Who Was America's First Card Collector?

[Matt]

America's first card collector was probably a kid back in the 1880s whose identity has been lost to time.

[GoldenAge50s]

Originally Posted by Matt

America's first card collector was probably a kid back in the 1880s whose identity has been lost to time.

You're right Matt---a few SOMEBODYS from the 1880's had to be collectors for all those OJ's to have survived!

[tedzan]

I will offer evidence of an early collector from the 1880's that is identified on my Goodwin Champions album.






Also, I once acquired an original complete set of the 1888 Goodwin Champions (N162), where all 50 cards
had the following stamped on the backs of these cards with purple ink.........

E.S. Richardson
Danvers, Mass.

So, there you go, now we can account for two 1880's collectors.

TED Z

[tedzan]

Connie Mack and Daniel LaFean (founder of the American Caramel Company, Phila., PA)) were very close friends at the start of the 20th Century.
It is reported that Connie Mack encouraged LaFean to include BB cards with his candy products....circa 1908.

One of the Biographical books on Connie Mack tells how Mack was excited when the NADJA (E104) BB cards were issued late in 1910 depicting 17
of his A's players and him (titled "World's Champions" ). Mack acquired them and was giving them out to his players and his friends.

11 years ago, I had an interesting conversation with Connie Mack's Grandson, Florida Senator Connie Mack III. In the course of our conversation,
Connie briefly talked about his Grandfather's card collecting interests .






That is Connie Mack III 's signature on my A's Golden Jubilee program.


TED Z

[rhettyeakley]

Who Was America’s First Baseball Card Collector?

This kid...


And I bet these kids also dabbled in the pictures of ballplayers (when not looking for N85's)...

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by Matt

America's first card collector was probably a kid back in the 1880s whose identity has been lost to time.

Steve Murray.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Bicem

Steve Murray.

Nice.....

[brianp-beme]

I found that article on John D. Wagner. It is actually in the Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide by Beckett and Eckes, volume 4 from 1982. Over the years I have tossed a few guidebooks after they had become less than useful, but always hung onto this one because of the articles in contained, and the full color pages of cards displayed like the 19th century collection of Lew Lipset and E's, T's and R cards with their designations listed beneath. It was my first introduction to a lot of the different sets.

The story on the John D. Wagner purchasing the suit for the cards is slightly different than what I mentioned earlier...man, it has been a couple of decades since I last read it. In 1919 he visited the Globe Clothing Store in Harrisburg, PA, and considered buying a $16.00 suit because of the promotion that included a complete set of cards (I assume this would be the Globe Clothing issue, which have the same front designs as the M101-4 issue), but instead decided on purchasing a $14.00 suit instead. He eventually ended up buying the complete set from another suit buyer who didn't care about the cards.

Also in the article is a little story of how in 1909 he and two other kids spotted a 4-5" high rubber banded stack of tobacco cards in an alleyway (I am pretty sure I and many fellow collectors have had a similiar dream). After a mad scramble the biggest kid of the group ended up with them, and that they got tossed in a wood burning stove by that kid's folks shortly after, leaving John to always wonder what was in that stack.

He also mentions that he had two T206 Wagners, and that he mailed one 4-5times to fellow collectors who requested to see it, and that he sent his extra one to Jeff Burdick for free, but that Burdick eventually paid him $25.00 dollars for it.

The book also has a great article by Lew Lipset on the 1933 Goudey set, and includes b/w photos of the fronts of all the uncut sheets issued with a numbering schematic beneath, which is a great visual aid in understanding the whole red panel/no panel issue. Also the article indicates when each series was issued.

Sorry, currently a man of no scans...the picture of John D. Wagner is on page 418.

Brian

[brianp-beme]

And just so this thread gets more activity, I will now throw in some T206 talk and a little controversy. In that same article John D. Wagner mentions that he met Honus Wagner in 1942 or 1943, and in regards to the T206 of him Honus told John D. that he was very opposed to smoking and that he didn't want to influence kids in that direction, so he had them stop printing the card. Mr. J. Wagner also remembered that Eddie Plank was also against smoking, and thought that perhaps these two cards were never issued to the public, citing that the Plank card in particular was quite often found with uneven margins, as if cut from the sheet by hand.

So at least later in life Honus claimed to have the printing stopped. Of course maybe that was wishful reminiscing on his part.

Brian

[FrankWakefield]

Knew I had one of his old cards, somewhere...

[Wite3]

America's First Card Collector:
ARCHIVE!!!

[vrechek]

Thanks a million, Brian, for your great memory. Fortunately Price Guide #4 was right on my shelf about 10 feet away. I found Wagner's picture. I would attach it but haven't figured out how to do that yet. Like any wantlist, now I'm down to just looking for Wharton-Tigar, Corson, Orem, and Payne. I also have some stories I've picked up on Wagner. He was well-liked and one of the earliest baseball card collectors. Lionel Carter thought highly of him.
George Vrechek