Reminiscing about the "Good-Ole-Days" in this Hobby

[RCMcKenzie]

As a kid I subscribed to Baseball Digest. Here's my copy from Sep. 1980. It's sitting right here in my office. I like how they addressed me as "Mr. R McKenzie" when I was 11 1/2.

Re-reading this magazine today, I was struck by how normal, friendly, and informative the articles were compared to today. i.e. Plaschke, etc.

Not from this issue which has 70-80 cards for sale. but from other issues I bought 33 Goudey from dealer ads.

I added a 1980 Topps JR Richard oversized card. I like how it says on the back, "Topps For the Fun of It."

[Rhotchkiss]

I remember Baseball Card Digest.

But my biggest publication memory is the Beckett Magazine and price guide, from the early-mid 1980s. I remember they would come in the mail and I would pour through the adds, articles, and then look at the guide to see how prices had changed (since last month). They were a must at card shows, and YES, people, including kids, cared very much about the values of cards in the early 1980s and looked at them as valuable assets to buy and sell for profit; this kid knew prices inside and out. I remember the price guides would list prices in columns by condition; back the, we determined condition, not PSA and SGC.

In 1984, it was me, a shoe box of cards in plastic holders and boxes, and the most recent Beckett Price Guide. Not much different from today with the kids and their black cases (which I start using in 2016) and their apps and online price guides/tools.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I followed the trajectory Frank mentions, but my return was pretty mundane. One day on a whim or a compulsion I bought some packs in a CVS, I think they were 1992 Score. The next time I bought some more packs and a price guide which for some reason they carried. From there it was a Beckett magazine with its list of local shows. I went to one, met Peter Lalos, and immediately became interested in vintage and that was that. Three decades later, still at it.

[RCMcKenzie]

Speaking of Beckett, I had this sitting here, so I scanned a few pages. What I remember about Beckett, just a few years before their monthly price guide magazine, was their annual guide. I would find a vg/e Connie Hawkins in a dollar box, go home, look it up, and see 28 cents. Fun times.

Also, look at Kareem.. $2 in MINT and $1.40 in VG/E

[Peter_Spaeth]

Odd that Brian Sipe would be the featured card on the cover?

[RCMcKenzie]

Sipe won the AP MVP in 1980. This guide was copyright 1981. I was an Oilers fan and they played the Browns 2 times a year. He was good. I may comp him in the football section HOF threads.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Odd that Brian Sipe would be the featured card on the cover?

There is more than the AFC MVP award to Brian Sipe. I would not be surprised if the official publisher of the early books (Sports Americana) was a man from Cleveland named Bill Dodge and he was a big Cleveland sports fan. I actually sat a couple of times in his old Indians (Now Guardians) season tickets on show trips to Cleveland.

So, it could just be that Mr. Dodge played home team favorite and snuck a Sipe card on the cover.

Regards
Rich

[2dueces]

You mean $1 T206 commons when everyone was hot for Pete Rose and Johnny Bench? Opening 5 and 10 cent packs looking for your favorite team. Then again in the 80’s $10-20 T206 HOFer’s (Cobb was always more) while everyone was clamoring for 86 Donruss Jose Canceco? When most didn’t realize back scarcity ( I didn’t) and just collected T206’s. How about scores and scores of unsold 1986 Fleer Basketball at $15 a box and Namath rookies for under $100.
1990 ish bumper stickers I’ll trade you my house for 1952 Topps set. (Valued at $40k) then.
Many phases of olden days in my collecting years starting in 1966 when at 10 years old I opened my first pack of wax. Monster Laffs.

