The Further Decline of Brick & Mortar...

[billyb]

I am 65 years young and start collecting cards when there were penny packs and nickel packs had 6 cards. I would open the packs and move that top card very slowly to first view the team logo because that Yankee loge may be Mantle, or Red Sox could be Williams. However, my collection was thrown out by my parents while I was in the military, thousands of cards were gone.
I started collecting again when I viewed my first baseball card show in 1984, and made every garage sale and bought every collection I could until the 1990s when like everyone else, was turned off by the mass production.
I again have the feeling of collecting again since I found this site, it was like going to my first card show again. Only a member for several months, I have not made a decision of picking up where I left off or go vintage, but am learning a lot just by reading these threads everyday.
My point to this story, I believe the hobby will stay strong and the youth will mature and want to grab a piece of their past. Historical artifacts, like baseball cards, will always be that piece of their history, and draw them into the hobby. Many collectors do not even start until later in life, and so will they.
By the way, does anyone have any unopened penny packs? That's a stretch, but if there is any around, I am sure it would be here.