Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardboard Junkie
It's interesting to think about. I do know that the large tin cans were loaded with grease and hands would be slimy with it after eating, no wonder most of the cards are stained. Seems like those large tins were phased out in the mid to late fifties. We didn't have DanDees in Detroit area, but we had Lays and Bettermade that came in tins. On a trip to Pittsbrg in about 54/55 (I was just a little tyke) my older brother (by 10 yrs) got DanDees out of those tins. He seems to remember that there was more than one card in the can. Can't be sure though. Those cans are available on ebay, would be nice as an ancillary item for a DanDee collector (if one collects such things). BTW please mention the title of your book?  Dave. |
Dear David,
Howdy. I sincerely apologize for not returning you an answer promptly yesterday afternoon. I noticed your kind response and question about the title of my book. Unfortunately, it was about time for me to get off the computer, have a quick bite, smother my wife with a few smooches, and blast off to work. Late last evening I was too exhausted to return to the computer.
Regardless, the title of my book is NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, with a tag line: Those Special Free Prize Sports Collectibles from the Golden Era of 1947 - 1971. The title of course is derived from the food-buying phrase, with the "never" pointing to the historical fact these kind of cards have often enjoyed more than robust sales amidst some very fierce competition for them, not to mention the significant honor accorded a collector by other collectors for owning some of them. Further, seldom has that oft-heard phrase, "the thrill of the hunt", fit a niche of card collecting more perfectly than this one. You could hit the Bay every day for a year, and come up short most of the time, with regard to "Trophy pieces".
Currently, the book has been submitted to a publisher for consideration. I am praying they will sense the merits of it, and be convinced the hobby community would welcome it enough to buy a few thousand copies. One thing our hobby never seemed to grasp---the need for good card collecting books beyond the shallow surface of "what does the price guide say it's worth?" To be sure, I discuss some prices and a few value assessments, but the heart of the book unlocks a treasure trove of wonderful stories. Stories of collectors past and present, of amazing finds virtually unknown now to today's card collecting community, and since I began collecting in 1961, my personal first hand experiences of collecting some of these cards when they were originally issued. Other hobbyists past and present, living and some now deceased, allowed me to interview them. Much is included along the lines of "Interpretive Collecting 501". There's much variety in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. I endeavored to approach my subjects from various angles to avoid boredom and redundancy. I covered the entire set sometimes. Other chapters concentrate on but one card in the set, a pair of players, or even an item related to the set. I'm making good use of my journalism minor from Ball State University!
Anyway, Sports Collectors Digest editor, Tom Bartsch, has been so helpful to me as my own editor. It took me five years to completely write and edit the book, while researching along the way during my 50+ years involved in baseball card collecting. As a collector myself, I wrote it for other collectors, retired collectors, and especially for those who cannot afford the cards and items, but would still get a charge out of reading about them just the same. My lawyers assure me that I do not absolutely have to have a publisher, but at this point I am still trying.
Incidentally Dave, good minds think alike. My photo accompanying the Dan-Dee chapter indeed features one of the huge yellow tins! Ask your brother to relax, think back hard to the days when he opened one of those tins, and then see if a memory comes back as to whether there were one or two free prize cards awaiting him. I could think of half a dozen other questions easily (i.e. Did the Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania region exclusively offer Pirates and the New York players? Did he remember seeing any Dan-Dee TV commercials touting their baseball card promotion) I know; that was a long time ago, the year I was born. Underscores why books such as these needed to be researched and written long ago. But they just never were. Be that as it may, I was able to uncover quite a hearty amount of interesting information and juicy stories. Worth a lot to know, as the saying goes, "INFORMATION IS KING."
Yesterday is now again. Gotta Go!--Brian Powell