seller. I've heard horror stories about some of the Sotheby's Auctions, where 1/2 of the cards in some sets came back as trimmed. But if you deal with a reputable seller and/or auction house they will either a) guarantee/stand behind their product or b) be up front in terms of any problems with sets. With post-WWII sets, it is very easy to assess whether or not cards have been trimmed. It is a much more delicate assessment when it comes to tobacco, caramel and other such issues.

MS

Mefer

I think the answer comes down to two issues: (1) your spending limits; and (2) what would make you the happiest. Sure, there are also questions of which cards will hold their value and/or gain in value, but I think the best approach (as a collector) is to go with what is the most fun to you within your budget. Personally, I have settled on putting together a near mint set of 1971 Topps baseball. For a while, I was attempting to build a 1957 Topps set and a 1933 Goudey set together with the 1971 Topps baseball. I had to stop because such was not in my budget. Thus, when I finish the 71 set, I will decide whether to move onto the 57 Topps or 33 Goudey set as my next project. I may have to sell my four 33 Goudey Lajoie duplicates to finance the next project...... (only kidding; I don't have that card!)

bighurt2000

Pinhigh- I think you should put together one of those early 50's Bowman sets and the 1967 topps set
Then when you reach a point were it's starts to get harder and harder to find the cards you need to finish
your sets start working on a late 70's early 80's set to keep you busy while your waiting for the other cards
to come available. Hey let me know what you deside to do.

bosoxphan

I like the idea of putting together multiple sets from the 50's, the golden era of card collecting. Although I wouldn't put together Bowman sets from 1950,1951,and 1952. Too similar, I'd want somthing a bit different. I'd do the 51 set since that's clearly the classic of the three, the 53 set you're doing now and then maybe a couple Topps sets. Maybe 53 and 55. Just my opinion.

skylaneflyer

Pinhigh,

I would put together the 19 _ _ set!

Sky

pinhigh

Thanks for all of the replies so far and I appreciate all of the opinions.

RayB - Not really sure which '70s set I would pursue. I like the '74 set because it is sort of clean but '76 was my birth year. The '76 set may be a bit too close to the '80 set which I would definitely pursue.

schmidty - Thanks for the information. As always, very informative. I would ask, though, do you feel the '67 set is best completed by buying a raw set even though the commons in 7 condition book for cheaper than the cost of grading? I know that they may not actually sell for anywhere close to that and it would something I would check into.

Mefer - Not exactly sure what my spending limit would be. I would need to keep it something reasonable, somewhere around $10,000 to $15,000 per set, as I do have this other horrible affection for classic Impalas and I am going to be buying another '62 soon. The question that I asked really applies to the direction of my collecting for the remainder of my lifetime and I knew that I would want to collect more than the '53 set when I started (which is the primary reason I am collecting it in PSA 6).

bighurt - If I did decide to take the direction of a set from each decade, I would probably go about it the way that you describe. Once things got slow on one set, I would begin picking up on another while waiting for the hard-to-find cards.

bosox - I understand your comments but I really like the Bowman sets from the early '50s. Even if they are very similar, to me, art is art. I feel the same way about Impalas from the early '60s.

sky - Before I even posted, I knew what your response would be The '67 set is definitely my favorite regular issue set from the decade.

Thanks again for all of your posts and if you can provide me any more opinions, I would appreciate it.

thegemmintman

Pinhigh, weren't you once considering the 1964 Topps Giants set? I'm disappointed that it's not on your list of choices .

Well if you must, go for your favorite set from each decade. Kids have to learn by their mistakes.

pinhigh

z, AKA thegemmintman - Yes, I was once collecting the '64 Topps Giants set and I still have the cards that I purchased. In order to see that I still like this set, you would need to read my posts carefully. Notice I said, "most likely '67 Topps" and "The '67 set is definitely my favorite regular issue issue set from the decade." Don't worry z, the Giants set is still an option

thegemmintman