If I only knew then....

[brewing]

I wish I could go back to 1982 and tell myself to follow the rule I follow today. Buy cards of retired players only.

[RobertC]

My family owned a general store in the 70's & 80's. We had kids come in, buy packs of cards, pick out the gum and their favorite player, and throw the rest into the trash. I would go back and tell myself to save those cards, and to focus on one player (I eventually started collecting Hank aaron cards). I'd also tell my brother he should sell his high grade Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds rookie cards.

[SMPEP]

I'd go back and write Sy Berger and ask him to tell me who the three missing cards were in the 1952 Topps set.

Oh wait ... I already did that and he wouldn't tell me!


And I laugh at the 1986 fleer basketball responses - I too bought way too many baseball cards that year, and not one single basketball card.

[D. Bergin]

Similar story with me an 86 Fleer Basketball. I remember being at a show around 1987 or so, and seeing a guy with stacks of boxes on his table, selling them for $50 a box. I thought the guy was nuts. Nobody was going to pay that for somewhat new "Basketball".

Also sold an untold number of Jordan rookies for under 30 bucks apiece.

Also remember being happy to get 20 bucks a box for a full case of 1984 Topps Football.

[1963Topps Set]

Actually I did know then. In the 1970s, I started collecting in 1971 at age 8, I grabbed every vintage card I could trade for or buy for the measly money I had as a child. I did attend shows and haunted shops in town as well as kids in the school yard. By 1981, I had a decent developed vintage collection which I was able to hold on to and build upon when I returned to collecting in full force in 1993.

[steve B]

After so long, it's basically every vintage card or bit of old memorabilia I didn't buy.

But I have to look at all the stuff I did buy that turned out well.

The biggest ones I missed?

Well............

When I started, T206 Hof players in vg were usually $10 including Young, Cobb was a bit more, but not much. Commons were 1.50 and only a handful of backs were more.

So I have to pick the really big things I either missed or didn't buy.

1912 Red Sox world series pennant ----$100?! for a pennant??! crazy.

A few Goudey Ruths when they were around 100. The dealer handed me at least 4-5 of them over the years just saying it's 100 you should buy it. Never did.

Bobby Orr Topps rookie card. Really nice, and also 100 at a time when that would have bought the 33G Ruths. Just too much for a hockey card, even if it was rare and Orr.

A boxful of those little felt backed Topps Football cards. Weird, at the time expensive for football cards, but not too bad, for some reason I didn't get them. Maybe because they weren't in any guides, didn't fit any sheets well, something dumb like that.

As with everyone else, 86 Fleer basketball. In the mall McCrorys had a whole island of them. Probably hundreds of boxes. I bought a few packs, figured I'd go back and get some more if I liked them. They were cool, but the packs repeated so out of maybe 8 packs I opened I got a couple extras. Decided a couple days later that I'd get more, maybe a box or two and see if I could finish the set. None left. I still have two unopened packs plus the cards I got. No Jordan.

Those are some of the ones that stand out.
The 86 Fleer was a common thing everyone missed, and if it hadn't had Jordan in it nobody would even think twice about having passed on them.

Steve B

[Exhibitman]

When I first started working as a lawyer and had good money and no responsibilities [1990] I would tell myself to sell every card I had and take the proceeds plus every dime I had and buy a T206 Wagner, a Ruth rookie, and as many Ruth and Cobb signed checks as I could get. Then hold 20-25 years, sell, and retire.

[GasHouseGang]

I'd go back and tell my 17 year old self, pick up one of those 52 Mantles you have the opportunity to get. Yeah, I know they went to $3K and now they are less than $1,000. But they will go back up....I promise.