Prewar and Modern Question
 

As a lifelong collector, I typically collect vintage and prewar, but I also enjoy some modern cards (Dodgers mostly). Who else collects prewar and modern cards? Just curious. Thanks!

BC

Guilty as charged
 

Given some of the prices for vintage pieces these days, over the last couple of years, I’ve turned to collecting some of the heroes of my youth, which can be had in top grades for a comparative song.

And as an added bonus, the collector’s rush is almost as good, even knowing that they’re neither rare nor likely to ever appreciate much.

Although as a hardcore Giants fan, I avoid those Dodgers like the plague.

I must admit, even as a lifelong Dodgers fan, my favorite player to collect in the 90s was Will The Thrill Clark.

I like both. Time to stock up on James Outman cards if you're a Dodgers fan!

I too am guilty, and an undisciplined repeat offender.

After years, I have finally completed the Metro Studio Cardinals sepia prints... mainly due to the kindness of a fellow collector / board member. Mahalo!

I keep gathering a few of those dear white border tobacco cards. Making some progress with W572s (I like those little cards) and E254s (pics of early ball players, with origins in my home state of Kentucky).

And then I find myself buying at least a Topps Cardinals team set each year, and maybe some of the Cardinals Topps Now cards. I have myself a Jordan Walker card :)))))

And, I still bid on those Topps 2004 numbered ___ / 1955 cards of Albert Pujols cards.
At the end of last season, I ordered a pair of upper deck cheap seat tickets for each of the Pirates last 3 home games... against the Cardinals at the end of the season. Then gosh golly... I have 3 pair of tickets, Pujols hit his last regular season home run, #703, on that next to last game I think... that may be a good investment in 4 1/2 years if he's getting elected into The Hall.

Doc, a friend of mine was right, when he told me I wasn't a baseball fan. I knew it had to be a jest, but he was serious. He then told me that he and I weren't baseball fans; we were fans of 19th and 20th century baseball, but not this 21st century version. He's about right.

I still like that first edition of Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract...

For sure...Don't miss the boat...

Go Rockies!

I collect both

I like this kid.

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I collect all over the place. I find the most joy collecting Barry Larkin because his prices don't bring my wife's wrath upon me. KGJ is slightly more expensive but still manageable. But $200 for a Reds player from 1939....my wife thinks that's stupid.

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Nice Tim!

Me Too. He’s slotted to be our future DH. Mashes HRs like its going out of style

Cheers

Thank you Frank.
Right there with ya.

Ben

"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

Being my first post hoping no rules broken. Enjoy both as doing has my grandson also I discuss and bond over what is new.

I collect vintage, mostly pre-war, and modern as well. I collect players I like- Trout, Acuna, Soto, Mahomes…


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I just bought a Derrick Henry card. Sometimes I like modern, er, the Dark Side.

For the ultra-modern, it's just Cubs. I only add one player representative card to the collection once they've played long enough (or bought early, speculating) to be considered a Cubs notable/good/great. Cost is so insane on the new shiny stuff that I don't open a lot of packs or boxes these days. The buy-in to the casino is too high and I'd rather just buy the single I want. I can buy a medium-to-high end example bypassing the pack busting gamble.

I have another very broad graded 1950-2011 collection of notable/good/great players (no dupes for players) that's near complete because I'm waiting for my price, not just adding cards for the hell of it. 418 cards currently with another 20-ish I want to add (and maybe more to discover). It's full of no-doubters and "oh yeah, that guy was good" types. It used to end at 2001 (the Pujols/Ichiro era of ballcard re-excitement), but there's a lot going on with Bowman 1st and other stuff worth taking it through 2011. It may expand in the future, but I'm not even considering it right now.

I know this is boring, but I buy a Topps factory set every year. I pick up a few packs here and there. I also spend way too much time on the Bunt app.

If you're looking to break some wax just to scratch that itch, then I've found that you can buy a whole lot of junk era wax for less than it would have cost you when it was new.

