This may sound odd especially since I am a Ruth, Jackson collector primarily.

But my first pickups were Raw T206 and T205 Cards. At the time walked into a Great little Card store on Long Island and he had alot of T205 and T206 Cards that were on display and Raw. Many HOFers and at reasonable prices. So I picked up a few of each. Expanded to non HOFers and was working on each set but was to many players, add backs (prior to me appreciating Ad backs like my Joe Jackson Ad Backs), and so on.
I also picked up a Cap Anson because he was the first Truly Famous player to me (no knock on others) and I wanted a card from the 1800's.
Also even though prices were reasonable the more I bought the more my money was tied up. So when my dream card a 1909 Joe Jackson became available I did not have funds and realized how much I had tied up in the cards.

All since sold to support my Ruth and Jackson addictions

My first Pre-War was a football card. When David Hall sold off his collection I ended up with this National Chicle. Finally I re-discovered baseball cards and got this Lajoie.

Two events happened almost at the same time. First was, I bought a 1955 Koufax rookie and another rookie at the same time. I asked for a T206 Walter Johnson portait as a "throw in" and they agreed.

I don't even remember what the 2nd rookie card was but was captivated by the T206 Johnson portrait and never looked back 25+ years later.

Best throw in ever.

Dark cap Matty. Still my favorite in the T206 set.

Hey, Jeff, that Anson looks familiar :)

Yes Chris that one is now yours.

I rediscover all my old cards a year ago and sold them to turn it into my 1915 World Series Program

This…

First pre war
 

My first few pre war in this group

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...37/first-cards

My first prewar cards were a T206 Jack Pfeister (seated), a 1933 Goudey Hugh Critz, and a 1934 Diamond Stars Johnny Vergez, bought in 1979 for a total of $3.25 from dealer Paul Marchant. I still have all of them.

About 30-some odd years ago, I purchased a binder with over 250 T206 cards and other tobacco issues for $1,500.

Many of them were in outstanding shape.


I started selling them off a few at a time and after a year or so, I had only a few that I was determined to keep...alas.


The bat-on Cobb, which was, for a long time, the cornerstone of my collection, was the last to go a couple of years ago.



But Hey...I still have my 1990 Fleer Jose Uribe!

I know the photo is incredibly blurry, but dang if some of those look like reprints, especially, to my vintage encrusted eyes, the Goudeys and some of the extra white bordered 1950's cards.

Brian (no offense, just an observation)

Pre War
 

No reprints there!

Then quite the bunch of first cards!

Brian

I prefer the bat off to the bat on.

Great cards!

My first pre-war card was a Mayo football card that I bought in the late-1980s.

T206 Killian portrait. Good memories from the start.

T206 red Cobb $100.00 in the 1980’s. THe other 3. Cobb’s in an SCD auction for $265.00 also in the 1980’s. Collected the complete Detroit set, since sold.

When I re-entered the hobby circa 1990 and decided to make Full Count a pre-war dealer, my first card was a 1914 Cracker Jack Fred Clarke. The pose just seemed to me to capture the spirit of baseball at the time. Still have it and will never part with it.

My first pre-war card
 

When I graduated from college in 1970 and got my first job, I bought some cards sets that I'd collected as a kid. I bought complete sets of '55, '58, and '60 Topps from Stan Martucci for about $35-50 each. A few years later, maybe 1974 or 1975, my then-wife, who was an arts administrator, mentioned my interest in cards to Tom Akins, who I remembered as the double-bass player for the Indianapolis Symphony. (When I googled him just now, I learned that he was, in fact, the tympanist.)

He invited me to go to a card show with him where I passed on a 1959 Bob Gibson for $3, since I didn't understand the concept of a "rookie card" (although I think I got "high number.") At the end of the show, Tom gave me a T206 Cobb with the bat off shoulder that had a large diagonal crease the width of the card. He reckoned it was worth about $5. I sold the card (with most of the rest of my collection) around 2009 when my younger daughter was off to college. I remember the card fondly, though, and Tom, if you're out there, thanks so much for taking me to that card show.

Bought my first two - WG5 National Game John McGraw and a T206 Jimmy Collins - on the same day (1/14/1995) at a Parsippany, NJ card show.

My first pre war card and the only one i currently have.
My favorite all time movie is Field of Dreams and i wanted badly to have one of the "Black Sox." Means even more now that my Dad has passed with plot of the movie etc.

https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=30030

My first pre-war and first Ruth. This led to all the Ruths and Gehrigs. Then the Lajoie and eventually the rest of the set.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...on%20ready.jpg

Bought it around 1977 or 1978, unslabbed, in Anaheim CA from Mike Berkus. I was 12 or 13. Cost me twelve bucks, which was a big chunk of my cash on hand at that show. Had it slabbed 20 or so years later.

Some throw in! Who would do that?

1922 E121-120 Elmer Miller card at the 1989 National in Chicago. He was my great great Uncle

Adam, I got my Walter Johnson (part of my first group of 5 prewar cards I purchased) about 3 or 4 years after you for either $2 or $3. Although yours is nicer, I am on here to time travel reprimand you for wasting your allowance.

Brian

T205
 

I think I purchased this in the summer of either 1989 or 1990 as a 10 or 11 year old at the monthly Gonzaga show in Milwaukee. I wanted a T card and thought this was a good looking image.
Still have it and it’s still my only T205 I’ve ever owned.

I consider mine an indirect and lucky purchase. I had picked up a couple of boxes of 2004 Topps Cracker Jack while building the set. They had some sort of bonus pack in each box that contained a mini card, or mini sticker, I can't remember. It was acting as the typical prize you'd find in a Cracker Jack package. They had randomly inserted an original Cracker Jack card into those packs and I was able to pull one. Unfortunately I got rid of it about ten years ago.

1933 Goudey Bing Miller and 2 others that I can't remember anymore fr $2.50 each at a mall show in about 1987.

I don't remember which one was first, but these were purchased at Lambertville NJ Flea Market @ 1979 or 1980, Barkley was $20 and Young $16

I am not sure of my very first pre war buy, but the one with any substance, was a PSA 7 Johnson T205. I got it from SB1 for around 1650...sold it at a Taco Bell in Wylie for around 2750....that was 22+ yrs ago...
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