Why do you collect what you collect? (+ Introduction)

[Pilot172000]

I collect T206 cards for several reasons.

1. As a student of history,its the easiest way to own a piece of what I consider the Golden Age of baseball. Each card is a look into the coat pockets of people who lived a 105 years ago. The history and mystery of the cards creates a mystique that I never seem to get bored of. We will never truly know everything about these cards, but we will sure have fun trying.

2. It is sort of the forbidden fruit. As a young boy living in rural North Louisiana these cards were absolutely unheard of except the big three and as child I so wanted that Honus or that Plank I saw in magazines and a million miles away. While I may never get any of the big three, I am perfectly content with my Cobb, Baker, Lajoie and Collins.

3. I grew up collecting a fake generation of baseball cards. From 85 to 95 what I collected will never have value because of the sheer bulk of that crap that Topps, Donruss and Upper Deck poured out there. Also when you add the fact that most of the guys I followed as a kid were steroid abusing liars really makes me jaded about the genre. I collect and keep T206 cards because when my three boys and one on the way get older, I can share stories about these players on the small little cards and tell them of 400+ batting averages, 40 game winners and a host of other baseball feats they will never see in their lifetime.