Prewar Cards

[kcohen]

I would think that most of us on Net54 started buying and collecting cards in the 50s, 60s, or 70s. When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, I had no idea that baseball cards actually dated as far back as the 19th century.

How long did you collect before learning of the existence of prewar cards?

[barrysloate]

I saw pictures of old cards in books as far back as the 60's and 70's, but never made the connection I could and would be collecting them one day. When I came back into the hobby in the early 80's, I discovered they were actually out there and could be purchased.

[Kawika]

When I was a kid I had absolutely no interest in cards even from the previous year. In 1957 I considered a '56 Topps worthy only of the back wheel of my bicycle. What's more I could care less then about the ballplayers themselves of the previous generation. When my dad or other kids' fathers talked about the players they saw in the '20's and '30's my eyeballs would roll. It was only Mantle, Mays and Snider as far as I was concerned. I can only kick myself now. As for awareness of other sets besides Topps (I hadn't even seen Bowmans; I was a lame kid) it wasn't until the '80's 'til the penny dropped. Saw a '33 Goudey Dean at a card shop, picked it up because I thought it was the only vintage card I'd ever see again. Wasn't until I came aboard Net54 6 or 7 years ago that I became fully aware of the myriad issues of vintage cards.

[joeadcock]

Where I live in Florida, there isn't any card shops selling prewar cards.

My first major exposure was when I found the Steve Verkman auctions through the mail. I bought some prewar there. However, when I hooked into Ebay in 2003, is when I really started buying prewar. Has been steady ever since.

Frank

[Brian Van Horn]

I started collecting in 1972 and was offered a 1909 T206 Phillippe for a 1974 Topps Pirate card in 1974. I turned it down.

[ullmandds]

i started collecting in 1977 and eventually acquired thousands of cards from mid 50's-present...I loved the stars from the 50's-70's and collected them all. While at a show probably in the early eighties I was offered a used t206 matty white cap for $2...and I bought it and still have it. I sold my bb cards...minus a few...to buy a 77' camaro in high school. When I got back into collecting in the late eighties/early nineties...it was only vintage!

[Mark]

When I was about 10, somewhere around 1970, a couple of dealers started offering prewar cards for sale in Baseball Digest and, I think, in the back of the Sporting News. James T Elder and the Card Collectors' Company were among the names that I recall. Since I was getting a real kick out of it, my parents took me to a card show in 1971 in Detroit (met Frank Nagy. I continued to collect via the Trader Speaks. I was able to get a bunch of t206's and Goudeys and Play Balls, but I didn't run across much that was rare way back then.

[slidekellyslide]

I bought packs in the 70s, and I think the first set I tried to put together was the 79 set...I went to the monthly flea market with my folks and there was a dealer there that had a book filled with T206's, Cracker Jacks and Goudey's...that was the first time I'd ever seen those cards and I'm thinking it was probably about 1980...I bought my first prewar card - a T206 for a few bucks around that time as well. I wasn't aware of 19th century cards until my dad found three N172's in an old scrapbook and gave them to me around 1981 or 82. I sure wish I knew then what I know now and I would have bought every single card on that dealer's table instead of the loads of Topps, Donruss and Fleer cards.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

In 1976 I went to my first card shop and then a couple of months later to my first show. I met John England there and he explained the T206s & T205s.

There was a dealer there with a complete set of T205s glued into an album. I thought that they were the coolest things I had ever seen! I remember he wanted $800 for the set, I left thinking what a nut!.

I picked up an Old Judge when I was leaving for $4.00 along with three boxes of 1975 Topps Football for a buck a box (no one collected football I was told.) My other big purchase was a copy of The Trader Speaks and Sports Collectors Digest. I found an ad by George Lyons (Jeffrey's Dad) that offered 50 different T206s for $25.00. I sure wish I had ordered more.

[albrshbr]

Nice discussion.

Started collecting in 1978 in CA. Moved to NY and found a card shop within walking distance in 1979. The owners were great and liked to show the kids all the different cards, empty wax boxes, and how to properly store and handle the cards. Got to see many early vintage cards. I bought the large Beckett annual in 1981, and loved looking at all the different cards. I went to my first card show and traded a Carlton rookie and 3 Schmidt rookies for a bunch of HOFers from 1957 to 1959. Sold all of them (or you could say I basically gave them away) in my late teens.

Although I've always been drawn to the older stuff, I've always bought new stuff because it was available and in my price range. With eBay, I was able to pickup a couple of T206 Buffalo Bisons, but I was still a collector of new stuff. A couple years ago, I realized I was paying $140 for a box of cards, and $30 for a 50 cent card because it was graded. I started looking at cards from the 50s and realized I could get some nice cards for what I was spending. I ran across this forum and lurked for some time, truly amazed at the variety of pre-war that was out there. I picked up a few pre-war examples of different sets, and finally decided to start working on the T205 set.

I know some folks complain about some of the drama on these boards, but I for one would like to thank those who have posted over the years. I've learned so much, and am once again truly enjoying collecting.