ARTICLE: How do I know which set is right for me?

[Sportnut08]

I have read many of the articles that have been posted here by Mike (soxfan), Deadshot, and MarvinGardens, and they are all GREAT. I am supposedly a "good" writer according to my parents and teachers, and enjoy doing it, and thought I'd expand on the articles here.

This article will be about choosing the set that is right for you, whether it be buying a box to build the set, or to bust it looking for certain types of cards. There is nothing like the great thrill of busting packs from a fresh box and pulling that GU patch card, autograph of your favorite player, or rookie card of the hottest prospect around.

First of all you need to decide, which kind of collector am I/do I want to be? There are many choices, and the decision is up to YOU to decide which set(s) is right for you based on your collecting wants. If you love placing that last card into your box and putting the finishing touches on a complete set,SET BUILDING is for you. Set building sets are generally lower-dollar products, and don't contain many high-end cards or RC's. There are many sets that are loaded with AUTOGRAPHS/GAME USED. If this is up your alley, you will need to shell out some extra cash for those higher-end brands that have more than one or two AUTOS or GU in a box. Probably the best investment collection, and for the most part, very affordable, is ROOKIE CARD collecting. Rookie Cards (RC's) are the first cards produced of a player and generally their most valuble regular issue cards. They are usually the first card to jump in value if a prospect makes a splash in the big leagues or if someone is having a career year, etc. You must also make sure to keep a reasonable budget. If you're a kid, it's not worth it to spend a couple months worth of allowance on rediculous $40 packs, and end up with a Dual GU card of joe blow worth $6.

Next you need to know which brands you can find these certain cards in to help your collecting interest area.

SET BUILDING-The most popular set-building set now, and from decades ago is Topps. Topps issues a nice array of star cards and low-end RC's with a very affordable price. Boxes can usually be found for under $40. Other great sets to build are Topps Total, which is a newer product Topps has launched onto the scene. At 880 cards, it is the largest set to be released each year, and is loaded with tons of affordable RC's along with nearly every player from your favorite team. Boxes of Topps Total can be found for $35 and under without a problem. Upper Deck has also been a fan favorite of set builders throughout the years. The importance of set building is actually finishing the set. A completed set carries a much higher premium over a stack of 300 commons.

AUTOGRAPHS/GAME USED-This is where your budget will really come into play. If you are looking for products loaded with GU/AUTOS of all of the games stars, HOFers, retired guys, heck, even dead guys, you are gonna have to shell out near to if not more, a nice crisp Benjamin. SP Products, such as SPx and SP Authentic usually carry odds of 2 or more AUTOS per box, including buyback autos, rookie autos, dual, triple, and quadruple autograph cards, among others. Playoff Absolute has decided to go big-time with $40 packs, and boxes costing around $200, with a guaranteed GU/AUTO per pack. This product is really a toss-up. You could end up with low #'d Dual GU/AUTOS of stars like Miguel Cabrera or Carlos Beltran, worth $80 and $60 respectively. Or a Dual GU Bat/Jersey of Craig Biggio, worth a disappointing $6. With Absolute, if you don't pull a big name auto, you're out 30 bucks or more. If you're going to take a crack at going for the big time, SP brands are your best bet. If you really want to try your luck with Absolute, a box would probably be smarter as your odds of pulling something worthwhile increase with a slightly lower price rather than buying single packs. If you're into to AUTOS/GU, another way to know which brands carry a lot of them is to look at the price tage. If it's over $100, then a good rule of thumb is that it is loaded with them.

ROOKIE CARD-This is personally my favorite method of collecting and is a great investment as well. There are MANY, MANY excellent products released each year, which carry great RC's with loads of potential. Of course Bowman, the "King of the Rookie Card," is always popular with 110 rookies in each set. Boxes of new Bowman products are generally around $50 and is well worth it with all the rookies and potential inside. Bowman Chrome contains most of the Bowman rookies in Chrome version, but is also an update set, containing a few new rookies that were missed the first time around. Boxes cost in the $80-$100 range and are laoded with as much great rookies as the regular set. Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects is an up-and-coming set that whas been around since 2000, and has quickly become one of the msot popular on the market after the 2002 set was flooded with excellent talent. Since the popularity rose so quickly, the price did too. Boxes of the new product will usually cost $70 or so, if not more, but you have to be quick to act, as boxes of 2002 BDP have shot up and now sell for $150-$200. Packs also contain 2 BDP Chrome cards, which make a great addition to your collection if the prospect pans out. Topps Traded is another high-potential prospect set, with a satisfyingly, low price tag. With 165 RC's/Prospects in the newer sets, Topps Traded is a set that could very well become bang for your buck in the near future. Boxes are very affordable in the $50 range as new releases. Topps Traded packs also carry 2 Chrome cards, as does BDP. It's always great colelecting RC brands and in a few years when someone makes it big you say to yourself, "Hey, I remember pulling his RC for Bowman Draft Picks or Topps Traded 3 years ago!" And then you're in the money!

Whether you're in collecting to make a profit or for the sheer enjoyment of it, it's always great to find the set that's right for you!

I hope this helps out those of you new to collecting that are trying to deicde which sets/brands are right for you.

Kirby

[MarvinGardens]

Great Article, Kirby!

[Deadshot]

Nice article :)

[soxfan445]

Good job! I have a new article in the works, probably will come out sometime around mid-week.

Great to see others getting into the article business!!

Regards,
Mike

[Sportnut08]

Thanks a lot guys! I thought last night about writing one about Player Collecting, then I saw Deadshot's article, so I thought this would be a nice idea as I see many people asking which are good sets to buy or which sets contain nice RC's, etc. I also wrote this at around midnight...very time consuming when I should've been sleeping, lol.

Kirby