What is the most valuable card you have that you pulled from a wax pack as a child?

[btcarfagno]

Gretzky rookie as well. Was sitting in the back of a station wagon (the waaaayyyy back....when people could actually do that) on the way back from a birthday party at age 9. Knew zilch about hockey at the time, but after I opened the pack, every other kid was trying to trade me for it. Being the same little obstinate prick that I grew up to be, I told them all they could go scratch.

Tom C

[CurtisFlood]

I don't remember. All I remember is it seemed like Chris Cannizarro was in every pack in 1961 and 1962. I think a 1962 #5 Koufax may have been the big one, and most likely a Clemente from the same series. I didn't like them and quit buying cards because of the ugly brown design. So, no Mantle. All my Mantles came from flipping contests, some guys were stupid enough to use them instead of Marty Kutyna and Ken Aspromonte. Of course the condition was not good, making them OBC material now.

[Sophiedog]

I remember buying 5c wax packs in 1966, 1967, and 1968. I remember getting one Mantle but can't remember which year it was. I can tell you that Mantle and Maris were pretty scarce because my friend and I bought a ton of packs and he got one Maris and I got one Mantle. Lots of Don Mossi's and Moe Drabowski's! We were pretty big on the 1c bazooka gum with the comics inside and Razzles Gum. This thread brings back memories.

[Sophiedog]

Oh...and lots of Bo Belinski's too

[DaveW]

All my childhood collecting was fron 1966-1970, so the most valuable were probably the Mantles or the 1969 Reggie Jackson rookie card. I still have them all.

[Jeff_cvc]

I started collecting in the late '70's and early '80's. Probably collected from 4th grade through junior high.

I can remember my father telling me how he would collect cards in the fifties. He said they used to take their favorite cards and put them in the spokes of their bicycles. As you can imagine, growing up in New York, a lot of Koufax and Mantle cards ended up in his bicycle spikes, ughhhh!!! He also said that he kept a bunch in a shoe box, but when he came home from college his mother had thrown them all out.

I remembered these stories well and I protected my cards like a knight would protect his princess. Even though I stopped collecting in high school (my money was being spent on music, girls, and beer. Not necessarily in that order). BUT, when I left to college I dragged my boxes of cards with me. I lugged those boxes year after year, from dorm rooms to fraternity houses to apartments to my first home with my wife and to the home we are raising our kids in. Over all those years I kept the boxes sealed and protected. I never opened them once in all that time! It's really crazy when I look back at it. Well, about three years ago, my then 7 and 9 year old son found my box. I remember one of them running in to the kitchen holding a card and asking me what it was. Immediately my instinctual knight protector surfaced, "Don't touch those!" What I found when I went to survey the damage, were my boys chewing on 20 year old gum and gently laying the cards out. It was all at once a disgusting and beautiful scene (Don't ask me why I kept the gum!?!?). After calming down, I explained the importance of taking care of the cards and then we started to look through all of them. It was awesome. They were so curious about the players and the stories I told about all the great ones. Needless to say, this was the reintroduction in to collecting for me and sharing this hobby with my boys. Three years later we have all found our collecting niche. I now collect pre war, my oldest does mostly modern baseball with a little vintage thrown in and my youngest collects modern football with a few vintage also.

I apologize for the long story, but the thread brought back a momentous day for me and my boys. When we were looking through my old box, there was an album that I put my favorite cards in. We found 4 rookie Montana cards all in beautiful condition and a rookie Payton. I loved the Yankees as a boy, so I had pages of great Yankees, a second year Reggie in superb condition, which was one of the few cards I didn't pull from wax, but instead bought at a local card store. Anyhow, there were a lot of great cards, to many to mention and this story has probably bored you long enough. Sorry there is no climatic finish, it was just a snippet of my life that meant a lot to me.

[BeanTown]

Wayne Gretzky Rookie

[nolemmings]

Nolan Ryan rookie, although I was far more impressed with his card mate, a native Minnesotan who had earlier success than Ryan. Still, multi-player cards of rookies weren't exactly coveted by nine-year olds.

[brass_rat]

Originally Posted by Jeff_cvc

Sorry there is no climatic finish, it was just a snippet of my life that meant a lot to me.

Great story, Jeff...an enjoyable read.

I have some boxes of 87 Topps that I bought a few years ago just for kicks...and every year or so I open a few packs -- and I still try to eat the gym. Turns to dust and doesn't chew anymore...

Cheers,
Steve

[pawpawdiv9]

collecting in the late 80-s to early 90s....my first was a collectors album from Sear with vintage hof'ers..I loved seeing them.immortals. Still have the entire album stored away. I was in the era of the 88-90 Donruss and Topps cards..loved the Topps better.
But i remember Me and my brother loved pulling Canseco, Bonds, Griffey, McGwire and Ripkens. Then we stopped in like 92 and then moved onto H.S. and college. Only now got back in a few years ago.

[Frank A]

1955 Topps Roberto Clemente Rookie. was in my parents attic with some other stuff if mine. Actually finding my old cards got me started in collecting again in 1979. Frank

[tedzan]

I went to my favorite neighborhood store. I put a quarter down on the counter and purchased 5 waxpacks. When I opened the last Topps pack....I was thrilled to find these cards.

.




TED Z
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[slidekellyslide]

Nice Ted! Not many people here can say they pulled a 52T Mantle....probably not even most of the people here who actually got to open 52T.

[tedzan]

I appreciate the compliment.

I'm probably the oldest dude on this forum....just turned 77 this month.


Take care,

TED Z
.

[Rich Falvo]

Somehow, buying very few non-baseball packs, I pulled and saved Bird/Magic and Gretzky rookies. The Bird/Magic got an 8 and the Gretzky got a 4 when I sent them to SGC a few years ago.

[ullmandds]

meh...i have no recollection???? 77/78 reggie jackson? 80 henderson maybe???? 2nd year montana? early jordan? Nothing too exciting.