What was the salvation of the Prewar card hobby

[bigfanNY]

1973 saw the release of the" Great American Baseball Card Flipping and Trading Bubblegum book" By Boyd and Harris. It captured the Hearts and Minds of Generations of Grown men who collected as kids but who hadn't given baseball cards a second thought in decades. My Dad was one. At 12 I was a very active collector having scoured my neighborhood for the past 4 years trading buying begging for any Baseball card That I didn't have. I was mostly complete from 1964 to 1972. My Dad enjoyed sorting cards with me and helped me store my prizes wrapped in rubber bands in old salvo Detergent boxes. He bought a poker chip carousel for me to store my Topps coins from 1964 and 1971. He had saved his cards from his youth. A single Goudey 34 Cochrane, 35 Sports kings Cobb, then small stacks of 39 and 40 Playballs, complete set of 41 Playballs, complete set of 48 Bowman about half of 49 and Complete set of 50 bowmans. He would have been 19 in 1950 working full time so the pennies and nickels that were so scarce in the 40's came easier then.
He read in NY times that Baseball dealers were setting up at an antique show in MSG and asked if I wanted to go. Then that summer he found a large collection for sale at a church flea market. Guy wanted $35 we split it. Thousands of cards from 53 to 59. We were hooked.
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1974 and the Topps Hank Aaron special cards showing him from 1954 to 1973 also gave a real shot in the arm to Card Collecting.