Reminiscing about the "Good-Ole-Days" in this Hobby

[kailes2872]

Originally Posted by zimp

I got back into the hobby in 1967....so many great finds back then,,,,
T3 FIND
THE YEAR WAS 1971 AND SOME FRIENDS AND I WERE GOING TO THE ANNUAL GETTYSBURG STREET FLEA MARKET ON A SATURDAY…..WE LEFT AROUND 2:00 IN THE MORNING SO WE WOULD GET THERE ABOUT DAYBREAK….IT HAD BEEN RAINING OUR WHOLE TRIP AND WE WERE WORRIED THAT THE FLEA MARKET WOULD NOT GO ON……WHEN WE ARRIVED WE WERE TOLD THAT THE FORECAST WAS RAIN ALL DAY SO THE FLEA MARKET WAS CANCELED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY….NOW WE HAVE TO KILL A WHOLE DAY IN GETTYSBURG…..WE STARTED HITTING ANTIQUE SHOPS IN THE AREA BUT FOUND NOTHING…..THEN WE STARTED BRANCHING OUT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE…..ABOUT 1:00 IN THE AFTERNOON AFTER RIDING AROUND FOR WHAT SEEMED TO BE 50 TO 75 MILES WE SEE A SIGN THAT SAID ANTIQUES BUT ALL IT WAS, WAS A FARMHOUSE AND A GREENHOUSE…..MY FRIEND GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND WENT UP TO THE GREENHOUSE AND CAME BACK AND SAID THERE WERE OLD BASEBALL PICTURES LINING THE WALLS OF THE GREENHOUSE….I JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND SEE WHAT WAS THERE…..IT WAS NOTHING BUT T3’S LINING THE WALLS…..I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES….AT THAT TIME I OWNED ONE T3….JUST MY LUCK THE PLACE WAS CLOSED….WE WENT TO THE FARM HOUSE AND KNOCKED FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES…..FINALLY AN OLDER GENTLEMAN ANSWERS THE DOOR AND LET US IN TO THE GREENHOUSE……THE GENTLEMAN SAID HE WANTED $5.00 EACH FOR THE PICTURES….NOW I ONLY HAD $300.00 SO I STARTED PICKING CARDS FROM THE WALL….THE FIRST ONE I PICKED WAS TY COBB FROM THERE JUST NAMES I KNEW….I GOT UP TO 25 OF THEM AND THOUGHT I’D BETTER SAVE SOME MONEY FOR THE FLEA MARKET TOMORROW….SO WE LEFT AT LEAST ANOTHER 25 OF THEM ON THE WALLS…..HEADED BACK TO GETTYSBURG FOR A MOTEL AND REST….THE NEXT DAY AT THE FLEA MARKET WHICH LINED THE STREETS OF GETTYSBURG…..SEARCHED HALF OF THE DAY AND ONLY FOUND ONE OLD JUDGE CABINET CARD OF HARRY STOVEY FOR A DOLLAR…..NOW WE ARE GOING TO HEAD BACK TO THE GREENHOUSE TO BUY THE REST OF THE T3’S……WE RODE AROUND FOR HOURS AND NEVER FOUND THE PLACE AGAIN…..WELL AT LEAST I GOT 25 OF THEM…..WISHED THEY HAD GPS’S BACK THEN..

Bill,
I remember you telling me this story at the National in Cleveland. Wayne was there as well - wonderful times!

Regarding memory lane, I have told the story before, so forgive me for any redundancy... But, my first memory of baseball was game 6 of the '77 world series with Reggie and his 3 home runs. I suddenly saw him everywhere, Reggie bars, wheaties boxes. I don't remember how it happened but I ended up with a couple of '78 packs and got the Reggie with the AS badge and homering off of one knee. It will probably always be my favorite card. I got a couple of packs in '79, but as an 8 year old in 1980, that was where I caught the bug and started buying packs. I had amassed a hundred or so and took them to school to show them off to the 2nd grade class. Our student helper, Melanie Lain came back to look at my cards and told me that she used to collect as well and asked if I wanted to trade. I was immediately suspicious but agreed. A couple of days later, she brought me a shoebox full of cards from '70 to '75 in all sports. I got the Squires Erving, a bunch of Wilt's and Kareem's. I had Aaron and Mays. She gave me Clemente and told me his story. He became an immediate favorite. Every card was awesome - all super stars and Hall of Famers.

After showing them off to friends and giving them some (I particularly remember giving my '71 Mays away), I saw that a card show was coming to town. Everyone who I showed my cards to would tell me how valuable cards were and how I should sell them. As an 8 year old all I did was buy baseball cards, so I am not sure what I was so excited about as I would just buy baseball cards and the ones in my shoebox were my favorites.

I asked mom if she would take us to the show. Melanie went as well. I think that she was a junior or senior in high school, but mom was going to drive. I went in and showed my shoebox to the first tale I saw that had a buying sign on the wall. He picked the best of the best and offered me $8. I really wanted a 1980 complete set and it was $14, so I accepted. I then took my shoebox to the next table. He looked at the remaining 100 or so and offered me $5. I needed 6 for the 1980 complete set that I would buy from him. He told me $5 or nothing at all. So, I took it. I then went and borrowed the $1 for mom to go back to that guy's table and buy the 1980 complete set. I wish that I could tell you that I kept that set sealed and the Henderson graded out as a 10, but alas, I would set players up at positions and play mini-baseball cards in my room. Given that it was 1980, George Brett was my favorite player, so he played every game. He was quite tattered by the end of the season (despite his .390 average). I loved Rod Carew so he was always my first basemen. And, unfortunately because he was on the way to 100 steals that season, Ricky got a lot of work in the outfield. I continued to buy sets starting about 86 (I also had all three makers of 82), but I lost the love and only thought about the transaction. I was bitter for giving up my cards. I'm sure it was a decent deal at the time, but I think they saw me coming. I sold everything I had in college in order to buy a big screen TV.

In 2012, I took my two boys to Cooperstown. There was the Ken Kendrick display of his incredible collection. They also had a room dedicated to every year and make. I would point to the cards and tell the boys the ones that I used to have and my memory kept taking me back to those cards in the shoebox. When I got back home I was on ebay looking up cards and prices. I told my wife about about all of the ones that I used to have. She said "If you want them so badly, just buy them." She meant the cards in the shoebox. I took it as permission to buy all the cards! That was when the race began and I started buying and building sets. It has been glorious and I love looking at them. We are looking at some major outdoor renovation stuff and I have, for the first time, contemplated what the world might be without them, but those last 10 years were so special building the collection, as it allowed me a make good for letting those cards get away in 1980. The craziest thing about that was that Melanie did not try to steer me away from the deal or discourage me to sell. She figured that she gave them to me and it was my choice. Very sweet of her, but I wish she would have knocked some sense into me back then!