Vintage Set Collecting 101

Set collecting is a corner stone for the vintage hobby enthusiast. Chasing a complete set one cards at a time, digging through value bins at card shows, and scrolling eBay and Facebook for those last few cards you need are some of the joys collectors have grown to love in vintage set collecting.

I grew my audience in the hobby by documenting my journey collecting the 1954 Topps set, and educating people along the way on the history the set brings with it.

(Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, @Bonkerscards, to see videos like these!)

I learned through this experience the challenges and opportunities that come with vintage set collecting, and I wanted to share some of the lessons I learned when building a complete vintage set.

Lesson #1: Buy in Bulk lots to start.

I made the mistake of not buying a starter lot to kick off my '54 Topps set. The main reason I say it's important to buy a starter lot is that it not only saves you time, but it saves you money.

I would recommend trying to buy in bulk lots of 20+ cards at a time until you are at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the way there.

Once you reach 2/3 of the set complete, if you buy in bulk lots you'll start to accumulate too many doubles and have to start worry about selling most of the cards you are buying.

(That being said, as you grow more familiar with what set you are building, if you see a deal - take it. You can make a small profit and push that back into building your set!)

Lesson #2: Be Patient.

This especially goes for collectors who are chasing cards in a set for a particular grade or above. Unless you are chasing ultra-high quality cards, (Grade 7-10) there will be plenty of cards for you to chase in your set.

For example if you are looking for a 1954 Gil Hodges card and want a grade 5, you may search EBay and have just one result for $250.

However if we go to the "Sold" listings of this same card, we will see that SGC 5s of this card have sold for much cheaper in the past.

Be patient, and you will get much better prices.

(these were some AWESOME steals to whoever snagged these!)

Lesson 3: Tell your card friends to look out for your set.

Some of my best buys when building my complete 1954 set came from listings that my card buddies had sent me.

You can't possibly have your eyes and ears open 24/7 on Ebay, Facebook groups, TikTok, card shows, etc. Letting your friends know that you are looking for a specific card adds more of a chance of you landing the cards you are looking.

(Just remember to return the favor when they tell you what cards they're after!)

Lesson 4: Have fun with it - it's not about the $$$.

Ultimately at the end of the day, the most affordable way to obtain a complete set is to buy one that is already completed.

But what's the fun in that?

Piecing together your collection, telling the stories of how you found each card, and seeing your process build over time for a complete set run is what makes set-building so fun.

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And speaking of complete sets!

I have some exciting news to share - we will be doing another HUGE set break!

This specific set we will be breaking has all 250/250 cards graded by PSA, and currently ranks within the top 100 highest ranked complete sets known to exist in the PSA registry data base, with an Average weighted card grade of PSA 6.

•The names and players in this set need no introduction, with the highlights of the set including:

1954 Hank Arron PSA 4 Rookie Card

1954 Jackie Robinson PSA 5

1954 Willie Mays PSA 4

1954 Al Kaline PSA 4 Rookie Card

1954 Ernie Banks PSA 4MC Rookie Card

1954 Ted Williams #1 PSA 4

1954 Ted Williams #250 PSA 4

1954 Duke Snider PSA 7MC

1954 Jim Gilliam PSA 8

1954 Yogi Berra PSA 5

1954 Tom Lasorda PSA 4

1954 Warren Spahn PSA 8OC

1954 Gil Hodges PSA 5.5

1954 Ed & John O'Brien PSA 6

1954 Larry Doby PSA 5

1954 Whitey Ford PSA 5

1954 Ed Mathews PSA 5

1954 Phil Rizzuto PSA 6

1954 Monte Irvin PSA 6

•Not mentioned in the list above are still plenty of stars from the 50's, many cards still holding great value. (Names such as Billy Martin, Richie Ashburn, Bill Skowron, Bob Turley, Preacher Roe, and Hoyt Wilhelm come to mind!)

The Full List of Grades Goes as Follows:

PSA 4: 4 cards

PSA 5: 11 cards

PSA 6: 131 cards

PSA 6.5: 11 cards

PSA 7: 78 cards

PSA 7.5: 2 cards

PSA 8: 9 cards

PSA 4MC: 1

PSA 7MC: 1

PSA 8 OC: 1

•Once all 250 Card Slots are filled, we will be doing a LIVE stream using a randomizer tool to randlomly assign all particiapants into the break their card!

•Each spot guarentees a card from this complete PSA graded set, with some extra bonuses included when you buy multiple spots!

•Buy your spots now and reserve for a shot at the GRAND PRIZE, Hank Aaron PSA 4 Rookie Card valued at $5,000!

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PRICING:

(Includes shipping, bubble mailer w/ tracking)

1 Spot: $120

2 Spots: $240

3 Spots: $350 ($10 off)

5 Spots: $500 ($100 off!)

Any spots purchased above 5 will be $100 / spot.

Payment preferably through Venmo or PayPal

Venmo: @Gordy-Bonker (Friends and Family)

PayPal: Gbonks123@gmail.com (F&F)

You can also purchase through the website here:

https://www.bonkerscards.co/product-page/1954-topps-complete-set-break-250-250-psa-graded

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AND THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS!

For all of those that don't hit one of the big cards I listed above, I will be doing 3 additional FREE raffles for those that entered and did not win a HOF.

The raffles will be as followed:

EVERYONE who enters the break and doesn't win a HOF: 1967 Willie Mays BVG 4.5

Everyone who enters the break buying 2+ spots and doesn't win a HOF: 1967 Mickey Mantle SGC 3

Everyone who enters the break buying 5+ spots and doesn't win a HOF:

1955 Hank Aaron SGC 3.5

I will also be posting updates on how many spots we sell on our community Facebook Page (which is free to join, if you are not in it the link is HERE)

And posting videos on my YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok channels. (Which if you are not subscribed to yet, please do!)

Can't wait to see who brings home my Holy Grail, the 1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie, and please email me or DM me with any questions or comments from this week's blog!