[Volod]

Walking down a hallway in my elementary school age seven, saw a pasteboard lying on the shiny waxed floor, picked up this guy, whom I had never heard of - imagine that - and wondered why some kid had so little regard for what seemed like a treasure of some sort. I was hooked immediately. That fall, my brother and I hung out on Friday nights in a corner store next to my old man's bowling alley and spent a couple of his quarters each on stale waxpacks in a big box near the front door - 1951 Topps Redbacks and CM All-Stars at two packs for a nickel. The following spring began buying 1952 Bowman waxpacks every lunch break at a Mom&Pop store a block from school.