Rob M. --- Sorry I misunderstood your sarcasm. Sometimes I don't catch the intended points of view. That happened to me recently on the PSA Community Forum; boy, did I ever catch some flak! What a lard head I was!
Three things have come to my mind in the intervening hours since you posted and I responded.
For many of us who are fans of certain players, their respective cards are virtually priced out of our means to buy. I hate to admit it, but it is what it is. Perhaps your OP points to an ever so subtle desperation to own period "scraps" that are (hopefully) eye-appealing, pretty scarce, and therefore respectable. I mean, when the cost is less than $25, one is not spending serious money for the given item, and if it offers some decent eye candy, well, that must be enticing to a multitude of collectors.
Second, I remember 40+ years ago, I had an obsession with collecting anything I could on Ted Williams. Back then, I could purchase just about any of his cards, except for his magnificent 1954 Wilson Franks. For a measly couple bucks, at a major show in 1973 I purchased a 1940 Reach-Spalding co-produced baseball guide. The cover and some of the pages were damaged; hence the cheap price, but many of the pages were in great condition for a then 33-year-old softcover guide.
Long to longer, with my Swiss army knife, I carefully cut out Ted Williams's full-length batting pose photo, and glued it to some thick navy blue Crescent Matte board. About the size of a Goudey, it turned out beautiful to me, and was much more appealing than the rookie card I owned of Ted. It must have meant something to me because I still own that hand-made fantasy card.
I still hurt for not getting the 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams. The sad story of how I almost got one became chapter 12 of my recently-released E-book on a CD, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. If interested, Rob, PM me.
Third, earlier this year an eBay vendor in Canada was offering some Sunday Parade Magazine clippings of Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, and a few others. The listings were separate for each given player. The Maurice Richard color portrait looked devastatingly beautiful. I had never seen this particular portrait before. The condition of the early-to-mid-50s clipping seemed very well-preserved. I believe the minimum bid was $9.95, or so. Anyway Rob, I won it. When I opened the package, the condition was even a bit nicer than the scan, because the rich Canadien uniform colors, as well as the beautiful blue-green background color, were substantially more intense than the scan showed. To me, this little item was worth every penny. Very glad I beat the opposition on this one. The portrait is much, much more compelling than any of The Rocket's beloved Parkhurst cards.
So you see, I guess I am one of those customers who has shelled out for the flimsy paper stuff. But, I did not buy them as cards, and they were very well preserved for their age. I turned one into a card; for the Rocket Richard, I have a fantasy premium card set project. If it turns out as I intend, it will be perfect!
Anyway, thanks for listening, mate. I guess I've given you lots to chew on. Please don't miss the idea I threw at you of my E-book on a CD concerning postwar regional / food "free" prize cards and coins. IF you at all enjoy the era of 1947 - 1971, I think you'll love it. I do understand we are speaking on the Net54 pre-war forum. Hey, at least my fantasy 1939 Ted Williams was pre-war!
Best regards, friend. ---Brian Powell
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