What was the card that started it for you?

[jason.1969]

As a kid, my favorite old-time baseball player was Ted Williams. When I was about 10, my mom's friend got me an early Beckett/Eckes price guide that had pictures of two Ted Williams cards--

• 1954 Bowman Ted Williams
• 1959 Fleer "How Ted Hit .400"

One was of course on a special page with pictures of the world's most expensive baseball cards, and I can't remember where I saw the other, but I was thrilled to see it was one even I would be able to afford if I ever came across it.

It took nearly ten years, but I finally picked up my first Ted at a card show in college. It was his absolutely glorious 1957 Topps card. I paid $20 for it, which back then was a small fortune to me, but I pretty much carried it around everywhere I went. If I recall correctly, I was also able to nab "How Ted Hit .400" at that same show for only $4.

Although I owned some HOFers from the 1950s and 60s even as a kid, it was these Teddy Ballgame cards that really captured my imagination and turned me into the hopeless addict I am today.