[bigfanNY]

I am very lucky in that my Dad cought the card collecting bug with me. I was very into cards starting with a few packs in 1968.1969 saw me buying packs almost every week with my 25 cent allowance. I learned that year that cards were issued in series. And in 69 you got the checklist for the next series in packs. I remember how excited I was seeing Mickey Mantles name on a checklist. I made sure to head over to the Westbury deli the week his series was set to come out. Denied!!@ they were sold out. The manager knew me by then and promised to put 4 packs away for me when the next box arrived. Naturally when I went back I had 4 packs of high series 69....and had missed Mantle.
I told my tale of Woe at dinner and my Dad shared my pain. But more importantly my Mom shared my story with her friends at the Library she worked in part time. One very nice lady mentioned that her boys had collected cards and that the box of them had been designated for the trash. She bought them in and my Mom bought them home. About 2500 cards from 63 to 67. Mantles from 64 65 66 67 in small batches. My dad insisted we put them in order and we found we had a full set of 64's close on 65 66 and 67. Two of the older boys friends heard this and dropped off their collections same vintage. And older kid directly across the street bought over a bank bag filled with 64 Topps coins and a few Old Londons. My dad went in his closet and pulled out a couple of cigar boxes. In there was his collection 1 1934 Goudey ( Mickey Chochrane) some 39 and 40 playballs including a Dimaggio, and a complete set of 1941 Playballs. I was in Awe.
My collection kept growing and when I had a big enough pile I would bring them down to the family room and put them in order with my Dad. 1970, 71 72. By this time most of the kids in my neighborhood had given or sold me their collections biggest one was Ricky S up the street. Cost me $8 for all his cards. By that time I cut lawns and delived the Afternoon newspaper in 74 I took on the weekly Atom Tabloid as well.
But it all changed in Jan 1973. My Dad read in NY Times that an antique show was coming to MSG and ot mentioned that some Baseball card Dealers would be there. He asked if I wanted to go. Well of course I did.

To be continued..

[brian1961]

Jonathan Sterling----Thanks for sharing your boyhood collecting story. I was fascinated. Can hardly wait to hear of your exploits at your first card convention! --- Brian Powell

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

As a kid I subscribed to Baseball Digest. Here's my copy from Sep. 1980. It's sitting right here in my office. I like how they addressed me as "Mr. R McKenzie" when I was 11 1/2.

Re-reading this magazine today, I was struck by how normal, friendly, and informative the articles were compared to today. i.e. Plaschke, etc.

Not from this issue which has 70-80 cards for sale. but from other issues I bought 33 Goudey from dealer ads.

I added a 1980 Topps JR Richard oversized card. I like how it says on the back, "Topps For the Fun of It."

Interesting that there's no mention of Willie Wilson in a September 1980 article about there never having been a 700 at-bat season. Wilson surpassed the mark the very next month.

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Interesting that there's no mention of Willie Wilson in a September 1980 article about there never having been a 700 at-bat season. Wilson surpassed the mark the very next month.

That's an interesting stat. I vaguely remember that happening. Magazines used to go to subscribers earlier than the date on the cover. They mention in the last sentence, which I don't think I included, that Omar Moreno, Mickey Rivers, and Willie Wilson are the most likely to accomplish 700 AB.

[Johnny T]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

As a kid I subscribed to Baseball Digest. Here's my copy from Sep. 1980. It's sitting right here in my office. I like how they addressed me as "Mr. R McKenzie" when I was 11 1/2.

Re-reading this magazine today, I was struck by how normal, friendly, and informative the articles were compared to today. i.e. Plaschke, etc.

Not from this issue which has 70-80 cards for sale. but from other issues I bought 33 Goudey from dealer ads.

I added a 1980 Topps JR Richard oversized card. I like how it says on the back, "Topps For the Fun of It."

Loved Baseball Digest as a kid!!! Couldn't wait for the next issue to come and I read it cover to cover!!

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Give me Baseball Cards magazine over anything else, any day of the week. Irreverent, silly and hilarious. SCD was just a phone book full of ads and wasn't available in Canada unless you subscribed, which I never bothered with. BCM was available at my local convenience store.

It seemed that 2-3 times a year, they'd have an absolute doozy of an article in addition to the usual features. I still remember one that was written by a guy who called Ty Cobb on the phone when he was a kid. Cobb invited him to come to his house for a visit. Cobb served him milk and Oreos (!) and they ended up playing catch in the front yard. This had nothing to do with baseball cards, yet the publishers always recognized a great story and gave leeway. It felt like such a loose operation. I loved it.

