Why are you here?

[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 did not collect pre-war baseball cards.

Brian

[Bill77]

I started collecting baseball cards in 1988 with my brother. We put all of the sets together that year. I also remember about that same time in one of the summer book order forms, can't remember what they were called, they had a price guide for baseball cards with a T206 Wagner. Every boy in my class ordered it. I remember dreaming of finding one some day. I also remember thinking the same thing about the ancient coins in the history text books in school. I now have 67 T206 cards and over a 100 ancient Greek and Roman coins in my collections, as well as millions of worthless 80's and 90's baseball cards and comic books. As a side note I was taking a break from cards and working on my coin collection when the Mike Trout rookie cards came out, I am still kicking myself for that.

As far as coming to join this site, I started lurking around the time I bought my 1st T206, a trimmed Harry Howell portrait and my 2nd a Red Murray portrait with a Polar Bear back and a bad crease through his face. I was looking for information about the thickness of the Murray as it felt thicker than the Howell. I sent both cards out to SGC as they were the cheapest option. The Howell came back as an A (obviously trimmed when I got it back) and the Murray came back a 1.5.

[Exhibitman]

I started collecting cards as a boy, discovered vintage cards in 1975, and never looked back (except for brief hiatuses to collect much less useful stuff: cars and women).

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I started collecting cards as a boy, discovered vintage cards in 1975, and never looked back (except for brief hiatuses to collect much less useful stuff: cars and women).

That sounds like the title of a bad 70's B movie!


As to th eOP - I too had a "collecting gene". Started with comic books - transitioned to baseball cards - something about "old things" - Ironically stayed postwar till a few years ago when my son mentioned he liked pre war!

[packs]

I liked history and modern cards were too expensive. I started collecting pre-war when I was 9 or 10 years old. I bought a Miller Huggins hands at mouth T206 and a Matty White Cap for about $100 in a sea of tables that had A-rod cards priced through the roof.

[2dueces]

Collected as a kid. Went to shows in the early 70’s. Lost touch until I saw some football cards 1966 Topps in 1987 at an antique shop. Remembered those little cigarette cards from the shows in the ‘70’s at $1 a piece. (T206). Started picking them up a few here and there. After around 250 culled the collection to only portraits and back stamps FF Baker. Finished all my football sets from 1960-70.
Started collecting RPPC of long gone and forgotten town teams. Now I just come to stir up sh$t.

[JollyElm]

My slightly older brothers were allowed to take me along as they walked (quite a distance) to 'the stores' to get whatever my mom needed. Inside the stationery, they taught me the beauty of trading my meager allowance for packs of baseball cards...and that feeling has never gone away.

[Case12]

The thrill of the data, the thrill of the hunt and Johnny Bench :-)

[sreader3]

Discovered Topps cards at age four at a local store. Discovered T206 cards in Steve Clark’s “The Complete Book of Baseball Cards” at age 10 (after begging my mom to buy it from Pickwick Books at the local mall). Bought my first T206s from a local baseball card shop at age 13. The rest is history.

[rats60]

Love of the game. I started collecting baseball cards in the 60s with my brother. We ran ads in the newspaper to buy collections. Then when I got a job in high school I started filling sets mail order from Gellman, Yeko and Frisch. When I graduated college and had more disposable income, started going to shows finishing building all the Topps and Bowman sets. I then turned to prewar building Play Ball, Goudey and t206. Then I got married and things really slowed. Finally finished a t205 set that I started in 1988.