Hobby history: Card dealers of the 1950s

[Nick55]

First, thank you very much for the information. You put a lot of effort into that post, and I appreciate it.

Second, the information there is very interesting to say the least. In August 1958, a full set of 1958 Topps baseball cards was going for $15 ($2.60 each for series 1-5 and $2.00 for series 6). In 2016$, that equates to about $125 at an average annual inflation rate of about 3.6%. To put that into a hobby context, you can buy a 2016 Topps Baseball box set today for around $50-$60. I wonder how many kids back then had the buying power of $125 (2016$) to purchase a set? Modern set collecting back then doesn't seem all that inexpensive to me anymore compared to modern set collecting today.

What's also interesting is the attention and excitement given in those bulletins to collecting what, in 1958, were "modern" cards. I love seeing the ink side notes of the collector regarding where he/she was with their sets and what singles were needed, presumably back in 1958. In my view, the collecting community today, including myself, doesn't place as much emphasis on collecting modern, at least not like it appears to have been emphasized back then. That's my perception anyway, real or not, and that's what I see has changed the most over the decades.