My first pre-war card
When I graduated from college in 1970 and got my first job, I bought some cards sets that I'd collected as a kid. I bought complete sets of '55, '58, and '60 Topps from Stan Martucci for about $35-50 each. A few years later, maybe 1974 or 1975, my then-wife, who was an arts administrator, mentioned my interest in cards to Tom Akins, who I remembered as the double-bass player for the Indianapolis Symphony. (When I googled him just now, I learned that he was, in fact, the tympanist.)
He invited me to go to a card show with him where I passed on a 1959 Bob Gibson for $3, since I didn't understand the concept of a "rookie card" (although I think I got "high number.") At the end of the show, Tom gave me a T206 Cobb with the bat off shoulder that had a large diagonal crease the width of the card. He reckoned it was worth about $5. I sold the card (with most of the rest of my collection) around 2009 when my younger daughter was off to college. I remember the card fondly, though, and Tom, if you're out there, thanks so much for taking me to that card show.
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