Childhood baseball card memories.

[orioles70]

Thanks...I have a 45 year run of at least one box and wrapper from a regular issue Topps, Bowman, Fleer and Leaf from 1951 thru 1995 as well as other issues like Giants, Stamps, Supers, Minis, Posters, Stickers, etc.

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[Case12]

....I remember the gum was terrible....

[Yoda]

I still recall the summer of '51 (20th century not 19th) when I was 7 years old in Schenectady, NY and had become a rabid baseball fan, (a fanatic for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but a new secret passion for a certain NY rookie outfielder). Our gang, all of whom played Little League Baseball, would gather together after out respective meager allowances had been paid and launch an all-out assault on the local general store in search of Mick's Bowman rookie in '51 and that incredibly tasty new Topps card in '52. After gathering under a*large oak tree in front of the store, we would rip open our treasures and pass them around. One magical day, I opened a Bowman pack and there he was. I quickly place him in my shirt pocket since I didn't my friends' grubby little fingers all over it. The following year a friend found the '52 Topps Mantle, passed it round for loving admiration and the card paid a price.

Many years later, I got the card graded (PSA6) and sold it at auction. Wished I hadn't.

[KMayUSA6060]

Born in 1994, I don't have the "Glory Days" memories that y'all do (very jealous, by the way). However, in the late 90s/early 00s, my mom would take me to the local card shop just up the road about once a week or a couple times a month. Given ~$1 each time, I was tasked with thumbing through the $.25-$1 boxes, looking for the best Jim Thome and Cleveland Indians cards I could find. This developed into packs being put into Christmas stockings and Easter baskets.

This continued throughout elementary school, and was fueled by two things: reading Dan Gutman's "_____ & Me" books, and my dad passing down his 1977 & 1980 Topps sets. Fast-forward to today, and my heavily-vintage/pre-war collection stems from the dreams created from those books, and the fascination with the cards my dad gave me. I love history, especially baseball history, and told myself in elementary & middle school that one day I'll own some of these vintage cards.

My mom still gives me money every birthday or Christmas to go towards a card for my collection, and my dad has even gone to National with me to see what the hobby is like now. Some people give me crap for holding onto my Colgan's Chips Wagner instead of keeping my E98 Wagner, but I got the Colgan's Chips Wagner at National with my dad (first card show we went to together). I still give him crap for not forking over some cash to buy a T206 Wagner back in the day, or for building a very nice 1979 Topps Hockey set, MINUS the Gretzky.

[Touch'EmAll]

Kyle, the Colgan's are great, love 'em. The real pictures, the black/white, the round shape and how distributed...they just ooze vintage! I have the regular Wagner and also the Tin Top Wagner - doubt I ever part with them.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Yoda

The following year a friend found the '52 Topps Mantle, passed it round for loving admiration and the card paid a price.

My father was born about the same time you were and was a Yankees fan growing up.

Then when I was a kid, his mother was cleaning out stuff and found two old cards. A Mantle and a Whitey Ford. She gives me Ford and my cousin Mantle without even asking or showing them to us. This made no sense because not only were they my dad's cards, but that cousin had no interest in sports anyway

The Ford was a '53 Topps in about grade 2. I still have it. The Mantle was never seen again by anyone. I prefer to assume that it was a '53 as well and in no better shape than Whitey. Hopefully he hadn't gotten it a year earlier...

[BabyRuth]

I saved everything in the 70s when I was a kid, including this lovely bag full of memories!!!

[Case12]

Originally Posted by BabyRuth

I saved everything in the 70s when I was a kid, including this lovely bag full of memories!!!

Oh my gosh...why?😨