Hager, strangely enough!
I'd collected cards as a kid, beginning in 1958, as I recall, and continuing through 1969, and got back into them when a younger attorney in my office used to bring his cards in from time to time, circa 1989 or 1990. He was into new cards, which were of course all the rage at that time, and I initially gravitated in that direction also, although simultaneously buying back some Mantles, Mays and Aaron cards, etc. But I really didn't know much about pre-Topps cards until Alan Hager came out with his "Guide to Rare Baseball Cards 1886 to Present," in 1993. While Mr. Hager was certainly a controversial figure in this hobby's past, the book, if one disregarded the prices he quoted, was really quite informative regarding the incredible variety of cards from days long past that were out there, along with his expressed opinion of their relative rarity (which was not always accurate, but decently within the ballpark, IMO, in most cases). I was just fascinated by these cards, and the quality photo reproduction of examples from each set that Hager included. Been buying pre-war ever since!
Happy collecting,
Larry
Last edited by ls7plus; 12-04-2011 at 03:36 PM.
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