Introduction/Hello From a Newb

[david_l]

Greetings All!

I *think* this is where one posts introductions. If not, well, I’ve already made my first faux pas..

That said, I thought I’d write an introduction just in case anybody ever wonders where this newbie came from.

I’ve been following this board for a while now but just now finally signed up for an account.

I started collecting baseball cards in the mid 1980s. I have always loved baseball and was fascinated at a very young age by the history of the sport. I used to go into my public library and check out every book I could find on the subject. The older and thicker the book, the happier I was. By the time I was ten or eleven, I had worked out a system where first I would try to buy (at a deal) or trade for that era’s modern valuable cards (those Clemens, Mattingly, and Gooden rookies). I often got these at yard sales or on the school yard. I would then take those cards to my local card shows and trade them for pre-war cards. I especially loved tobacco cards. One of my favorite things to do was get a tobacco card and then research that individual in those big baseball almanacs (ah, the days before bbref.com).

Anyway, thanks to my absolute tenacity combined with my parents’ time and support, I ended up building a pretty nice collection of older cards. Most of them where in pretty rough shape but that’s all I could afford. By the time I hit my teenage years, my time and energy was devoted to music and girls and I gave up collecting.

A few years ago I got back into collecting but quickly realized that although it was easier to find baseball tobacco cards (thanks eBay) I needed to be looking for the best “bang for my buck” due to financial limitations.

I have fallen in love with T218s and I’m getting close to completing that set (I may post a WTB/WTTF ad if anyone has any advice). Like my early collecting days, when I get a new T218, I love to do research on the person. It's a blast. I’ve also gotten into the Ogdens Pugilists and T220 cards. After I complete my T218s, I'm going to (hopefully) spend more time building those sets.

To flash back a bit, I had put my original collection in my parent’s safety deposit box ages ago. Being an archivist now, I was concerned about some of the plastic cases that I was using at the time. Last week, during a visit with my parents, a grabbed my old collection from their bank and brought them home. I posted a pic of some of my favorites.

Anyway, I’m always amazed at some of the collections of members here. Such history wrapped up in ephemera. I certainly have nothing that will drop the jaw, but still, it is a pretty nice collection amassed by somebody not even in their teenage years at the time.

At some point I’m going to send some of them in to get them authenticated.

Anyway, thanks for the resources! It’s been great lurking around. Maybe we'll have a chance to chat or trade.

David

[gemmint77]

Welcome to the boards. Cool story and T206 cards!

[trdcrdkid]

Great cards, David! I have a similar story to yours, except I started about a decade before you did (mid-70s) and had even less money to spend as a kid, since I was never close to being able to afford any T206 HOFers or anything like that. But I did get back into collecting in the early to mid-90s, when I was no longer a kid and had a bit more money to spend (just a bit) and was able to build a decent prewar type collection. My collecting has been off and on since then, but until I joined this board a year and a half ago, I had no slabbed prewar cards, only raw. Welcome to the board -- I'm sure you'll like it here!

[Zach Wheat]

Nice cards. Welcome to the Board....

Z

[GrayGhost]

Welcome you and your awesome cards. This board is the best, and I'm sure we all look forward to your contributions, which started with that cool intro

[divecchia]

David,

Welcome aboard.

That is some pretty neat stuff you bought as a teenager.

Donato

[Leon]

Originally Posted by david_l

Greetings All!

I *think* this is where one posts introductions. If not, well, I’ve already made my first faux pas..

That said, I thought I’d write an introduction just in case anybody ever wonders where this newbie came from.

I’ve been following this board for a while now but just now finally signed up for an account.

I started collecting baseball cards in the mid 1980s. I have always loved baseball and was fascinated at a very young age by the history of the sport. I used to go into my public library and check out every book I could find on the subject. The older and thicker the book, the happier I was. By the time I was ten or eleven, I had worked out a system where first I would try to buy (at a deal) or trade for that era’s modern valuable cards (those Clemens, Mattingly, and Gooden rookies). I often got these at yard sales or on the school yard. I would then take those cards to my local card shows and trade them for pre-war cards. I especially loved tobacco cards. One of my favorite things to do was get a tobacco card and then research that individual in those big baseball almanacs (ah, the days before bbref.com).

Anyway, thanks to my absolute tenacity combined with my parents’ time and support, I ended up building a pretty nice collection of older cards. Most of them where in pretty rough shape but that’s all I could afford. By the time I hit my teenage years, my time and energy was devoted to music and girls and I gave up collecting.

A few years ago I got back into collecting but quickly realized that although it was easier to find baseball tobacco cards (thanks eBay) I needed to be looking for the best “bang for my buck” due to financial limitations.

I have fallen in love with T218s and I’m getting close to completing that set (I may post a WTB/WTTF ad if anyone has any advice). Like my early collecting days, when I get a new T218, I love to do research on the person. It's a blast. I’ve also gotten into the Ogdens Pugilists and T220 cards. After I complete my T218s, I'm going to (hopefully) spend more time building those sets.

To flash back a bit, I had put my original collection in my parent’s safety deposit box ages ago. Being an archivist now, I was concerned about some of the plastic cases that I was using at the time. Last week, during a visit with my parents, a grabbed my old collection from their bank and brought them home. I posted a pic of some of my favorites.

Anyway, I’m always amazed at some of the collections of members here. Such history wrapped up in ephemera. I certainly have nothing that will drop the jaw, but still, it is a pretty nice collection amassed by somebody not even in their teenage years at the time.

At some point I’m going to send some of them in to get them authenticated.

Anyway, thanks for the resources! It’s been great lurking around. Maybe we'll have a chance to chat or trade.

David

Welcome to the party, David. Since you joined and can now get onto the BST (even with the recent spat of small issues) you should be able to buy, sell and trade all you want to. Happy hunting!!

[BicycleSpokes]

Welcome, similar story here, but I unfortunately focused in collecting junk era in my youth. Really cool collection you amassed!

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk

[clydepepper]

David - I'm so impressed that you had such discipline at such a young age...bravo!

You were also 'hobby savvy' beyond your years. I cannot recall exactly what I was doing at the same age, but I'm quite sure it was of no lasting consequence.

I'd have say, for a newbie, you are very well prepared to appreciate all the knowledge this board provides through its members.

As for me, I'll finish this note, then go look up T218s and T220s knowledge of which I am sorely missing.

If I get as interested in them as you are, I promise not to bid against you for any you still need.

Welcome & Enjoy!

-Raymond