The Only 1969 Topps Ernie Banks Card In The World
 

Thanks to Leon and all the Net 54 attendees for letting me tell my story at the Friday night Net 54 National Convention party about, "The Only 1969 Topps Ernie Banks Card In The World." I'll be at booth 1119 Sunday with the card if you want to see it. If you can't make it, I'll post a scan for your enjoyment as soon as I can get logged in to my photo hosting site :mad:.

Peace,
Mark Arentsen

For those of us who couldn't be there, what's the story? Title has me intrigued.

Like to hear the story.

Like to hear it too.

It was a 1/1 that took him years to work out a trade using a Card of a HOFer as bait, if my memory is correct.

Story and scans coming Monday night. Time for some well-deserved rest from a busy, but fun National. :)

It was a childhood story about a
trade for a 1969 Ernie Banks that
he still owns. Matty Alou #490
made it into the story somehow also.

Mark was one of the only dealer I
saw in the whole convention that
had a point-of-sale system to ring
up his customers. I was impressed.

The Picture and The Story
 

I was ten years old in 1969 and years later I was given the duty to carry on and tell the story of, "The Only Ernie Banks Card In The World."

Out in Illinois farm country, about 1 1/2 hours southwest of Chicago, Craig O. had the only Ernie Banks card in the world (1969 Topps #20). At least that's how all of us kids thought. No one else had an Ernie Banks card and Ernie was KING in our little neck of Cubs country. Everyone tried to trade for it, but without success. I think Craig got great pleasure from being The Big Man On Campus, keeping the card with him at school and on the bus. He beat it up pretty bad too. It didn't matter.

Six years later, I was buying 1975 packs of cards, building a set, and Craig learned I was still collecting cards. He asked if we could do some trading as he wanted a Mike Schmidt card. We put together a trade and I got the 1969 Banks from him. I was thrilled! This was before I learned there was an organized hobby. All I knew of at the time was the Card Collector's Company.

It wasn't too much longer until I learned about the Chicagoland Sports Collector's Association shows and found a nicer copy of the 1969 Banks.

Brad B., a neighbor down the road, was just getting serious about cards and he wanted the beat-up Banks. So, we made a trade, but he didn't keep the card for long as he upgraded and then traded it to Mark S. The card stayed with him until the late 1990's.

Mark met Ernie Banks at a downtown Chicago appearance and had him autograph the card. Ernie was taken aback, "Do you really want me to sign this card?" Without going into the history of the card, Mark explained that it would mean a lot if he would. And so Ernie signed the card in black ball point pen.

Shortly thereafter, Mark gave the card to me to keep, saying it was only appropriate that I have it as I knew the history of the card going back to the spring of 1969. And so, I'm the keeper of the flame, so to speak. I treasure the card and think fondly of my collecting childhood and The Only Ernie Banks Card In The World.:D

<a href="http://imgbox.com/HT7jFpVQ" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/9f/73/HT7jFpVQ_t.jpg" alt="image host"/></a> <a href="http://imgbox.com/Lq0bpboE" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/f1/37/Lq0bpboE_t.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>

I finished my storytelling with how my 7 year old brother thought Matty Alou (1969 card #490) was Japanese. To a little kid, I could see how he might think that from Matty's expression on the card.

Later in 1975 while I was opening up packs, my brother was looking at each card and came upon Al Downing and then next Brian Downing. My brother explained, "Oh look, you got brothers." Ah, childhood innocence. Yes, brothers in a greater way.

<a href="http://imgbox.com/xwzQWLD5" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/1f/a1/xwzQWLD5_t.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>

Finally, I recounted how I always was getting Phil Roof cards in the packs, but never a Hank Aaron.

Thanks again to everyone for allowing me to reminisce. :)

Mark Arentsen

Great Story! Thanks for sharing!

I assume you never got a card of Phil Roof's brother, Babe? :rolleyes:

Love the story. Thank you for sharing.

If anyone ever finds a beat up 1981 George Brett with something written on the back in black crayon I would pay dearly for it. That card would be my equivalent.

Great story, thanks for sharing, again!

Finally, a nice card collecting story.

Good one!

This reminds me of when I sent a TTM request to Bobby Thomson when I was 10 or 11 and, in the request letter, I wrote how impressed I was with his son...Robby Thompson. Both named Robert and played with the Giants; 'p' be damned!

Thanks for sharing! Ernie Banks has always been one of my favorites. Greatly appreciated!

There are, of course, a plethora of great collecting stories. The way Mark told this was wonderful and I'm sure I'm not the only one who asked him to bring the card with him going forward to keep the story alive.

Rich

- certainly a breath of fresh air amidst all the other stuff we cannot seem to avoid...even here.

MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Wonderful story, and truly an historic card!

Thanks for sharing.