This is one of my favorites because it can be done so cheaply if you do it right. If you just go ahead and purchase a set via BIN, you’ll probably pay a about a 30-40% premium for the completed set.
If you try and put together the set a few cards at a time, you’ll end up paying about a 100% premium when you factor in shipping.
If you put the set together through an auction, you’ll probably get the best bang for your buck, but generally the most enjoyable (and satisfying) way to attack this project is through large lots and then hammering out the last 15-20 cards through trades and eBay.
The first thing you should do is identify what set you want to go after.
There’s a variety of things you should pay attention to but the most important is set size and possible short prints. If you decide to go after one of the larger Topps Sets (300 cards – 700 cards,) it’s probably worth it to buy it in huge lots or one fell swoop.
After you’ve looked at the sets you like and think are attainable, you should probably establish a budget and stick to it. Make sure attaining your set is feasible because there’s nothing worse than setting a $200 budget and only getting 3/4s of the cards before you’re up shit’s creek without a paddle.
There are some super sets to target that you can knock out for under $50 and then there are sets where the sky’s the limit. Even some of the pricier sets can be knocked out in mediocre condition for a few hundred bucks. At the very least, every collection should have one vintage set. For the price of a mediocre quarterback rookie card, you can knock out a late-70s set! For the price of a good quarterback’s rookie card autograph, you can knock out basically any set that you want!
GREAT TARGETS
1984 is always a popular option because it looks sharp and it’s generally very, very cheap. With Dan Marino, John Elway, Jackie Slater, Dwight Stephenson, Russ Grimm, Roger Craig, Darrell Green, Howie Green and Eric Dickerson appearing as rookie cards, it’s hard not to shell over 50-75 bucks for a pre-completed set at auction.
1982 isn’t quite as sexy as 1984, but it’s got some charm and it’ll come in around 25 bucks! We’re talking Cris Collinsworth, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz, and the typical “Pennant” design. The cards feel pretty cheap and most of the key rookies can be had for under $3.00 if you just want to go after that. It’s one of the better sets to attack if you’re on a serious budget but the color and contrast doesn’t really stand out.
1978 I put this bad boy together and it wasn’t all that pricey. The key cards are Tony Dorsett and John Stallworth, but the selling point is the gorgeous photos. I wasn’t alive or even thought about in ’78, so I thoroughly enjoyed going back and checking out the Afros, Mullets, and porn star mustaches. It featured a pretty good mix of superstars and occurred a couple years after Payton hit the league, so it’s chalked full of Walter Payton inserts. The 1977 and 1978 sets seemed to encompass two generations and the superstar checklist is worth the 30 or so bucks it’ll set you back.
1976 Another great mid-70s set that features the big one (Walter Payton) along with Randy White, Ed Too Tall Jones, Jack Lambert and big bold photography. 1976 is definitely one of the sets that you’ll want to go for a couple big starter sets and then grab the big cards individually. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to put everything together for about $50 and then grab the Payton of your choosing.
1975 was yet another great and relatively affordable set, but unfortunately it didn’t borrow from the EPIC 1975 Topps Baseball set. The photography can get a bit sketchy, but you can get large chunks of this set at very reasonable prices. Dan Fouts, Drew Pearson, Lynn Swann all appear as rookies. It’s another pennant set, with a huge area for the photograph.
1973 is a quintessential 70s set with a rather interesting flag tail on the left hand side. It’s pretty bland, but the kitsch kinda does something for me. Ken Stabler, Ken Anderson, Art Shell, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Dan Dierdorf, Jack Youngblood, and Jack Tatum all show up as rookies in this set. It’s a big ol’ set at 528 cards, but it’s definitely do-able if you can find the right lots. Lots without the stars are steals and the stars are pretty cheap to pick up individually. Great set to chase.
1972 is a great HOF rookie set, but honestly, Roger Staubach really drives up the price. I omitted Montana’s rookie year set because of this, but the ’72 set offers you Ted Hendricks, Larry Little, John Riggins, Jim Plunkett, Charlie Joiner, Eugene Upshaw and Ron Yary.
1971 is a great set to attack with Terry Bradshaw headlining the set but Willie Lanier, Ken Houston and Joe Greene all show up too. This set is absolutely jam-packed full of color and is one of the better looking high contrast sets out there. It’s a bit pricier than the previous sets, but it’s definitely worth it.
1970 actually speaks for itself. It features O.J. Simpson’s rookie card, but the circular photograph and yellowish woody background really sells the set. It’s really a great looking set, but it’ll run you a pretty penny.
1969 One of my favorites and it’s incredibly bright and I highly recommend it. There’s no *huge* rookie card which makes the set incredibly affordable. I think if I had to recommend one set, bang for the buck, this would be it.
1966 Philadelphia. This one’s a weird one because the commons are dirt cheap. The only cards people want are Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. You can get good sized lots on the cheap and put this set together for relatively cheap before you get into the Sayers and Butkus Rookies.
1965 Tall Boy Set. This will cost you an arm and a leg. I went into it yesterday.
1965 Philadelphia. Paul Krause, Mel Renfro, Dick LeBeau, Paul Warfield, and Charley Taylor, Carl Eller, and Lamar Lundy. It can get a bit pricey.
1963 Very high contrast with some great rookie cards. Bob Lilly, Larry Wilson, Willie Wood, Ray Nitschke are the money cards and their very unique design draws in the collectors.
1963 Fleer. Big boys set. Lance Alworth and Len Dawson. Can get very pricey.
1962 Definitely worth the money and with all of the short prints (or if you want to view it the other way, a handful of double prints) it’s a blast. The black border makes for impossible grades and putting together this bad boy can get pricey.
Around 1965, the sets really start to get very expensive to put together, but you can do it if you just buy a few cheap lots at a time.
When it comes to 1959 Topps it might be one of my favorite sets of all time. It’s simple and has great contrast with an insane line-up. 1959 is obviously overshadowed by 1958 that features Jimmy Brown, gorgeous color and more circular photography. Then, there is the set to end all sets in both design and line-up. Putting together the 1957 set is a chore and it’ll be very, very expensive. Reymond Berry, Johnny Unitas, Paul Hornung, Tommy McDonald and Dick Lane headline the set. It’s just a beast. Everything I’ve said about the 1957 set also applies to the 1956 set: Rosie Brown, Joe Schmidt, Lenny Moore and Bill George all appear in the 1956 set.
Then, after the ’55 All American Set, you’re into the Bowman years and these — I know from experience — can get very, very expensive. You’re able to acquire commons in good sized lots and they’re definitely worth it, but when you start getting into the rookie cards, you’re in trouble.
In my opinion, the 1950 Bowman Set is the set to put together and the 1952 Bowman (large and small) both have huge followings. If you don’t want to kill yourself, might I suggest going for the 1951 set. It’s small, but it doesn’t feature too many key rookies (Landry and Van Brocklin will hurt) but it’s very attainable and absolutely gorgeous.
