Posted By:
MikeUGreat thread Rich.
I started collecting in 1980 with a strong interest in the Detroit Tigers. They had some good success through much of the 80's, so collecting the new cards each year was of great interest and anticipation. My vintage collecting or what I considered vintage, consisted of going back to the mid to late 70's to get Tiger cards of active players e.g. 1978 Topps Trammell, Whitaker, Morris and Parrish was a pinnacle year for Tiger rookies. I would also really go deep into "vintage" to buy an Al Kaline card as a treat. In 1992, the amount of new product became too much and I quite collecting new cards vigourously and have never collected much post 1992 material since then. I strongly believe that if the product offerings never proliferated to absurdity, I would have never stopped collecting new products.
As far as getting into pre-war vintage, Kit Young's recent quote hit the nail on the head for me. He mentioned that he simply did not get excited anymore when he came across a 1957 Mantle, since he already had 10 in stock. Most of the cards I buy are post-war, but they are not that hard to find. It is simply a matter of condition and money. Pre-war cards bring a little more excitement for me, as any given card is not listed on eBay everyday. This makes it a little more of a challenge and exciting when you find a card.