What piece in your collection brings you the most satisfaction and joy?

[larietrope]

Ungraded but I can hold it in my hand. From a simpler time of childhood

[pawpawdiv9]

Before we had cardboard- we had posters!!!

[G1911]

The cards I had as a child that were firsts. The T205 Livingston that was my first tobacco card, the 7 T220 Silvers that were my first boxing cards, the 1955 Bowman Gern Nagler that was my first 50’s card, the 1968 Topps Lamar Lundy that was my first old card, the 1997 Topps Dan Marino that was in the first pack of sports card I ever had, the Fleer/Skybox animated Batman and Toy Story cards that were my first cards of any kind when I was 3-4. The 1971 Topps football set I put together as a teen and was my first completed set.

The cards that bring me the most joy have nothing to do with money, and that realization is why I don’t play in the realm of expensive investor cards. I buy the stuff I wanted as a kid, who didn’t care about creases or bragging rights but about old sets I thought were cool.

Here is mine

[gonzo]

This T205 Reulbach is a favorite of mine. It's a Piedmont 25 that has been torn and then put back together with a piece of notebook paper on which the biography has been written. I love the thought of some kid umpteen years ago carefully restoring his treasured card.

[Chicosbailbonds]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Before we had cardboard- we had posters!!!

Timeless

[hcv123]

Any one could be favorite depending on the day:

1) 1955 Clemente rookie - still in its original plastic screwdown - the beginning of a 30+ year quest for most things "Clemente". Mom bought it for me (after a lot of begging, pleading and crying - $48 was A LOT of money to her for a baseball card in 1980).
2) 1952 Topps Willie Mays - just one of my favorite cards ever - it is "card art"
3) 1960 Complete Bazooka box with Clemente - it was a 30+ year quest and the only one currently known to exist!

[Casey2296]

The only card my Dad and I ever bought together. Priceless to me.
_

[KCRfan1]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

The only card my Dad and I ever bought together. Priceless to me.
_

Nice memories Phil !!!!

Beautiful card, tough to find centered.

[jcmtiger]

Hey, it’s 19th Century.

[commishbob]

This does. I got the dig in person on a very memorable day during the lead up to his fight with Jimmy Ellis.

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[Aquarian Sports Cards]

The next one, always the next one.

[JollyElm]

I was (am) a diehard Mets fan, but when Reggie came to town, I started quickly switching from Channel 9 to Channel 11 to catch his at-bats each night. Each one was a spectacle of entertainment in its own right. Such excitement during those summer nights!!! Eventually I started sending him fan letters and getting cards autographed, but my jewel is the Reggie Bar wrapper that he autographed for me (I have another one squirreled away somewhere). It's a bit tough to see as it's ballpoint pen on wax paper, but this occupies a huge place in my heart...

[Frankish]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I was (am) a diehard Mets fan, but when Reggie came to town, I started quickly switching from Channel 9 to Channel 11 to catch his at-bats each night. Each one was a spectacle of entertainment in its own right. Such excitement during those summer nights!!! Eventually I started sending him fan letters and getting cards autographed, but my jewel is the Reggie Bar wrapper that he autographed for me (I have another one squirreled away somewhere). It's a bit tough to see as it's ballpoint pen on wax paper, but this occupies a huge place in my heart...

Most excellent! It appears we are of the same generation. While I don't have any signed Reggie Bar wrappers, I do remember Reggie Bars with great fondness.

For my own collection, odd as it is, my 2/3 complete collection of Japanese Jintan Gum cards gives me the most satisfaction. I've managed to pull together all but one of the key cards, but unlike '52 Topps which is a set I greatly admire, it's a matter of finding the lesser cards at all and not so much one of price. Over the time I've collected, I've also found 15-20 uncatalogued variations (which I guess, if I found them all, would be a master set of sorts). Anyway, it's probably no great accomplishment but gives me a great deal of pleasure....

[BuzzD]

Glade and Stahl. Someday Niles will join this trio of NYAL beauties

[jingram058]

So far, my album of tobacco cards means the most to me. Many of these I have had for a long time. Big Jim Mutrie was very difficult to find. All of these cards could be had for a fraction of their cost/value as recently as 25 or so years ago. But they don't really go well on display with Goudeys and Play Balls from the 1930s, and certainly not with 1950s/60s Topps and Bowman cards. I have always thought these historic little cards as domething totally apart. Then I remembered a cigarette picture-card album I had. I dug through boxes and bookcases and finally found it. What better place to keep these little cards, as opposed to small sleeves? Yes, this modest little album of cards means more to me than anything in my collection. Not that I don't love my other cards and memorabilia...

[bigfish]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

Hey, it’s 19th Century.

that is fantastic!

[oldjudge]

I spend more time looking at this than any piece in my collection. It is a linen backed composite schedule from Cy Young’s first full year with Cleveland. There are metal bands top and bottom and a hook so it could be displayed in a store or hung at home.

[Bram99]

Originally Posted by hcv123

Any one could be favorite depending on the day:

1) 1955 Clemente rookie - still in its original plastic screwdown - the beginning of a 30+ year quest for most things "Clemente". Mom bought it for me (after a lot of begging, pleading and crying - $48 was A LOT of money to her for a baseball card in 1980).
2) 1952 Topps Willie Mays - just one of my favorite cards ever - it is "card art"
3) 1960 Complete Bazooka box with Clemente - it was a 30+ year quest and the only one currently known to exist!

1952 Topps Mays? Huh!

[Bram99]

Just these ones.

[JLange]

1928 postcard of League Park, Cleveland OH. This is one of my favorite items, with a tantalizing question that beckons me from the past: "How would you like to see a real Ball game in a place like this"

This piece brings me joy, but at the same time sparks nostalgia for a time and place I never experienced personally and never will.