Think I'm most inline with Frenchy and Bojesphob... I player collect Edgerrin and that is my utmost focus. Usually pickup a couple of boxes over the Summer/going into the season just so I have some recent stuff to trade. But, every once in a while a set will come along and I get suckered into chasing it. As to your question about how sets work, take my first set for instance:
I collected 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Gold Team Jerseys. It is a 25-card base set serial numbered to /150 with a square window jersey swatch. There are also three parallel (variation) sets- 24k with a die cut '24' window jersey swatch serial numbered /75; 24k Prime with a die cut '24' window jersey patch (usually multiple colors) swatch serial numbered /25; Black with a square window jersey swatch serial numbered /1. At the time, I was in college and couldn't chase the 24k Prime /25 or Black /1, but I after the base and 24k sets. It was a really fun chase and there was enough variation of players that I didn't have to drop $25+ on each card, but did for a couple. Same goes for non-memorabilia cards, but they tend to have way more parallels (e.g. Prizm or Topps Chrome can almost twenty varitions).
As for product, Contenders, Prestige, Prizm, Rookies and Stars, Strata all have a healthy mix of rookies. I believe Rookies and Stars is the first to have them in their pro unis; if you prefer college unis there are products that feature that, like Prestige and Contenders.
Have you setup an org yet? Trading is, in my opinion, the best thing about this hobby. Adding an Edge card to my PC via trade is always a little more satisfying- ideally the other end gets some PC and neither of us have to tap our bank accounts!
I collected 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Gold Team Jerseys. It is a 25-card base set serial numbered to /150 with a square window jersey swatch. There are also three parallel (variation) sets- 24k with a die cut '24' window jersey swatch serial numbered /75; 24k Prime with a die cut '24' window jersey patch (usually multiple colors) swatch serial numbered /25; Black with a square window jersey swatch serial numbered /1. At the time, I was in college and couldn't chase the 24k Prime /25 or Black /1, but I after the base and 24k sets. It was a really fun chase and there was enough variation of players that I didn't have to drop $25+ on each card, but did for a couple. Same goes for non-memorabilia cards, but they tend to have way more parallels (e.g. Prizm or Topps Chrome can almost twenty varitions).
As for product, Contenders, Prestige, Prizm, Rookies and Stars, Strata all have a healthy mix of rookies. I believe Rookies and Stars is the first to have them in their pro unis; if you prefer college unis there are products that feature that, like Prestige and Contenders.
Have you setup an org yet? Trading is, in my opinion, the best thing about this hobby. Adding an Edge card to my PC via trade is always a little more satisfying- ideally the other end gets some PC and neither of us have to tap our bank accounts!