[steve B]

My path was a bit different, one pack in 69, one in 71, late 73 I moved to a new town and everyone collected cards. And flipped, and traded... So cards it was.
Got into cards and sports at a great time.

Anyne remember the year, maybe 74-5? Hockey cards had bananna flavored gum for a short time.

Somehow my town in western Mass got a few 75 minis.

Moved to another new town more city like, asked a kid in class if he knew anyone with older baseball cards, and was surprised when he said there was an entire store that was mostly older cards.

That became sort of a hangout, and just in time for the big number of cards that came out in 77- 78. So many sets to collect!

First show I went to in early 78 Their table was the first inside the door.
Stopped and started looking and the guys told me to go look at other tables, they didn't have anything I didn't see at their store!
Imagine a dealer shooing someone away because it was better for that collector and the hobby in general.

I have other hobbies, and periods of relative inactivity usually after prices went up, or I couldn't find much at local shops.
But I never really stopped.
(haven't really stopped any of my hobbies, but have been inactive for decades in a few.)

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Give me Baseball Cards magazine over anything else, any day of the week. Irreverent, silly and hilarious. SCD was just a phone book full of ads and wasn't available in Canada unless you subscribed, which I never bothered with. BCM was available at my local convenience store.

It seemed that 2-3 times a year, they'd have an absolute doozy of an article in addition to the usual features. I still remember one that was written by a guy who called Ty Cobb on the phone when he was a kid. Cobb invited him to come to his house for a visit. Cobb served him milk and Oreos (!) and they ended up playing catch in the front yard. This had nothing to do with baseball cards, yet the publishers always recognized a great story and gave leeway. It felt like such a loose operation. I loved it.

Who says that Cobb was a mean old SOB.

[jcmtiger]

How about 3 T206 Cobb’s bat on, bat off & green for $265.00 in an SCD auction. 1980’s.

[Tere1071]

I previously recounted my journey through collecting beginning as a second grader in 1969 when I purchased my first packs and a neighbor gave me a stack of 40 or so 1966 Topps Baseball. All I could remember having from my entry into collecting was the 1966 Maris and 1969 Arrigo, everything else became destroyed. My 1970 and 1971 baseball cards didn't fare much better, but I also began collecting the football and basketball versions.

1972 saw an improvement in how I took care of my cards and I received my first older ones. First, an acquaintance gave me a near-set of 1960 Topps Football and two Topps Baseball: a 1960 Harry Anderson and a 1961 John Buzhardt. Wanting more, I placed an ad in a publication called The "Hot Sheet," the early 70s equivalent to Craigslist and Offer Up. I got a response from a collector who was around two years older than me. He had cards from 1960-1965, plus the Larry Frisch catalog, which was the prices he charged. That was the first time that I had used the money to purchase collectible cards. but I really still didn't know what I was doing. I continued to post in The Hot Sheet, and I was able to get series 1 and 2 of 1968 Topps Baseball, (yes, there were Ryans, but they were gone by 1974), plus a collector traded me about 15 1957 Topps Baseball. Here and there I acquired smatterings of 50s Topps Baseball and Football, most weren't in good shape, but they were "old."

1973 would redirect my innocence and introduce me to my future, but I didn't know it at the time. I don't remember how, but I heard about a baseball card show in Garden Grove, CA during that summer. My mother drove me to Walton Middle School; the tables were free, I had less than $1.00 in my pocket, and no one wanted my 200+ extras of 1972 Football, (no high numbers, I didn't know they existed until a few years later.) That show I picked up a 63 Fleer of Cepeda, a 51 Bowman Ned Garver, and a 1952 Topps Willard Marshall. There was no rhyme or reason, I just liked the way the cards looked. Someone had a 1966 Topps autographed Clemente for $3.00, but I didn't have the money. That scenario continues into the present.

For the following two years (1973-1975) I collected mainly from the packs and traded here and there for Topps and Bowmans from 1953-1967. There was nothing particularly "nice," but they continued to be "old" and the condition really didn't matter. The baseball card show had become a distant memory, but once again fate would intervene.

