First collecting book

[Econteachert205]

Post your first card collecting book. This consumer guide from 1988 when I was 6 told me to stack oddibe McDowelll rookies and valued a nm 1914 walter Johnson cj at 325 dollars.

[vthobby]

I was in NYC with my parents and my dad brought me to a BIG show at an Armory with Stan Musial signing and Aparicio. My grandfather used to tell me he sold Musial VT Maple Syrup from his farm in the 1950s. Its not that I doubted him BUT when I asked Stan about it....well he remembered by granddads name! I was hooked for life!

A little later that day we went into a book store and I found:
BECKETT SPORT AMERICANA BASEBALL CARD PRICE GUIDE NO. 1 Eckes 1979 First Edition

I was now in heaven as I looked at all the cards that I had and how they were worth more in better shape etc... My best card at the time was a 1953 Topps Campy which I won in a card game/flipping. The guide had it at $15 or so and now I really had a purpose!

Thanks again, good topic.

Mike

[brian1961]

I know you said book, and around 73-74 I got a paperback copy of Boyd and Harris's THE GREAT AMERICAN BASEBALL BUBBLE GUM TRADING FLIPPING SAVING CARD BOOK. I appreciate their humor much more now than I did as a youth. But they also included some absolutely priceless lines that impressed me then as now. I will misquote them, but I loved their mention of the bubble gum dust that got all over everything, and that you couldn't get a Ted Williams--no matter how hard you tried, and you could never NOT get a (forgotten common player named) no matter how hard you tried.

-----That maybe the trouble with Tom Tresh was that they made his pants too long!

-----That in the early 1950s there was this baseball card, badly wanted and now gotten, and it was one of the last things the author touched before he contracted some very contagious disease. The card HAD to be burned. Twenty years later and he abruptly wishes not to talk about it anymore.

-----Then there was the memory of Robin Roberts when he starred for the Phillies. The Phils were stinkin' by the mid-50s, but if Robin was scheduled to pitch in Philly, you couldn't even get a general admission ticket to see last place Pittsburgh!

-----And of course the terse observation of the 1958 Topps Whammy Douglas card: something to the effect---the name, the look on his mug, somebody has GOT to be putting us on!

Good book.

Be that as it may, my favorite "book" was probably my first issue of "THE SPORT HOBBYIST" from about FALL, 1971. Published by Charles Brooks, with much help from Frank Nagy, it was loaded (in its few pages) with vintage card articles and photos.

Residing within its pages was the gem about the DeLong Gum Company set by Lionel Carter. I must have devoured that one piece 7 times, loving it every time!!!!

Great topic. Keep 'em coming, guys! --Brian Powell

[Gary Dunaier]

Three things stand out in my mind from Boyd and Harris:

I don't remember who, but there were, I think, three players who Boyd and Harris said 'should never ever be allowed out of the house without their mothers.'

In the introduction, they talk about interviewing Sy Berger and mention that he was on a water diet. They quote him as saying something to the effect that he's even gotten to like the stuff.

And at the end of the introduction, they made this sobering comment (paraphrased): 'Please don't write and tell us how even the worst player in this book is 100 times better than either of us. We know. We tried.'

[DaClyde]

Does this count?



Otherwise my first actual book was one of the old Beckett "Official Price Guide" pocket books. I think it was the 1986 edition, I seem to recall Pete Rose being prominent on the cover. Pretty sure I tossed it ages ago.

[jerseygary]

Early 80's there was a wire bound color glossy book of classic baseball cards - for some reason I think it said something like "by the Editors of the Consumer Reports" or something like that? Anyway, cards kind of spread around over a wooden background on all the pages. I remember seeing a 1955 Bowman wrapper in it and being captivated by it. Beautiful book and looking at all the tobacco and Goudey cards solidified my life-long interest in pre-war cards.

My brother ripped it up in a fit of teenage rage and it was gone forever. I look in all the used book stores, but have never found another copy. I'd give anything for a copy of that book again...

[darkhorse9]

Goodnight, Sibby Sisti...wherever you are

[SteveMitchell]

The 1960 American Card Catalog was my first card collecting book purchase. I bought the book in the mid-1960s from the Card Collector's Co. (Woody Gelman) of Franklin Square, N.Y.

