Where were the cards for all those years?

[ZachS]

I was in the shower earlier (it's OK if you want to picture that b/c I'm a fairly sexy dude) and I was thinking "Where were the cards all those years? Who had them?"

Card collecting didn't become really big until the 1970's and 80's right? It seems like there must be millions of T206s out there and a fair amount of other pre-war sets.

So, if for all those early years... 20's, 30's, 40's, etc there really wasn't a "demand" to collect cards, where were all these cards and why did people hang on to them? It just seems to me that most of them would have been discarded as junk or slowly lost to time.

Then it makes me think that if there are so many cards still left 100+ years after the fact, then how many of these things were probably produced during the original production runs.

I'm sure there are answers to some of these questions but I think of random stuff in the shower (you can stop thinking about that now).

[timn1]

A whole lot of them were thrown out during those decades, but a bunch were sitting in Grampa's attic, which is why that story still works on some folks.

Seriously, in 1973, when I was 14, my uncle (born 1922) gave me all his childhood cards from the 1930s, which he had kept in attics etc for all the intervening years. It worked that way for a while. Now "Grampa's Attic" is mostly an ebay scam, although once in a while there really is a find--

Tim

[mattsey9]

A whole lot of them were thrown out during those decades, but a bunch were sitting in Grampa's attic, which is why that story still works on some folks.

Seriously, in 1973, when I was 14, my uncle (born 1922) gave me all his childhood cards from the 1930s, which he had kept in attics etc for all the intervening years. It worked that way for a while. Now "Grampa's Attic" is mostly an ebay scam, although once in a while there really is a find--

Tim

It happened to me too. I was ten years old in 1979 when my father took me downstairs in the basement of his parents' house and gave me his collection of 58 & 59 Topps cards he'd saved as a kid. I only wish my grandfather had kept cards when he was younger. He tells me he remembers seeing the Goudey cards of the 30's when he was a boy, but they just threw them away and kept the candy.

[vintagecpa]

I believe fewer of them were thrown away than was originally believed. As we have seen with the huge population of cards from the 50's and 60's on Ebay, Mom must have secretly sold all those missing shoebox of cards vs throwing them out. What blows me away is how many high-grade examples exist.

[jbhofmann]

I dont buy the "throw out" story much. Those "depression era" folks didn't throw away anything!

[GasHouseGang]

I dont buy the "throw out" story much. Those "depression era" folks didn't throw away anything!

While that's true, there were paper drives during WWII that should have claimed lots of the old cards. I would think especially the 1930's cards as they would have been viewed as too new to be worth keeping.

[ZachS]

Those "depression era" folks didn't throw away anything!

That is an excellent point. A lot of those people probably didn't have many possessions to begin with so they held on to what they had.

[steve B]

Just like today there were people who threw away pretty much anything not immediately useful, and some who didn't. And nearly every variation in between.

What didn't happen as much was people buying stuff. Without the range of retail, or internet combined with yes, some leftover attitudes from the depression, there wasn't as much stuff to compete for any available storage space. Even furniture wasn't bought for price, but for value and it was expected to last a lifetime or more.

Lots of times stuff simply got stuffed in a box and stored.

When that stuff has less value than the memories, OR less than the time to look for it, it stays stored.
A bunch of stuff went to paper drives during WWII, or might have been burned for heat during the 30's (Just like Goudey did in the 60's)

A lot of stuff that survived started being found in the 70's and especially early 80's when the few dealers started placing wanted ads and some taking out bigger ads for buying trips.
Suddenly people could see that the box of cards might be worth some money. Most ads showed the Wagner and had a buy price of 1000+ . Even finding out T206s might be worth $1 each brought out a few collections. A stack of a hundred or two would cover a LOT of bills or maybe even a mortgage payment. (I knew a few people who had payments under a hundred in the late 70's, even with fairly high interest rates. )

Other sports took a few years to catch up. I bought a batch of Football, basketball and hockey 1970-76 in maybe 1986. Half sets or better of everything plus loads of extras including stars. I had to nag the dealer for a price, he kept saying " nah, you don't want that stuff it's worthless" Finally got a price of $20 and didn't even try to bargain, just bought it.

I also picked up a shoebox full of late 60's cards from one of Moms coworkers. Not as good, but not bad. One kid was pretty hard on the cards, the other kept them in great condition. - So 65-7 were creased, taped, and a few had beards or moustaches added while the 69-71 cards were really nice. Cheap, because she kept the kids favorite players(Mantle, Mays, probably a couple others.)

Someday, maybe in about 20+ years you can expect "finds" of late 80's stuff. What doesn't get tossed will survive stored simply because it's not worth the effort to drag it out of the attic/basement.

Steve B

[irishdenny]

While that's true, there were paper drives during WWII that should have claimed lots of the old cards. I would think especially the 1930's cards as they would have been viewed as too new to be worth keeping.

I believe that this is true & nearest to what history would have us to logically believe. The paper drives for the World Wars were nation wide & done with such prideful detail. Thus, the reason for "Finds" today! Upholstered into the backs of chairs, Hidden Farm House Walls, Trunks in Ranch Lofts & Finally... GranPa's Attic ;-)
They have turned uP iN So many odd places...

Many of the cards were treasured and hidden by many of our Father's Father's... They were the 1st line of the preservation act to which began & eventually became the "Collector's Age".

I believe that for the most part... It is some what of Brilliant Feat! To of made it past the paper drives of the Wars past... We are not just Collector's... We are Currier's & Preserver's of the Future of this Hobby...

[2dueces]

That is an excellent point. A lot of those people probably didn't have many possessions to begin with so they held on to what they had.

Absolutely true. My great Uncle was born in 1892. He went through the Great Depression in his prime. In the 1970's he still had every scrap of paper, every nick nack that he accumulated from the 20's. Those who went through it were certain it would happen again. Unfortunately he didn't collect cards as he chewed tobacco and didn't smoke. Some great stories though as he was an old boxer.

[Jeffrompa]

I had them all . Well a few .

[Directly]

Its 1979, three times I visited one particular Antique shop in Southern Illinois. First I had to open a little metal gate then preceded to walk up a steep flight of concrete steps to the porch and front door. The old run down three story weather wood clad house serving as the Antique shop and residence needed painting. Ringing a little buzzer, the door would open.

Otto, who had been in the Antique business most his adult life, for at least sixty years would greet me at the front door.

Having stopped by the old house several times, Otto would begin the conversation, first he had attended Harvard, next asking if there was anything in particular I may be looking for.

Like clockwork I would answer, nothing in particular, just looking.

When Otto passed away in 1989, not having any known family, city workers were directed to go to the old house and begin emptying its old junk. Its hard to imagine but they began hauling and throwing away antiques to the local city dump. When management found out they immediately stopped the madness, organizing an auction that lasted two days.

By fate it was too late for one little old antique trunk who already met the sad trip to the local city dump.

To this day I will never forget Otto asking-- anything in particular I may be looking for??

Now the rest of the story---!!!!!!!!

When the word got out about antiques being disposed, the forgotten little antique trunk was rescued by a dumpster diver.

Resting and undistrubed for all those many years he found sitting inside that little trunk over one thousand T-206 & Carmel baseball cards-----moral of the story--just ask!!!!