Why Do You Collect Pre-War??

[seanofjapan]

It's not necessarily political to point out that many things in life were extremely brutal relative to today in the pre war world.

This is actually one of the things that makes pre-war collecting appealing to me. Look at the stories of a lot of those players in the early 20th century, from Rube Waddell to Christy Mathewson - those guys went through a lot of drama and tragedy in their lives that make them quite appealing as legendary figures and in ways that differentiate them from most post-war players. They lived and died in a harsh world that most people raised after the war would recoil in horror at the thought of.

[brianp-beme]

Here's my story, and I'm sticking to it:

1. Grew up playing baseball.
2. Collected cards when young.
3. Come from a family with the 'Collecting Gene'.
4. Like history, and in general just like old things.
5. Like creating lists and putting things into order.
6. Was always fascinated by baseball stats, and along with all of the above made me explore the pre-war game and its players.
7. Developed an appreciation for the artistry and varied graphics of the issues.

I would be cheating out my destiny if I would not collect pre-war baseball cards.

Brian

[rednecksims]

I am not a huge pre war collector but I will pick up a card here and there. For me it's about the history of the game and the legend of the players. Also it's awesome to see something so old that has passed through tons of hands survive the way it has.

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Here's my story, and I'm sticking to it:

1. Grew up playing baseball.
2. Collected cards when young.
3. Come from a family with the 'Collecting Gene'.
4. Like history, and in general just like old things.
5. Like creating lists and putting things into order.
6. Was always fascinated by baseball stats, and along with all of the above made me explore the pre-war game and its players.
7. Developed an appreciation for the artistry and varied graphics of the issues.

I would be cheating out my destiny if I would not collect pre-war baseball cards.

Brian

You said it all for me also! Except for the part of baseball stats. I used to be that way, kept up with batting averages, w/l records etc. I remember watching the game of the week and the announcers, probably Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean, stated that the stats were changing. Used to be that if the defense was indifferent to a runner stealing second it wasn't recorded as a stolen base. Also if a batter squared to execute a sacrifice bunt and ended up safely on first it was still scored a sac.
After hearing that I was not longer excited about learning/remembering stats.

[david_l]

Originally Posted by seanofjapan

It's not necessarily political to point out that many things in life were extremely brutal relative to today in the pre war world.

This is actually one of the things that makes pre-war collecting appealing to me. Look at the stories of a lot of those players in the early 20th century, from Rube Waddell to Christy Mathewson - those guys went through a lot of drama and tragedy in their lives that make them quite appealing as legendary figures and in ways that differentiate them from most post-war players. They lived and died in a harsh world that most people raised after the war would recoil in horror at the thought of.

Totally agree. I'm not a huge (modern) boxing fan per se but after reading about the struggles of the line of fighters from Molineaux, to Peter Jackson, to the big four of the early 1900s I really became enthralled with these individuals and the history and context of such athletes. So I started collecting pugilist cards a few years back. Such amazing individuals and stories. Often they end tragically but they are almost always fascinating. Such individuals had to overcome poverty, racism, mob control of their sport, violence from spectators, health issues, etc. and still achieved tremendous things while simultaneously disproving many contemporary myths of the time. Such examples ended up advancing numerous social causes which I think is really neat to learn about.

As you mentioned, the same is true in baseball. There's just so many fascinating tales. I love getting cards and learning about player's lives and careers. I collect these cards because, as you so elegantly stated they lived in a harsh world but managed to do great things. I find that inspiring.

David Luft

[Piratedogcardshows]

I started collecting Prewar after seeing Richmond had older turn of the century teams and cards available of the players. I have always been a Richmond Baseball fan and discovering the T206/T210/T209/E222/H801-7 connection was such a great moment and has led to countless hours of research not only to do with RVA but the whole State of Virginia and surrounding States that had minor league circuits. Alot of members have shared great knowledge of these sets and its been fun making hobby friends along the way.

[seanofjapan]

Originally Posted by david_l

Totally agree. I'm not a huge (modern) boxing fan per se but after reading about the struggles of the line of fighters from Molineaux, to Peter Jackson, to the big four of the early 1900s I really became enthralled with these individuals and the history and context of such athletes. So I started collecting pugilist cards a few years back. Such amazing individuals and stories. Often they end tragically but they are almost always fascinating. Such individuals had to overcome poverty, racism, mob control of their sport, violence from spectators, health issues, etc. and still achieved tremendous things while simultaneously disproving many contemporary myths of the time. Such examples ended up advancing numerous social causes which I think is really neat to learn about.

As you mentioned, the same is true in baseball. There's just so many fascinating tales. I love getting cards and learning about player's lives and careers. I collect these cards because, as you so elegantly stated they lived in a harsh world but managed to do great things. I find that inspiring.

David Luft

Yeah that is more or less it (for me at least). The stories behind a lot of those athletes in the pre-war period are so interesting because the degree of adversity they overcame (or in some cases, succumbed to) is just so much greater than what most faced after the war (not just with baseball players, but most of society at that).

I think my feelings can be summed up by a simple comparison:

Adversity faced by random hypothetical baseball player in the 1910s: Player is one of 8 children, only 3 of whom survived to adulthood. Loses wife and first child to Spanish influenza. Player's first year in MLB was also the first year in his life in which he had regular access to indoor plumbing, motorized transport and sufficient food and clothing. Player gets middle class income while playing on top MLB team, but has to fight for that job every year. Has no access to modern medicine, health care, etc, so after age 26 is playing mostly in pain. Works as bartender in off season to pay bills. Career ended after getting exposed to poison gas on Western Front in WW1. Dies age 45.

Adversity faced by random hypothetical baseball player in 1980s: Team owners are colluding to keep player's salary under $1 million per season. Unable to afford upkeep on 90ft yacht as result, forced to downsize to 60ft version. Also having to cut down on discretionary cocaine binges in order to economize.

The former of these provides a much more compelling narrative than the latter.