Fun time....Show-n-Tell us of experiences pulling cards from wax-packs in your youth

[ASF123]

Given that collecting cards was such a huge focus of my childhood, that moment of tearing open a pack and seeing my card was without question one of the top 10 memories of my life.

What a great story! You must have had a pretty exciting life thus far if that's only top 10.

[nat]

That's one hell of a first post. Welcome to the board.

[ASF123]

By the way, check out Mr. Gallagher's numbers in 1998 in hi-A ball. Must have been a fun year.

[atomic175]

Originally Posted by ASF123

By the way, check out Mr. Gallagher's numbers in 1998 in hi-A ball. Must have been a fun year.

Nat, thanks for the welcome!

ASF123, yep that was a crazy season... was seeing the ball well all year, no slumps. Got me onto the 40 man the next year and an automatic invite to Big League Spring Training. As a 1B, I was over there with Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro that spring - not a bad couple guys to learn from! And yea, "top 10" also includes wedding day, day my kid was born, etc! Certainly my top baseball card memory though!

[tlhss]

Started collecting when I was nine years old. Still have all my wax-pack pulls. One of the only toys my Mom saved ... in shoes boxes in team sets with rubber bands.

We didn't have much money growing up, so I remember collecting glass bottles throughout the neighborhood to get the return deposit, and spending the money on cards at the local neighborhood grocery store (all done by bike).

[tedzan]

In our neighborhood in the Spring of '52, the BOWMAN cards were available before the TOPPS. My allowance had increased as I was now 13 years old,
and was mowing our lawn, shoveling snow, etc.
So, I spent all my allowance buying BB cards every week. I purchased enough BOWMAN cards to complete the 1st Series of 72 cards. And, had plenty
of duplicates to trade with my buddies. This was important because when the TOPPS cards became available, the kids in our neighborhood went "wild".
Our local stores could not keep in stock enough of these BOWMAN and TOPPS cards......1952 was a banner year both of these Bubble Gum Company's.
Speaking about "Bubble Gum"....
I have to tell you this, BOWMAN's gum was much better than TOPPS gum. BOWMAN had a tastier flavor and you could blow bigger bubbles with it.


1952 BOWMAN wrapper











TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[tedzan]

I have received several requests for the BASEBALL CARDS MAGAZINE (Spring 1983) edition. I do not have any extras to give out. And
unfortunately the late (and great) Bob Lemke is no longer with us. Perhaps, some of the big name Book Stores can get you a copy.
This issue also includes a great 8-page article on the T206 set by Lew Lipset, so it is well worth getting this magazine.

My buddy from the Smokey Mountains area of North Carolina, Ralph Triplette, and I combined our research. We submitted our article
to Bob Lemke. Bob was very impressed with our story as it resolved a long-standing mystery in the hobby regarding the 12 variations
in the 1949 BOWMAN set. Bob published our 6-page article in his very popular BASEBALL CARDS MAGAZINE.

Between Ralph and I, we have (or have seen) 6 of the 7 uncut sheets (36 cards each) which were printed in the production of this set.
The elusive 7th sheet has never been seen. On display here is my simulated version of it that I constructed in 1982. The 12 variations
in the 1949 BOWMAN set are re-printed subjects from earlier series in this set were included on the lower rows of the 7th sheet to fill
in the spaces in BOWMAN's 36-card sheet.
The evidence Ralph and I have is in the form of overprinted backs (7th series bios on 5th series cards), which reveal to us of the exact
placement of 34 cards (of the 36) on this sheet.


.


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TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[GasHouseGang]

I remember pulling that first tobacco card out of the pack. Luckily I had my iPhone 1 with me and took a pic! Just kidding I just wanted to compete with Ted!

[robw1959]

I remember first buying Topps wax packs in 1969. No matter how many I bought with my brother and our combined allowance money, we could never get a Mantle. But we did get probably 8-9 cards of some nobody called "Rod Carew". Who knew?

I was even more into cards in 1970, and remember pulling quite a few major stars like Hank Aaron, Brooks Robinson, Mays, Clemente, and even Johnny Bench, just to name a few. I loved the gray borders and clean look compared to 1969 Topps. Just to get those took a lot of buying. Once I made the mistake of opening a pack right outside the drug store. Another kid, watching me thumb through the cards, had the temerity to tell me, "They all stink!" And he was right!

In 1971 I was even more impressed by the black border design Topps put out. But for some reason, my interest waned at that time, and it didn't return until age 16 when a good friend of mine told me there was value in old cards. Up until then I had no idea that old cards could even be bought! So starting in 1976, I began buying 1950s HOFers in great condition. The first mail order I placed included a 1958 Topps card of Brooks Robinson for 75 cents. It seemed a bit expensive to me at the time, but at least I didn't have to suffer the disappointment of opening pack after pack only to find scrub after scrub.

I had big plans during the summer of '77 when I landed a job toward the end of the school year at the local GNC store stocking shelves. I was calculating how long it would take me to save up for two baseball sets I was planning to buy: a 1956 Topps set ($300-NM) and a 1958 Topps set ($100-EX). I was going to get the '58 set first, but they laid me off due to summer cutbacks, so it never happened.

In '78, I was off with the Marines, and really didn't get back into the hobby again until about 2002.