I collected in the late '70s and through the '80s too. Then got caught up in the early 1990s with the explosion of glossy cards, buying cases and complete sets.
At some point it got to be too much to keep up with and I set it aside.
My dad gave me his cards from when he was a kid and between my own collection and his, I already had too much. Plus my uncle and I had collected together too, attending card shows and sharing new additions and highlights over the years. He would give me late 1960s Mantles for Christmas gifts and at one point gave me a signed Mantle ball.
In 2017, about 10 years after he passed away, my aunt called and told me she wanted to sell his cards. She had talked to one of the old card shops they used to go to and the guy said he buy her Mickey Mantles but wasn't interested in the rest. I was like "Hey! I'll buy the Mantles". I ended up working out a price with her and picking up a sprawling collection almost no focus. I think he'd got to shows and shops and just pick up whatever caught his eye.
So since then, I've been slowly selling some things, getting cards graded, upgrading cards I liked but wanted in better condition. I was already working on this project when covid hit. Baseball cards have always been a hobby for me, but this year it's been a godsend, a most welcome distraction from all the craziness.
PS - he started buying his Mantles in the mid-1980s. Some of the prices he paid were scandalously low
He had almost a complete run, only missing the 1951 Bowman and 1952 Topps of course