Prior to my purchase I had received CCC's little annual catalog for several years and subscribed off-and-on to "The Card Collector" when it was published by CCC and later Jim Zap (of Chicago), but the ACC was my single largest purchase from that pioneer hobby company. Cost I believe was about $5 with shipping about 50 cents. (It was a pretty big commitment for a mid-teenager who could have picked up 40-50 T206s for the same money.)

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed. Having been familiar with the detail of coin collecting catalogs (specifically the venerable "red book" by Yeoman), the ACC offered little information (and fewer pictures) about a lot of sets. I used it once to attempt to attempt to deal with a local Maine antique dealer but discovered he knew less about how to use the ACC than I did!

For me, Bert Sugar's Sport Collector's Bible (circa 1975) was the first really useful book for general baseball/sports collectors.

[ooo-ribay]

This one shows a bunch of stuff that particularly interests me....pins, pennants, bobbin' heads, etc. I still dig it out occasionally.

[sox1903wschamp]

Still refer to this from time to time.

[darkhorse9]

I actually have a goal of getting every card featured in the Great American Baseball card Flipping Trading and Bubble Gum book.

I only need about 40 more. The only tougher one will be the 1952 Bobby Thompson since it's a high number.

All the rest on my list are mostly commons.

[brob28]

Originally Posted by vtgmsc

I was in NYC with my parents and my dad brought me to a BIG show at an Armory with Stan Musial signing and Aparicio. My grandfather used to tell me he sold Musial VT Maple Syrup from his farm in the 1950s. Its not that I doubted him BUT when I asked Stan about it....well he remembered by granddads name! I was hooked for life!

A little later that day we went into a book store and I found:
BECKETT SPORT AMERICANA BASEBALL CARD PRICE GUIDE NO. 1 Eckes 1979 First Edition

I was now in heaven as I looked at all the cards that I had and how they were worth more in better shape etc... My best card at the time was a 1953 Topps Campy which I won in a card game/flipping. The guide had it at $15 or so and now I really had a purpose!

Thanks again, good topic.

Mike

Mike, this is the same 1st book I had as well. I spent hours looking through it, great memories.

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by brob28

Mike, this is the same 1st book I had as well. I spent hours looking through it, great memories.

I had a quick question on your want lists.......do I read that right in that there are 37 different back variations on T206s? Also, which 2 cards are you missing for 1961 Topps? What condition are you looking for? In my younger days I completed a nm/mt set and foolishly sold it prior to the grading craze. I love that set!

Take care, mike

[ZachS]

Originally Posted by jerseygary

Early 80's there was a wire bound color glossy book of classic baseball cards - for some reason I think it said something like "by the Editors of the Consumer Reports" or something like that? Anyway, cards kind of spread around over a wooden background on all the pages. I remember seeing a 1955 Bowman wrapper in it and being captivated by it. Beautiful book and looking at all the tobacco and Goudey cards solidified my life-long interest in pre-war cards.

My brother ripped it up in a fit of teenage rage and it was gone forever. I look in all the used book stores, but have never found another copy. I'd give anything for a copy of that book again...

This one? I had this book back in the day.

[swarmee]

My firs pack was a 1986 topps, but didn't start really collecting until 1988 Topps. Ugh! Ugliest set ever. Also, everyone remember the 1990 Donruss "line through name" variations?
But here's a TUFF STUFF I found going through old boxes and their assessments of the future value of 1988-1991 Topps sets:

[jerseygary]

Yes! That's the book! I read on Bob Lempke's blog that he actually wrote the thing. Man, I really wish I could find a moderately priced copy of that, but no luck anywhere so far.

[/QUOTE]

[toppcat]

The one that started it all....

[ZachS]

Originally Posted by jerseygary

Yes! That's the book! I read on Bob Lempke's blog that he actually wrote the thing. Man, I really wish I could find a moderately priced copy of that, but no luck anywhere so far.

Search the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) - 9780517381175

There are a couple of copies on Amazon Marketplace: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

[judsonhamlin]

Mine was "The Complete Book of Baseball Cards" by Steve Clark, circa 1977. I also tried to get all the cards pictured in the book. If I recall, there was a story in there about someone who tried to create a T206 Wagner 'batting' by attaching an E95 front to a Piedmont back...