I think like most, I started collecting cards.
My mom took me to Disneyland, I think when I was about 10 or 11 and we stayed at the Grand Hotel in Anaheim. One day returning from the park I noticed there was a small group of people, mostly teens, and two old men standing around the entrance. A guy in a suit came out and they all went over to get his autograph.
Curious, when I saw them later I asked one of the teens what they were doing. This might have been one of the most fortuitous moments of my life as that young man was Richard Masson, who would later become one of my first autograph "friends" and mentors. He gave me some 3x5s and a pen and I hung out with them and got a few of the Detroit Tigers, most of whom I had to ask. I do recall recognizing Norm Cash and Mickey Lolich. But nowhere in sight was my favorite non-A's player, Al Kaline.
One of the old guys was Max Schrager, who was one of the few autograph "dealers" around at the time. I got to know Max a little too, but just as a buyer.
To a baseball crazy kid, this was like heaven. You could actually meet the players up close. Some would even talk baseball.
When we got back home, I tried to figure out where the visiting players stayed in Oakland. This turned out to be relatively easy, as there was an Edgewater Inn van parked in the players parking lot.
So from there I advanced to TTM autographs once I found out about the Jack Smalling address book. It was great to get autographs, pictures and letters from those old-time players.
So, instead of cars and girls I ended up spending the bulk of my teen years hanging out at the Edgewater and the Coliseum.
I think for me the personal connection was part of the appeal, but what really got me was the handwriting styles, especially once I got Charlie Gehringer's autograph. I mean a work of art!
I still like looking at old handwriting, even faded and tattered
