What is a "Sports Card Historian"?
 

Hello sports card collectors!

This is my first ever post on this historic forum. Please be kind =)

I define what a sports card historian is as "a person who does research, analysis, interpretation on sports cards, and writes about them by studying historical documents and sources".
(my adapted definition from what a historian is via bureau of labor and statistics website)

The "historical documents" are of course sports cards... but even more than that... like magazines, books, memorabilia, websites and pictures.

Any tips on tweaking my definition?

As a long time card collector, my way of enjoying the hobby has evolved into more of the "sports card historian" way of collecting. Less ripping packs. More research on cards I own or want to own.

Some, but not all, questions a sports card historian may ask:

- Who is the manufacture of this card?
- What year was the card made?
- What year was this card released to the public to purchase?
- Who are the people or person shown of the front and or back of the card?
- Where was the photo(s) taken?
- Is the image on the card a painting? If so, was an actual photograph used as a reference? Who was the painter?
- What materials were used to produce card? (ink, plastic, paper, relic piece)
- Was this card made to be apart of a set? If so, how many in set? Set released all at once or part of a series?

The more I try and learn about this hobby, the more mysteries I discover. As a community, I want more of us writing down our knowledge before those facts about cards die away with us. There is so so so so much more to learn about cards than (for example) its current value and a printed off checklist.

I have created a YouTube channel around this way of collecting. No video's posted yet. I am waiting on (I hope) great feedback from this post before making my first video.

Thanks for reading,
Mike S.

I think the print process can provide a ton of interesting fodder for historical purposes. There are some amazing threads here, on Blowout, or on PSA/CU boards like the BunchoBull 1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF thread. https://forums.collectors.com/discus...n-to-my-theory

T206 fronts/backs/print process
O-Pee-Chee

There are some great threads about the history of hologram cards and the history of lenticular cards. There could be some about perforated (cut-out/fold-out) cards like Batter-Up over time.

Then there are items like the 1912 "proof sheet" that was just auctioned off for $40,000 that many believe is real and just as many believe is fantasy. Those are ripe for research projects.

Will enjoy seeing what you like and focus on.

As someone who considers himself an amateur sports card historian, I like your definition. Perhaps the only tweak I’d make is to soften the “by” piece.

For example, one might write about the history of manager cards by going thru the Standard Catalog, TCDB, and Baseball-Reference rather than seeking out truly historical sources.

Jason


Jason
Twitter: @heavyj28

You may also want to add among your questions;
1) For what purpose was the card created? (often self-evident and generally advertising of some kind--but for what product/service?)
2) Are there known variations of this card? Are there known errors, corrected or uncorrected?
3) Was distribution limited to certain areas of the country? Part of artificial scarcity, i.e. "1 of 1"?
4) Is the subject found only in this or very few sets, or the only card in which he appears in a particular uniform? Rookie or last card?
5) In addition to whatever advertising may appear on the card itself, was the card marketed through media or other means when first issued? What were those (newspapers, trade mags, storefront/in-store displays)?
6) Pricing? What did one have to do to acquire the card or set if not pay retail money (e.g., giveaway, given with purchase of something else, redemption, mail-in offer) Was pricing tiered and if so at what levels-- wax packs, cellos, trays, racks?
7) Are there any reproductions known, either licensed or counterfeit?

I can't add anything to the definitions offered. But since we have any number of members of these boards who collectively probably comprise the greatest source of card history there is, I will ask a question again here that I never have been able to find an answer to:

In the old cardboard days (52-91, with an emphasis on, say the 60s-80s), what was the process of card making? From snapping a pic on the field, to finding the pic on a card in a pack, what were the steps?

So often, it is hard to follow discussions like the Thomas NNOF thread or understand all the different proofs, color separations, blank backs, slick proofs etc that came out of the Topps Vault or fully comprehend how some cards consistently wound up next to each other in packs because to my knowledge no one has published a 101- or whatever-step guide to the overall process which would explain it all - those slick proofs? Those are step 37. The Thomas NNOF? That happened during step 65.

Does anyone know where I could find a reference like this?

Thank you all for the thoughtful comments! I read them all!

I would also like to emphasize what Todd indicated, that many collectors are interested in the different variations found for certain cards in certain years. As for different sets in post-war to pre-1970's era, I have always found it interesting on how players were chosen in the final set.