New Participating Member

[runred41]

Hi...I wanted to take this time to introduce myself to other members. Although I registered September 2017 I never made time to introduce myself nor get involved although I check in from time to time to see what has been going on. Having broken my leg a few weeks ago while coaching at a cross country meet I’ve got lots of down time while I’m recovering from surgery so I thought I’d use the down time to introduce myself and try to get more involved in what I can tell is a fantastic group of not only collectors but even a greater group of people! I’ve enjoyed spending many hours of my down time reading the forums posted from the past. I began collecting cards in 2nd grade back in 1972 and collected until 1981 when I went off to college and stopped due to not having any extra funds to do so. I always kept my collection at my folks house and would look at them from time to time and all the time kept thinking I’d get back into it yet I knew I was so far behind it just seemed overwhelming to do so. Fast forward to 2002 and I was seriously looking for a reason and a starting place to jump back in to collecting when I came across a Jim Thorpe game used jersey card and a light came on! Having grown up close to his birthplace here in Oklahoma and being a track/cross country coach all my adult life(35 years now) I was well aware of Jim Thorpe and all he had accomplished. Being one who likes to try to do things most others do not I decided to start a Jim Thorpe collection as I figured very few people really concentrated on him. In diving into collecting Thorpe I got to be in contact with 2 others who have amassed really nice Thorpe collections but I do know there are very few who do collect Thorpe extensively. I have seen some smaller yet quality collections on some of the forums on this site. Since a couple of others who I know collect Thorpe cards I sold almost all of my 485 Thorpe material cards 8-9 years ago and starting concentrating on vintage ephemera concerning Thorpe. At 485 I realized I had a sickness I think! So, out of the ordinary Thorpe items, game tickets, game programs, original photos, postcards, etc...are what I primarily concentrate on now. I’ve also ventured into 1912 U.S. Olympic trials, 1912 Olympic items and post Olympic track items that he was involved in but didnt necessarily belong to him yet he would have received a ‘like item’ from the same meet or celebration. My goal is to accumulate items from all aspects of his life from beginning to end and tell his life’s story with any kind of ‘memorabilia’ that I can find and be fortunate enough to buy. At age 55 now I will continue to work on it exclusively as the only thing I collect. With over 1,000 Thorpe related items it just seems time to start sharing what I’ve been able to accumulate with other collectors. Hope to get to know some of you over the years! Thank you for your time! Mike

[KCRfan1]

Welcome aboard!

[CurtisFlood]

Hi Mike, glad you are here. Very interesting topic for collecting. Mr. Thorpe is no doubt one of the all time great athletes in this country.

[runred41]

You know...as time goes by and fewer and fewer kids get involved in the hobby the more I get set in stone to get his name and legacy out in the open. I believe it is a unique collection which is a big reason in persuing it. I teach Oklahoma and U.S. History so I make sure that I do an extensive section about him in class so I get to put his name out in the public quite a bit!

[ValKehl]

Welcome aboard, Mike - you have an awesome collecting focus!

[runred41]

I see that you collect Sam Rice so you personally know how hard it can be to even find ...much less purchase excellent items for your collection. I guess that’s the fun of it huh? I’ve always walked to the beat of a different drummer so I’m always thinking of different angles to make my collection even better. I’ve even purchased some team photos of the teams he would have competed against so maybe I’m going to far away from my focus...time will tell. I’ll eventually put it all in sequential order and tell his story!