What got you into vintage cards?

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Posted By: Rob

From realizing the fact that today's cards are all garbage.

This year I booked up on vintage literature. I read that 'vintage' maintained its value. So I picked up a few graded 70's Nolan Ryan cards, but something was still missing. They didn't seem 'old enough' to have any mystique or history.

While pondering what to collect, I was watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark and the phrase "Obtainer of rare antiquities" caught my ear. Museums.... Art galleries.... Priceless pieces of history and art..... And then I remembered back in the early to mid ninties that baseball cards (before 1966(?)) were considered 'a work of art'. I wish I could find the article. [New York Times?] Baseball cards... Art.... And then I it triggered my memory of the 1994 Gloria Rothstein Show. There was a dealer selling a lot of real old stuff. In one of the displays I saw a white borderless card with a 'painting' in the center depicting someone of fame or importance. It was a billiards player but I don't remember who. But I did make it a point to remember the brand. Allen & Ginter.... Then I said to myself, "That billiards card is really nice. Wouldn't it be nice if they made those for baseball players?" Then I went on about my business. And more than te years later, lo and behold, they did make Allen & Ginter baseball player cards! Obtaining the Cap Anson was suggested in Mr.Mint's book. I was about to buy it, but the price was out of my range. Maybe there are more baseball players from that set that are cheaper. I did more searching and found that the Mike Kelly portrait looked more handsome. With a little research, I found out he was nicknamed "King", but didn't know why. It piqued my interest even further. I bought a book about him written by Marty Appel. I was HOOKED! I wanted his N28 so bad I could taste it. "If you want quality, you'll have to pay for it." And 3 months later, I came across one and my lucky stars ensured this forum was 'asleep at the wheel' during this auction. It is the jewel of my meager collection and is my 'fire card' - if there's a fire, it's going to get grabbed the hell outta there by me!

These days I am reloading for next year - when I might get a shot at any N172 $10000 Kelly potrait. However, I'm wondering if that N162 is still up for grabs ***you know who you are***.

These two questions form the foundation of what I would collect today:
"Would this be worthy enough to be auctioned off at Sotheby's?"
"Would I be happy to be stuck with it if I couldn't resell it?"