Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve D
I started collecting seriously in 1975. The first one I remember "taking off" was the 1979 Bump Wills variations. It was Topps' first major error/variation since the 1974 "Washington NL" cards of the Padres. The Bob Horner 1979 Topps RC was also popular.
After that, the Fleer variation fiasco of 1981 reared it's head, lead by the "C"raig Nettles error. The Fernando and Charboneau RCs in 1981 Topps and Fleer took off, but not really that much. It wasn't until 1984 with the Don Mattingly Donruss RC, and to a lesser extent, the Daryl Strawberry 1984 Topps and 1983 Topps Update, that things really exploded.
It was in the early 1980s, after the 1979 Wills and 1981 Nettles, along with Jim Beckett publishing his first annual price guide in 1979, that people began going back and picking up previous rookies, like Rose, Ryan, Schmidt, Aaron; pretty much everyone, and prices started going up. Card collecting hit the newstands in 1981 with Krause's Baseball Cards Magazine. Baseball Hobby News by Frank and Vivian Barning started publishing, adding to Sports Collectors' Digest and The Trader Speaks. The investor side of it began growing with columns by Tony Galovich. Then of course, the tripling of companies issuing cards (Fleer and Donruss joining Topps), certainly added to all the fun.
Steve
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THIS! I started collecting in 1975 in the Boston area. Rookie cards were not a big deal in the mid '70s. Heck, no one was even interested in Eddie Murray rookies in 1978 despite his awesome start.
But in 1979, I remember Bob Horner cards were all the rage, even in my area. Willie Wilson as well. Then, in 1980, Rickey Henderson caught fire as the season wore on because he was having such an awesome second year.
That just fueled the rookie chase every year after that... 1981 was Fernandomania, 1982 was Ripken, 1983 was Boggs and the Stawberry extended rookie. And so on and so on.