New member
 

Hi everyone-

I’ve been reading Net54baseball posts (without posting) for longer than I’d like to admit. From what I can tell, my background is similar to that of many members. I collected as a kid in the late 1970s and 1980s. I was a pretty savvy collector compared to most of my friends, as I focused on cards from the 1950s and 1960s. Growing up in California, I never saw much pre-war stuff. Everything was post-1958, Giants and Dodgers. I started collecting again about 15 years ago, after reading The Glory of Their Times, and now focus on prewar cards.

I grew in the Santa Clara Valley and have focused my collection on players from the area or those who played on local teams, with an emphasis on Santa Clara College/University and the San Jose Prune Pickers. The most well-known player in my collection (who played for both Santa Clara and San Jose) is Hal Chase. I’ve learned that collecting Chase cards is a bit of a Catch-22. On the one hand, he appeared in many issues and many of his cards are obtainable. On the other hand, there are some devoted Chase collectors and competition for rare cards is very strong. Others relevant players for me are Harry Hooper, Harry Wolter, Hap Hogan, Frank Arellanes, Jim O’connell, Mike Donlin, Justin Fitzgerald, Marvin Owen, and a few others.

I live in Texas now and it would be great to hear more about shows/groups in the state. There are no baseball card stores in my area, so I’m having a tough time introducing my two young boys to the hobby.

Marc, welcome to the Board - hope you will post frequently. I, too, focus on collecting certain players, as opposed to collecting sets. My "Catch-22" is Walter Johnson - I wish that far fewer collectors were interested in his cards!
Val

Welcome!:D

You're lucky you joined since hazing has been banned.

Welcome Marc!

And thanks for enlightening me - I never knew Hal Chase was a west coast guy much less attended college. Maybe it's time for me to read The Black Prince of Baseball like I've been saying I would.

Thanks for coming on board!

Thanks for the welcome.

Hal Chase never actually attended classes at Santa Clara. He just played on the team, as a left-handed second baseman among other things. I enjoyed reading the Black Prince of Baseball, more than the other Chase books. I'd also recommend Chris Goode's California Baseball: From the Pioneers to the Glory Years.

After I graduated from Santa Clara, the University opened up a multidisciplinary center for applied ethics. There is some irony in that from a pre-way baseball perspective, as two often used (prewar) examples of unethical players played at Santa Clara:Hal Chase, Jimmy O'connell.

Well...not "banned", just moved underground....

Welcome.....Happy Collecting

Always room for another Chase Collector...welcome aboard!!!


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