@big_greg
I have a few mono LP”s, and decided on Ortofon’s 2M ‘inexpensive’ mono cart. I like it. I went back and forth regarding getting a phono pre with a mono switch, but after studying the theory of that vs a dedicated mono cart, went for the cart.
I think the Ortofon 2M Mono is pretty good bang for the buck. I believe I paid about $350 for it…..I think.
Of course you can spend much more. I didn’t feel it was justified in the end.