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Posted By: Jeff Obermeyer

Don't forget, the "old timer" Burdick actual put out the first catalog (without checklists) in the US in 1939. That's about 25-30 years after these cards were made, and a time when most of the people who originally collected them were still alive. In that pre-TV era collectibles like trading cards were much more likely to be kept by adults... they hadn't become the kid's playthings of the 1950's through 1970's yet.

Jay does make a valid point, though. There were very few "serious" collectors out there who were actively buying and selling collections, and there wasn't all that much communicaion between hobbyists - almost exclusively by letter. However, that also means that old timers were more likely to be able to pick up large numbers of collections - there wasn't much in the way of competition.

Jeff