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I started collecting Topps BB in 1971 when I was three. When my mom and dad traded-in their Ford LTD in 1976 for a Buick Electra and I did a “final check” under the back seat, I discovered a slightly bent but otherwise well-preserved Paul Blair #52. That’s how I knew when I started –- that and a few other completely trashed 1971 Topps 1st series cards that remained in my “collection.”

1977 was a watershed year. I spent all of my Little League snack bar tokens to buy Topps packs while watching all my buddies wolf-down “donuts” – fried Pillsbury rolls drenched in sugar and cinnamon (ok, ok, those "donuts" were really good!) . I completed about 90% of that set and kept the cards in decent condition (we would call it EX-MT) by storing them team-by-team in an old 24-count audio cassette holder. I remember particularly favoring the Blue Jays and Mariners cards given the exotic “inaugural season” status of those teams – although looking at the stats on the backs of those cards all their players seemed to suck.