New member from Oakland

[Louieman]

Hey everyone,

I've been checking out what you've all had to say for little over a month, and I thought I'd finally speak up and say hi! It's been a real pleasure seeing the wide array of collections and advice from so many of you.

As for me, I'm Louie...born in the Bay Area, late 80s. Will Clark, Matt Williams, Bonds...those were the guys I grew up with. But my dad had me at the age of 62, and his love for baseball was infectious, so oddly enough, Cool Papa Bell, Big Poison and Little Poison, Kiki Cuyler...these guys were just as big in my mind when I was young. As a Giants fan of course I admired Mays, but it was interesting to get such an intimate perspective on him, as my dad would give me anecdotes of what it was like watching him when he played in my dad's hometown of Minneapolis as a Miller.

When it comes to collecting, I've pretty much glued myself to t206's and cards up through the late 40s...been sort of a "on again, off again" collector. Got my first tobacco card at 12, next at 16, a few more at 20, and been on the hunt pretty actively since I turned 24 (I'm 27 now...dad is still at it, going to be 91 in December). I'm a big fan of '33 Goudey and Delong, as well as Diamond Stars, t205 gold borders, etc. For me, I gravitate towards lithographs and 'colorful' cards more than some of the classic photographs. My ultimate card would be the 1949 Bowman Paige, but I'm probably going to need to save up a while for something like that.

That's my story pretty much. Thanks for listening, and I look forward to learning much much more from all of you! Hopefully I'll be able to contribute as well