Complete first issue of SCD -- October 12, 1973

[trdcrdkid]

Recently I've posted several articles from Sports Collector's Digest from the 1970s, but I thought I would go back to the beginning and post the very first issue of SCD, dated October 12, 1973. For the first few months every issue was 16 pages, and I've posted all 16 pages of that first issue below. Hopefully it should be legible despite the crappy camera on my phone. It's definitely interesting to see what people were interested back then!

[TheNightmanCometh]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

You should cut some of those pictures out. You definitely have some PSA Gem Mint 10s.

[trdcrdkid]

Notice how the article on the New York convention on page 2 lists the names and addresses of all the tableholders. Keith Olbermann had a table -- he was 14 years old at the time. Earlier in 1973, he had started writing a column for Sports Scoop, a collecting publication that launched at the beginning of 1973 but only lasted a few years, as far as I know. Dave Meiners, whose SCD column started in this first issue (including the two-part 1974 article "Inflation Rocks the Hobby" which I posted recently) also had a column in Sports Scoop.

I'm not sure whether any Net54 members were at that September 1973 New York show -- I know we have some people who were active in the hobby back then, but I don't immediately recognize any of the names in the article.

[moeson]

I attended all of those District 65 shows and still have the commemorative HOF pins they gave out. Bruce Yeko had a stack of 1954 Red Heart Mantles for $1 a card!

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by moeson

I attended all of those District 65 shows and still have the commemorative HOF pins they gave out. Bruce Yeko had a stack of 1954 Red Heart Mantles for $1 a card!

I have a program from the first Cincinnati convention being promoted on the front page of this debut SCD. I wasn't there, though -- I was seven years old and collecting Wacky Packages (my first great collecting love), though we went to Cincinnati regularly to visit family, and my grandfather knew Bob Rathgeber, one of the organizers of that convention.

[nsaddict]

Thanks for sharing. Back in the day I thought SCD was the bomb. Started reading it in the late 70s and couldn't wait for the next issue. Saved my money from my part time job in high school. Frantically flipped each page to figure out where my 50 bucks would go. Back then it was basically publications,card shows and contacts via letter writing. A time when the hobby wasn't corrupt like it has become sadly. Got a chuckle out of the clothes and hair styles of the day

[ALR-bishop]

Great post, thanks

[jsq]

thanks for posting the scd 1st issue.

nice to be reminded of those days.

in this first issue of scd i see names of people i knew long ago like who were a big deal in the hobby back in the early and mid 70's. i suspect they may now be somewhat forgotten in the hobby. i will mention ONLY the names of substantial collectors who i have NOT seen mentioned in the hobby anymore (not that i read much besides this site). not sure if they are still alive or not.

in the first issue of scd you see:

tommy koppa of dallas who lists he has 125,000 cards to trade in the classifieds.

jack urban of wisconsin has a classified ad. a real solid advanced collector as i recall.

rob bruce from mn, later of california if i recall correctly. rob used to show up at shows with hundreds of regionals in a briefcase. at that time regionals were the most desirable cards and almost all the advanced collectors sought them. rob had glendales, rodeo meats, dan dees, etc. nobody could figure out how he got so many, so often.

stan mcclure, i recall was an advanced collector

charles ault the 4th much younger then the 3 mentioned above. charles was advertising that he had an auction in sports collectors news. i recall charles had a great run of rare leafs show up at the chicago show one year from a friend of his when we shared a table or had a table next to each other, not sure after all these years which it was. i didn't even know what rare leafs were initially. that was a awesome sight of all those rare leafs in one box. he was helpful to educate me on the subject. thats how you learned back before practical guides emerged.

all the best

[toppcat]

Thanks for posting. That bibliography of hobby articles is quite a valuable bit of information.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by toppcat

Thanks for posting. That bibliography of hobby articles is quite a valuable bit of information.

I know. I posted the 1929 New Yorker article cited by Meiners in this thread:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=202129

It's a great article by somebody who collected Old Judges and other N cards when they first came out.

Meiners' bibliography of articles about the hobby was continued in issues 2 and 3 of SCD, with issue 2 including articles from 1970 to the early part of 1973, and issue 3 including the rest of 1973. I've included those columns below. I'm guessing a lot of these articles can now be found online, but I haven't tried to look for them. In his column in issue 3, Meiners mentioned that since December 1972 he had been "acting as an intermediary between disgruntled collectors and dealers in an attempt to iron out any differences that may arise regarding prices, quality, and service". Some of his articles on these topics appeared earlier in 1973 in Sport Scoop, including a three-part series on card dealers. It's pretty interesting as a time capsule into what card dealers were like in 1973, and I may post the ones I have. Meiners continued to write for SCD for another couple of years, including the 1974 two-parter "Inflation Rocks The Hobby" that I posted last month, but then in 1975 he quit his column in a huff because not enough people were writing to tell him they liked it, and he didn't feel like it was worth the effort. Not sure what ever happened to him, but for a few years there he wrote some interesting stuff.

[toppcat]

I would love to see parts 2 and 3 of the bibliography.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by toppcat

I would love to see parts 2 and 3 of the bibliography.

I posted them in that reply -- could you not see the pictures for some reason? Here they are again.

[toppcat]

Thanks, they would not load before. Smartphone not so smart sometimes.

[philliesfan]

Absolutely fantastic! Love checking out the old publications.
Thanks for sharing!
Robert

[Rickyy]

Awesome. I have a few from back in the day too... never saw the complete 1st one. Thanks for the share!

Ricky Y

[Gary Dunaier]

I think SCD reprinted that issue and included it as a bonus to subscribers. I would guess 1998, their 25th anniversary, but I'm not 100% sure.

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by trdcrdkid

I'm not sure whether any Net54 members were at that September 1973 New York show -- I know we have some people who were active in the hobby back then, but I don't immediately recognize any of the names in the article.

My father certainly was there. It was his show along with the Gallagher bros.

[moeson]