I went through four copies of that book as a kid. The first one was left at a highway rest stop when I was 11. The next two literally fell apart from overuse and were cut up and sent to the players to be signed. The highlight was Gus Zernial writing back to explain just what the hell was going on in his 1952 Topps photo! I still have the last copy intact, but just barely.

I memorized every word. I think back to 9th grade typing class (on typewriters!)--a buddy would read a few words from a typical passage and I'd tell him who the player was. Still remember the only time I drew a blank--George Brunet.

For decades I would mention book and someone would say. Goodnight Sibi Sisti wherever you are.

Thanks for sharing your story on how it influenced you and your collecting. How did you first start tracking down players address?

Well, good heavens, man, fill us in! I know it was 6-hit game but how'd they get the balls to stick to the bat???

Of course that's the one question he didn't answer!!! He wrote of the record and the pink shirt, which was "washed with some red ones and came out pink"!!! Glad he stuck to the real important stuff! Gus was a wonderful fellow.

My bet is the tape used on bat handles, doubled over. That stuff is sticky as hell.

For those who aren't tracking this bit of card nerd esoterica:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Zernial_1.jpg

In the really early days, I'd call up directory assistance for where I thought the player might live. I remember one really helpful operator in Dallas who knew who represented Mantle and she happily gave me that address. True, Rhodie and McQuaid. Funny what you remember. Of course, no answer from Mick.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before I discovered Jack Smalling's address lists!

The book had some awesome quotes.

"Satchel Paige could have been the greatest pitcher in major league history, if he'd been given the chance. Don't look back, America, something might be gaining on you."

"In 1955, there were 77,263,127 male American human beings. And every one of them in his heart of hearts would have given two arms, a leg and his collection of Davy Crockett iron-ons to be Teddy Ballgame."

Inspired me to get those cards specifically.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ps%20Paige.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Williams.jpg

I wanted the beater with the red and blue pencil crayon checkmarks on the front!

The funny part is, I guarantee you every one of the actual cards featured in that book would today command a significant premium. Just like the great 80's movie Mask inspired me to buy every '55 Rube Walker I saw. Back then, that amounted to two! Hard to believe it was a challenge to find something like that in those days, but I was a kid in Canada. Much different than all of you lucky NYC kids with your legendary church basement shows. We didn't have autograph guests yet back then. The best show find I made didn't really become anything of note until years later, and it's really nothing in the way of show finds. I picked up an autographed '69 OPC Hank Aaron. It's still the only OPC version I've come across. It was $18, which was actually very big money to a kid at the time. I was offered that or a Munson RC for the same price. I'm happy with my decision. Still have it, too.

Nah, Boyd or Harris had it with postage stamp hinges.

Oh, yeah, the home run chase, boy, did that open the spigot of interest in baseball history in cards and Topps was really on it. First, the 1973 all time leader cards. I wonder how many kids' first Ruth, Cobb, Young, or Gehrig card was a 1973 Topps ATL card? I know my friends and I chased those cards relentlessly.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20PSa%207.jpg

The 1974 Aaron card and subset put me on a chase for every Aaron Topps card.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...pecial%201.jpg

And don't forget the 1975 Topps MVP set. I went after the subset and the actual cards. Bitterly disappointed to learn that there was no 1955 Campanella or 1962 Wills. It all just sucked me into the vintage vortex. For me, the capstone was the 1976 Topps All Time All Stars subset. A perfect set for the Bicentennial of the USA and Centennial of the National League.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...G%20Wagner.jpg

I don't know of anyone here bothers with them, but that was also the era of an explosion in really obscure regional sets and product sets. I felt like I was just stumbling across pissant baseball sets everywhere i went

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ers%20Cobb.jpg

We'd all end up with bits and pieces of weird stuff in our collections that we never could quite figure out.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Hubbell.jpeg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Morgan%201.jpg

A bit incidental, as I don't collect pre-war cards, but like the Topps sets mentioned which piqued the curiosity of our young minds by featuring those all-time greats subsets, what got me interested in long ago players from the pre-war days (plus the 40s and 50s and such) were the (remember these?) Scholastic Book Fairs at my elementary school.

Mom would give us a few bucks and demand we get "REAL" books and "only one or two" sports books. Through those types of baseball encyclopedias, I started learning about Pie (ha!) Traynor, Rabbit Maranville, Hornsby, Mathewson, etc.

74 T Aaron
 

Yea, same as me...when those Aaron tribute cards came out....I started my quest to grab all of them..