In May of 1975, my mother purchased our first home in a nearby city. After settling, I placed another ad in The Hot Sheet" and got a response. This contact was to change my life as a collector; his name was Wes Schleiger and he would serve as my formal introduction to the hobby. That show in 1973 at Walton Middle School was held by a club that held monthly meetings at that site. After a few months, Wes offered me a job helping at the monthly shows and at conventions. These were still the "good old days" as I was able to be around baseball cards, and on occasion, I had the money to purchase something for the collection. Some of my contemporaries who entered into the hobby about the same time found outstanding items at cheap prices. For me, my experience was more like working at a bank, I could touch the merchandise but I couldn't claim it as mine. Still, it sure beats working fast food.

The final phase of this "age of innocence," was when I was hired to work at what was to become one of the early baseball card shops in Southern California- Sports Nostalgia Shop in La Habra, CA (later it was renamed Sports Fan Attic), owned by Mark Christensen. Beckett had just come into the hobby and 1981 would see Fleer and Donruss begin producing their cards, which began a new era for collecting. The last moment of pure innocence was when I would sort the card into lots, I would always read the backs; that would soon stop as the multitude of cards to sort would grow exponentially. Still, although I couldn't buy most of what came through the shows and the shops where I worked full and part-time through 1995, I was blessed to have this experience.

Phil aka Tere1071

Complete 1953 Bowman Color, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975 Topps Baseball sets under revision as the budget and wife allows

Under construction:
1970 Topps Baseball - missing over 100 cards, mostly after #450 and the three insert sets

1971 Topps Coins- 120/153

1974 Topps Baseball Washington variations

[bammerbb]

The post about Baseball Direct brought back some memories for me. I too subscribed, maybe for 2 or 3 years until i got into high school. My dad would even pick one to read if there was a Cardinals article in it.

And then another memory popped up in my mind. There was one store in the little town I live in that had some boxes of Topps baseball to sell. I would clutch my 25 cent allowance in my hand and run in when mom would take to the store. Once she got used to me, if she saw us coming she would take the box off the shelf for me. I believe there was a 1% sales tax in Iowa at the time. So every so often she would let me have 5 packs for my quarter.

This brings up another memory, fast forward 30 years to 1993. At the time, I started a small small baseball card shop, a buddy of mine let me have space for one 6 foot table. At the time my friend was doing the die-cast Ertl race cars. So I figured out my best decision by ordering a couple boxes of a couple brands of racing cards. So when he would come in, he bought some die-cast and then the next time buy some cards from me. One day (a Saturday) he came down to see us, just so happened I told him about doing a small card show in a city about 20 miles from us. So he asked me if he could come along and I said sure, (this gentleman was a really nice and my buddy and I enjoyed his company. Well the next day we got to the show and set up. As the day progressed, we had some down times and we would chat, and he asked how I got started in cards. So I told him about the grocery store and Topps cards.

The next day was Monday, and I worked at my part time job, and it just so happened that I had a delivery to take to her in the senior housing. So I told her I hoped I didn't make her ears burn too bad and told her about the card show and told her about the conversation I had. She looked at me quisickly and then started to laugh real hard. When she stopped,her reply was she hadn't thought about the cards for a long time and asked about how long it was, so I told her about 30 years.

I have other memories which also came back, and it made me smile. Sorry for the long post.

Brian Blankenburg

[trambo]

I think the good old days of the hobby are different to everyone. For some, today will be those days. While I was happy collecting when I was a kid, in college, in my early 30s and now, each era has been enjoyable and arguably the good old days of my collecting life.

[IndyDave]

Fun reading the posts in this thread. I had a reminder of the good old days this week while I was going through a few boxes of old programs that I have in under bed storage boxes.

I've posted a handful of times that my introduction to the hobby came through Bill MacTaggart of Grove City, Pennsylvania who I met through one of the hobby newsletters that I somehow got out of Baseball Digest or Street & Smith's.

Bill saw an ad I placed in one of those newsletters and invited me to the "convention" he was having at his house - my parents took my brother and I to his house - about an hour from where we lived. Amazing to see guys set up on Bill's front porch and living room with stacks and stacks of cards I had never seen before.

After a few years Bill moved the show to a hall in Grove City and my brother and I took tables to sell off our extras.

