How do I get started on a prewar baseball collection?

[Archive]

Posted By: barry arnold

With Dave W. I don't think about the Big6. I'm at 490 now and am enjoying every card that I own. Somehow the passion to 'complete' the Monster, although always in the background, doesn't have the power over me that sitting with the various cards now has.
I think getting started on your collection has to entail being with the
history,beauty,narratives of each card MINDFULLY, as the Buddhists say.
Recognizing and truly enjoying these elements of the cards creates an appreciation for their intrinsic value which supercedes all the talk about
how high the grade is or how much they may sell for in the market at any given point. If this recognition begins your collecting, you will be well on
your way to relishing the Ritchey dove, the interesting subtleties of the
overprints, the fascinating discussions of the Primacy of Piedmont,
the dignity of the portrait of Matty, the wonder of the Tolstoi back 'bleeding' through to the front of the Pelty, the 'mystery' of the
missing 'r' in the black Lenox Murray portrait,the pristine quality of
a Lafitte holding a bygone era unrelentingly. Immersing yourself in these
various moments somehow transcends any apparent lack in the collection.
At least until B/S/T opens its doors of temptation once again.

Happy Collecting! And remember the Monster wants you to quit. But it is only
a chimera, a phantasm. Never quit.

all the best,

Barry
P.S. Hopefully, this response is
apropos for Myron's thread "Question for the T206 Collectors" as well.