The Card That Got You Hooked

[Tere1071]

Originally Posted by EGreenwood

My first one was 78 Topps Reggie Jackson #200 fresh from the pack. The swing, still one of my favorites.

In 1982, I got a 54 Topps Jackie Robinson for $5 as Wes' Hall of Fame cards in Paramount, CA. Still have it.

Pre-war would have to be the first T206 I got in 1983. My dad got it for me at a shop in Anaheim for $9. Still have it. I drive by the place about every other week in my travels for work. I think there is an insurance place there now. Thanks Dad!

Wes was a great guy. He introduced me to "hobby" as he hired me to work for him at the monthly card meetings and at shows for about 15 years. I lived in Norwalk and I would go to visit him from time to time. He moved out to Temecula and restarted his store in that area. Wes passed away three weeks after his wife, Dixie passed in 2016. He had a tremendous collection at home as well.

[Tere1071]

I was hooked twice. The first time was in 1969 when a neighbor gave me a stack of his 1966 Topps, about 40 if I remember correctly. They all disappeared little by little until there was a Maris left and it was in very poor shape when I finally threw it away some years later. Getting those cards led me to buy my first packs and I particulary liked the stamps that came out that year. I left the hobby in 1991-92 and got rid of everything except a 1970 Topps Super Clemente as he was my favorite player.

In December of 2019 I went to a local card show in Garden Grove where I came across two 1953 Bowman color cards for .50 each. They were in fair condition I picked them up because they were cheap while taking me back some 40 years when I had some of the Bowmans, including the Mantle. Instead, I began looking on eBay and I picked up a Campanella and then a Hodges. That turned into the set I now own and enjoy immensly. I'm now attempting the same with a 1971 Topps which I'm building from scratch for the fun of it.

[Cmvorce]

Once again, everyone, your stories are incredible. Thanks for sharing.

[AstroJake09]

This is one that didn't necessarily get me into card collecting as that distinction goes to the 1984 John Elway Topps #63 rookie (still have it and have never taken it out of the sealed toploader that I found it in Christmas of 2011) but moreso into baseball cards and baseball in general. But when my Dad began telling me stories of his favorite athlete and baseball player as I was growing up around 2011, this was one of the cards that I found in his sports shoe box. A 1997 Upper Deck SP Inside Info #1 of Ken Griffey Jr. I typed a post earlier about it... https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=296541 but it is my favorite baseball card that I own. I keep coming back to this one no matter what and it was part of the reason that I became a baseball fan and started looking more into cards.