The show was held in June each year (no such things as monthly shows in the good old days). Going through the boxes this week I found a brown envelope that was full of things from the Boys State camp that my high school sent me to after my junior year (1976) In the envelope was a letter that my brother wrote to me.

I had forgotten that I didn't go to the show in 1976 because it overlapped with the camp I was at. My brother's letter told me all about the cards he got for me.

A set of 70 Isaly's cards (discs) for $5. He bought himself a set as well

3 1951 Bowman in good shape including Doby and Boudreau

67 1956 Topps baseball for 10 cents each including Mathews, Ashburn, Minoso, Klu, Herb Score, Minoso, Robin Roberts and McDougald. He also said he traded for Feller and Williams for me.

25 1955 Topps baseball at 15 cents each. No list of players

1962 Post cards of Colavito and Kirkland - bought to "even out a purchase" to the whole dollar.

His purchases were Pirates yearbooks and programs and a complete set of 1964 Topps Giants for $1. Yes $1.

We built lots of good friendships at those shows. Bill MacTaggart passed away earlier this year and we kept up correspondence through the years.

I lost touch with most of the rest after I moved to Indiana in 1997. Dale Lingard of Peterborough Ontario. His parents, Joyce and Ray Lingard of Mansfield, Ohio. Glenn Vasbinder of Pittsburgh (there was a Grove City newspaper picture of Glenn and my brother looking at a 7-Up bottle my brother had for sale).

Geri and Jim Borgen of Howland Ohio who also put on a show in Niles Ohio at the McKinley Memorial. Jim had autograph guests at his shows - no surprise to anyone that the first guest I can remember was Bob Feller.

George Sebo of Youngstown Ohio and his mom. George's friend Nick - who I can't remember his last name - who was the greatest fan of Don Mossi's huge ears.

We so looked forward to these shows year after year and seeing our friends. My parents came along for several years after I got my license because they enjoyed talking with our friends.

[ramram]

For me, I go back to my childhood nearly 50 years ago when I was making my first hard attempt to complete my 1975 Topps baseball set. I had gotten frustrated at buying pack after pack trying to get those last friggin 16 cards that I swore Topps must not have even produced in the successful attempt to keep me buying their cards. About the time I was gonna give up, my buddy next door (who was working on his 70’s set) came down to my house carrying a sheet of paper. On this sheet of paper was a magical address where for a modest price, THEY WOULD MAIL YOU THE FRIGGIN CARDS YOU WERE MISSING! What a magical moment. Damn that was the longest three weeks waiting for those cards to finally show up in the mail. About drove my mom nuts sitting by the front window and checking the mailbox multiple times each day. I still have that '75 set to this day. Worth far more to me than any other '75 set in the world!

Rob M

IMG_5641.jpg

[Seven]

Someone feel free to chime in of course, but this has me thinking I do remember reading somewhere that if you mailed or called Topps you could just buy sets of cards from them, directly, in New York?

I remember reading somewhere else, that you could've done the same with the Red Heart Dog Food set.

I think one thing about the "Good Old Days" of the Hobby, that we sorely miss today was the simplicity of it. There weren't 500 different products or sets. There wasn't any sort of fancy, shmancy parallel, refactor, printing plate etc. There was just what the main company or companies put out, plus a few regional sets.

[pete zouras]

You could mail in for them as late as the early 70s. A friend had pages and pages of RH Mantles he wouldn't sell or trade.

[ClementeFanOh]

Great topic...I have fond memories of "helping" my father deliver firewood
as an 8 year-old in 1976. As payment, he'd buy me a rack pack of 1976 Topps
football from the local Lawson's. I vividly recall pulling Jack Lambert and
Lawrence McCutcheon 2nd interesting memory is that my card collecting
"mentor" was a woman, not a man. Her name was Carole McCoy, and she was
in her 60s as my interest in cards was surging in 1981. My father
worked with Carole and knew she collected, so he took me to her home one
day to see her cards. All Cincinnati players! Old Judge and forward in time. I
remember being amazed by her focus and the different "look" to the tobaccos.
That was magic! Trent King