N172 Old Judge Collectors - Age Poll

[Joe_G.]

It's good to see a strong 30-something representation (so far). I do wish there were more collectors in their 20s and even some teens. I know I wasn't the only teen back in the 80s seeking these cards. Of course they were more affordable and that could be the main reason.

My first OJ purchase was Emil Geiss in fair condition from Southern cards in the late 1980s for $12. I also remember winning a small lot of cards in a Lew Lipset auction for an average price of $30 each (unfortunately no Detroits). The first Detroit Wolverine was from Lew Lipset in 1989; a Bill Watkins N172. I paid a healthy $130 for it back then at the age of 16. I have chosen not to upgrade the card as it is nice enough and has some sentimental value.

[RCMcKenzie]

Here's a later Watkins..




My first OJ purchase was on ebay around 1997-98. It was Al Maul and I sold it about 3 months later. Had it not been for ebay, I would have never resumed card collecting.

[z28jd]

I got my first OJ when I was 18, a Christmas present ordered out of the Larry Fritsch catalog, but I wanted one well before that. Saw a Ewing/Mascot in a book around the age of ten and always said I would get one. I didn't really start collecting the set until I was 26 though.

[Matthew H]

John, you have too many OJs for your age, you need to let some go.

I saw my first OJ at the 91' national... Wayyyyy out of my price range. Prices were pretty high back then. I left the show with some beater Cracker Jacks and Goudeys, I think I paid close to what they'd be worth today. I've heard that oj prices came down for awhile between now and then... I wish I knew, although I did lose touch with card collecting in high school.

[z28jd]

I'm just under 10 OJ's per year I've been alive, that's not even one a month. I've got some catching up to do

[kkkkandp]

I need to catch up, too.

If I do 10 per year, I should be able to complete the set (minus the California Leaguers) by the time I'm 87! : )

[Fred]

JD,

How old were you when you got your first "Larry"?


Joe,

How would you define an OJ collector? Is this someone that has "one" or "two"? Someone that knows about OJs and has a few or someone that has more than a dozen? I collect Zeenuts but I only have a couple dozen and the Zeenuts are not the focus of my collection. Could you start a "rider" to this poll? Perhaps - how many OJs do you have? I'm not very site savvy and I don't know how to start a poll.

0 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 100
101 - 250
251 - 500
> 500

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Fred

JD,

How old were you when you got your first "Larry"?

19th birthday present. My second OJ and it too was from Fritsch

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

It's good to see a strong 30-something representation (so far). I do wish there were more collectors in their 20s and even some teens.

Hi Joe,

I think this is generally true of high-value collectibles. You need to have disposable income and interest to get involved. These days most folks don't have the cash to throw for these things before 30 (IMO).

There is also the factor that some vintage card collectors come to Old Judge later. Another person in this thread indicated this was true for him. That is my story...I collected pre-war (post-1900) for over 20 years before buying my first Old Judge cards pretty recently - over the age of 40.

Cheers,
Blair