What Was The Hobby Like Back In The Day?

[NiceDocter]

Ah the good old days. I was an active collector as a kid between 1966 and 1972..... saved those cards (THANKS MOM !!! rip) and got back into it again in a big way in 1980. I bought collections as a kid from other kids.... a shopping bag full for 5 or 10 bucks! Dealers and collectors were very much overlapping in those days as a lot of the shows had regular guys buy tables and set up. Fees were low (maybe 20-25) a table.... condition was not so important as the card itself. There was a lot of trust in those days.... lots of times I would buy a pile at a guys table and then say "Hold this for me please" after paying and just pick the pile up on my way out the door later on. Once I saw a guy in The Trader Speaks ( one of the greatest old time sports collecting digests) advertise Ty Cobb checks for $20..... I sent the guy a check for $20 plus postage, he sent me 6 checks (!!!!!) and said pick the one you want and send the rest back! And I did! It was a better time in a lot of ways although to tell you the truth I still get some of that same spirit in dealing with many of the guys here on this board and at the fewer and smaller shows I go to. Lets all remember its more about the stories and the relationships than the stuff..... although we all sure like that stuff!!! Rocky

[riggs336]

Mail auctions! I loved them. You would write your high bid on a postcard, mail it in and wait a few weeks to see if you won.

[rats60]

I was buying cards from Woody Gelman, Card Collectors Co, Bruce Yeko, Wholesale Card Co and Larry Fritsch to complete my Topps sets. I was paying 1.00 or less for cards. Some prices from that era, Roberto Clemente RC 1.00, Tom Seaver RC .10, 1963 7th series including Rose RC and Stargell RC 5.99 or .11 per card. Most commons were .05 to .10. Stars were .25 to 1.00.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by NiceDocter

Ah the good old days. I was an active collector as a kid between 1966 and 1972..... saved those cards (THANKS MOM !!! rip) and got back into it again in a big way in 1980. I bought collections as a kid from other kids.... a shopping bag full for 5 or 10 bucks! Dealers and collectors were very much overlapping in those days as a lot of the shows had regular guys buy tables and set up. Fees were low (maybe 20-25) a table.... condition was not so important as the card itself. There was a lot of trust in those days.... lots of times I would buy a pile at a guys table and then say "Hold this for me please" after paying and just pick the pile up on my way out the door later on. Once I saw a guy in The Trader Speaks ( one of the greatest old time sports collecting digests) advertise Ty Cobb checks for $20..... I sent the guy a check for $20 plus postage, he sent me 6 checks (!!!!!) and said pick the one you want and send the rest back! And I did! It was a better time in a lot of ways although to tell you the truth I still get some of that same spirit in dealing with many of the guys here on this board and at the fewer and smaller shows I go to. Lets all remember its more about the stories and the relationships than the stuff..... although we all sure like that stuff!!! Rocky

My brother and I did too. One collection we bought for 25.00 was basically a 1958 set, 2 1959 sets, 2 1960 sets plus extras. The boy’s mother insisted that we get our money back because her son was notorious for taking advantage of other kids. We told her we were happy with the deal and kept the cards. In retrospect it was a very smart move.