Post WW2 - Pre 1980 Cards Collecting - In General

[irv]

Welcome aboard. Somewhat similar in that my mom threw out a lot/most of my hockey cards from back in the day but I am also very grateful that my father kept his 1952 Topps cards, including a Mantle, Mays and Robinson, that he gifted me over 30 years ago.

My Uncle, on the other hand, had many 52 Topps cards (30-40 maybe?) including an Eddie Mathews, and likely some other high numbered cards, that he sold, likely on the cheap, to a pawn shop after I had told him if he was ever thinking of selling/getting rid of them, to let me know.

It can be a fun, and frustrating, hobby at times but for the most part reliving our youth and collecting cards from that era is a great pastime.

Good luck on your quest.

[jchcollins]

Similar, but I came a bit later and never got rid of the cards I collected as a kid. Unfortunately that was during the height of the junk era; my prime collecting years growing up were from 1986 to about 1994. Not that the cards then were horrible, and I do have some fond memories of them even if most today are not particularly rare or expensive. In the late 80's and early 90's however, I really got into vintage (then just called "old") cards - mainly from the 50's and 60's before I was born. So to me, cards from that era have always been a more expensive proposition, because they were worth something when I found them. I never had the opportunity to collect "cheap" cards of HOF'ers. I was never much of a set collector of older cards mainly due to the expense and difficulty then of finding and acquiring them at all, and that has carried over into my adult collecting. I tend to go for singles of HOF'er and stars rather than complete sets - the idea being I think that if I can't have all the cards, I can at least focus on getting my favorite players that I have read and learned about. I used to think this was somehow sad and/or incomplete, but really upon more recent reflection - it's freeing. I buy only the cards I want - and don't find myself buying random commons I'm not really interested in just in the name of filling out a set.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Similar, but I came a bit later and never got rid of the cards I collected as a kid. Unfortunately that was during the height of the junk era; my prime collecting years growing up were from 1986 to about 1994. Not that the cards then were horrible, and I do have some fond memories of them even if most today are not particularly rare or expensive. In the late 80's and early 90's however, I really got into vintage (then just called "old") cards - mainly from the 50's and 60's before I was born. So to me, cards from that era have always been a more expensive proposition, because they were worth something when I found them. I never had the opportunity to collect "cheap" cards of HOF'ers. I was never much of a set collector of older cards mainly due to the expense and difficulty then of finding and acquiring them at all, and that has carried over into my adult collecting. I tend to go for singles of HOF'er and stars rather than complete sets - the idea being I think that if I can't have all the cards, I can at least focus on getting my favorite players that I have read and learned about. I used to think this was somehow sad and/or incomplete, but really upon more recent reflection - it's freeing. I buy only the cards I want - and don't find myself buying random commons I'm not really interested in just in the name of filling out a set.

That's what I do. My "portfolio" is a 3-ring binder of the cards I like from the sets I like. I have another binder of later era (1990s) cards. Nothing special in it, other than a desirable Derek Jeter Stadium Club. I just like them.

[Futbowl]

Great thread. Collected in the late 1970’s into the early 1980’s. Mostly bought packs from the convenience store by my house. Still remembering buying ‘80-‘81 Basketball packs for $.10 a pack because the owner could not sell them. My older brother and his friends only bought baseball but I bought football and basketball. I still have an intact Bird/Magic rookie that came out of one of those packs. I slowly built a decent baseball card collection mostly just HOF’ers, acquired from a used book store where the owner just threw cards into a box by sport. Thankfully in the 1980’s I put them in pages in binders, and they stayed that way at my parents’ house until the late 1990’s. Work, marriage and three kids kept me busy and I only added an occasional card or two. However, I had dreams of completing the ‘56 Baseball set as I had a few good cards from that set. My three sons never got into collecting as young kids, now they are all older (17, 20 and 24) and are collecting. The pandemic got me back into it and I finished my first 4-5 sets including my ‘56. It’s a great hobby and I lucked out that my parents never ditched my collection. Also had a Lew Alcindor rookie and some other great basketball and football cards that allowed me to complete some sets without breaking the bank. I really enjoy trading and helping other collectors. Finishing all the Kellogg’s sets now, as I fondly remember my older brother always taking the card out of the cereal box back in the day and then fighting to get one or two. Good stuff