Vintage set building is a labor of love–there’s no other way to describe it. The sifting and sorting is relaxing. The thrill of the hunt is definitely a collector’s impulse. And finishing a tough set can be very rewarding.

But let’s face it: it’s cheaper to just buy a completed set. You’re building a set for the love of the game–but that doesn’t mean you want to flush money down the drain either. So here are some vintage set building tips while I’m fresh off of completing a gorgeous ex-mt 1971 Topps set.

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So, I’m not typically a set builder. Until recently, the last set I built was 1982 Topps . . . from packs, age 9! I’m a minimalist collector–and don’t love commons–and get frustrated with SP’s and high numbers. So let’s build a 1971 Topps set, right? It’s a huge set, with plenty of the aforementioned frustrations.

Why 1971 Topps?

I recently purchased a nice haul of partial sets locally: 1969-72, 74, and 75. These were clearly built from vending boxes back in the day, and perhaps purchased as completes from dealers. Zero dupes. They had been cherry-picked for stars, but plenty of HOF remained. The condition of all was just uncommonly strong, with some averaging NM.

I sold most of the partials for a tidy profit, which allowed me to keep a gorgeous, 90% complete 1971 lot. They are so hard and expensive to round up in this condition, I just couldn’t part with it. It’s as close to iconic as anything from the 1970’s.  So I took on the task of finishing it–which just happened today, with the arrival of this guy:

So while it’s all still fresh, I wanted to make a quick list of vintage set building tips that I used to help me finish this set fairly efficiently and economically.

10 Vintage Set Building Tips:

1. Build what you love. If you’re not committed, you probably won’t finish it.
2. Find a great starter lot. Buying smaller lots means dupes, and wasted time and effort.
3. Track your progress. Find an existing set checklist, build an Excel sheet, whatever. But organization is key.
4. Be consistent with condition. I think you’ll be happier with a set that’s fairly consistent start to finish. But . . .
5. Pick your spots to compromise. I was aiming for ex-mt average, but settled for some high-appeal 5-5.5 to fill in.
6. Seize opportunities to fill it out. If you find a great binder at a show, take your time.
7. Make trades. The best way to finish a set on a budget is to trade your own dupes.
8. Find an expert. I have friends who are ’71 wizards, and their expertise saved me time and money.
9. Scour social media. I frequent a couple of different Facebook groups that specialize in 1971’s: 1971 Topps Elite Collectors and 1970-1974 Topps Baseball Collectors. I landed many needs in each.
10. eBay as a last resort. I did buy a half-dozen cards on the ‘Bay, which usually means higher prices. Have some patience and watch auctions instead of plunking down for silly BIN prices.

What Are Your Strategies?

Like I said, I’m a set-building rookie. Let’s hear from some real pros! Add comments below and I’ll include them in a revision sometime. And as always, if you enjoy our all-vintage content, please join Cardhound (there’s a free option!) to be added to our list for the newsletter, giveaways, Forum access, discounts and promos, and more!