Not the same as buying the fresh stuff, but it can still bring back a decent flood of memories from the glory days. That and I've re-learned just how rare it is to find a perfectly centered 1987 Topps card with no other flaws right out of the pack. Heck, even 45/55 centering is hard to find!

I think my wife would kill me if I brought more junk wax into the house. I did a few clean-outs and sold/gave-away a ton of the stuff during the pandemic hobby surge. It's nice to have that space back.

I'll buy a few blasters or packs every now and then. The hobby boxes are getting more rare for me to purchase even on a year-to-year basis, and it's been like that for a decade+.

I generally go for something crazy/fun like the modern Allen and Ginter to open just for the fun of it. Snagged 3 hobby boxes this year (first hobby boxes in many years) and traded to put together a set.

I pulled an Alice Cooper auto and promptly sold it while the price was still hot. That said, this is why I don't bust stuff even though I technically "won" the gamble. The Cooper auto paid for the cost of almost all 3 boxes, but I pulled a high-end desirable card I didn't even want. I got nothing against Cooper, but I like $325 more than I like Alice Cooper autographs.

The last two years I bought in on one single player: 2021 Jonathan India; 2022 Julio Rodriguez. India prices decreased significantly. JRod prices skyrocketed and now I can't justify buying anymore.

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I love me son Oliver, who collects modern. I am his benefactor and I like having a hobby together. As a result, I indirectly collect some modern (through Oliver). My rules are simple -- only blue chip players/positions and only quality products, ideally with a signature on card, and NO base cards. At this point, his collection is substantial enough that he wheels and deals on his own at shows, but sometimes I need to kick in. Right now he is collecting Mbappe, Giannas (I wont event try his last name), Trout, and many of the good young QBs.

Funny, true story -- a couple years ago, at the Philly show, I argued with him over some red wave, prizm bullshit rookie card of Jonathan Taylor, which was around $900. Here is the conversation:

Me: "You want an RB? I will buy you the best Walter Payton Rookie we can find for $900".
Oliver: "But if Taylor wins MVP his card will be worth double ($1,800)."
Me: "Well, If that happens, will you sell the card"?
Oliver: "Yes"
Me: "And what will you do with the money"?
Oliver: "Buy a real nice Walter Payton Rookie"

No Joke -- insert guy with hand on his head and guy shrugging shoulders emoji

Me, no way Jose do I buy modern, and to me, modern is anything newer than 1980. In fact, almost everything I own is at least 100 years old.

I am collecting one card, original photo or autograph for every Yankee player

I collect modern cards of top tier HOF players.

Superfractors and other 1/1’s of Cobb, Jackie, Aaron. Throw some Tony Gwynn in there too.

Modern? Only if they throw a no-no.

A lot of our members collector the new stuff. I started out doing HOF rookie cards, about 25+ yrs ago. That included all years. Then when I was more educated I drifted backwards to type cards.

1941 Wheaties (shown before)

https://luckeycards.com/pf272unc1941dimaggio.jpg

Does this count?
 

Roberto Clemente is the core of my PC. The "must have " stuff for me is career contemporary. Clemente has a unique position as he actually has more cards issued posthumously than he had issued during his career. So while they are generally beyond the scope of my core collection and not "must haves", I do grab a modern/ultra modern Clemente card when it appeals to me visually.

Wow, Leon! Somehow I have never seen that before. It is completely amazing! If it ever becomes available...

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I love this photo. I see it maybe 1/year. It's mesmerizing.

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Wow, .... hmmm
admit i had to look up benefactor

ditto

My modern collecting bug goes to about the mid-1990s. After that it is strictly random. I will buy a box or two and hold the cards for several years, see if anyone emerges. Favorite modern players to collect are Jeter, Magic and Kobe, and some MJ. I really appreciate the art and photography on some of the sets. Objectively speaking, these are really nice cards:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...a%20Bryant.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Johnson.jpg

My real modern buzz these days is buying the odd box of cards at a flea market or swap meet. They aren't in packs but they are new to me so it feels like I am busting packs anyway.