How we react to collectibles

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by Blitzu

Ok ok, I'm about to share a story that I haven't ever before. It was appx 1992, and I was reading a book that showed the T206 Wagner as the the holy grail of cards. Ill admit, I was a young lad then but very experienced in cards 1950 to the time. I had no clue about the cards prior to that but I knew honus was the big dawg.

So we stopped by an antique store not too far from a country club we use to sell cards at a weekly show. As we walked in there was a glass booth filled to the brim with various junk. Being young and eagle eyed I centered in on the most marvelous site I could of imagined. A mere corner of a t206 Wagner in it's glorious orange colored card that was staring right back at me under a barrage of rummage. I began to jump and proceeded to yank my fathers shirt sleeve with extreme angst. He caught on quite quickly, a foreign born man but quicker and smarter than most, he rarely lost an important moment. He calmly asked the elderly female behind the counter to pull out a few items out of the case but none if them were the Wagner.

I stood there in shock and horror and wondered how stupid he could be as I pulled harder and harder on his sleeves. He continued to point out other items I the case to view that were not the Wagner. I stood there in shock still not understanding what his malfunction was and felt like screaming out, "that one Dad, that one!!!" But it seemed he cared about everything except that. He then after what seemed like a hundred hours pointed out the "baseball card" for " my Kidd" so could look at it. So the old lady behind the counter grabbed it, and my heart began to beat a thousand times faster than before and I picked up the card and looked at the front and it looked good.

Now, keep in mind I've been collecting cards since could walk and my father and I had done 4 dozen shows so I was no amateur at that point and he trusted me. So I turned the card around and at my horror I caught the worst thing right away... The "reprint 1986" on the bottom border. I quickly told my dad false alarm, it's just a reprint, and he shrugged it off. I then, finally got what he was doing. As I was looking over that card he was schmoozing the lady behind the counter. He even anticipated the time it took me to analze the card he still left me enough time and trust to anaye it accurately. That right there says trust, if you know you're possibly looking at a million dollar card and you let your 15 y/o son judge the authenticity.

All that time I was wondering where my father was, yet, there he was was, right there infront of me, in his greatest glory, and I couldn't see it. Only till after it was done and did I get it and he still bought that reprint. The man was brilliant and he was 10 steps ahead of me the entire time. That beautiful Wagner still sits in my collection today and you know what... It is priceless. No amount of money will ever pry that reprint from my hands. It made my dad a hero that day and it will keep him that for eternity.

That's my story, I've never made it public before. I hoped you liked it.

awesome story

[Orioles1954]

I've seen probably 5-6 Wagners over the decades and, while I think its neat, have never been shaken up over it.

[T206Collector]

My T206 Plank (Lionel Carter) was surprisingly easy to part with. Lost a huge amount of shine for me after I acquired it.

Some cards speak to you before you get them; sometimes after; and sometimes both. But it is always strange when a card that hypnotized you at one time becomes a glitterless relic in a drawer somewhere.

I just got a signed T206 Bridwell that he dated as well. Amazing card. Mystified by it when I look at it. Frankly, my signed pre-WWI card collection is intoxicating to me. Very hard for me to get that rush with the unsigned stuff anymore, but I keep hunting nonetheless.

Great thread!