Who Was America's First Card Collector?

[vrechek]

I'm writing an SCD article on the Card Collectors Hall of Fame as described in Who's Who in Card Collecting 1970 by Irv Lerner, Bob Jaspersen, and Richard Reuss.
I have photos of Burdick, Barker, Bray and Carter, but no photos of John D. Wagner, EC Wharton-Tigar, Walt Corson, Edward (Robert) Payne, or Preston Orem. Does anyone out there have a .jpg of any of the missing 5 which I can borrow for the story?
George Vrechek

[oldjudge]

I think Bruce is talking about the first person who amassed a major collection, not the first person to collect cards. Obviously, as soon as cards came into existence collectors came into existence. My guess is that the first major card collector, even of U.S. cards, was not American. In the U.K., card collecting developed as a hobby way before it did here.

[wonkaticket]

Jay agree the folks overseas were into Cartophily well before us that's why there are so many overseas issues such as Leibig and others that go way back even as far as 1872 and were not just limited to tobacco and candy...as trade inserts.

Cheers,

John

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Ted- I have never heard the Connie Mack collecting story could you elaborate!

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by vrechek

I have photos of Burdick, Barker, Bray and Carter, but no photos of John D. Wagner, EC Wharton-Tigar, Walt Corson, Edward (Robert) Payne, or Preston Orem. Does anyone out there have a .jpg of any of the missing 5 which I can borrow for the story?
George Vrechek

No image, but I do remember an early SCD price book (3rd volume?) in the early 80's that had a photo of an elderly John D. Wagner that was included in a short article of him reminiscing on his collecting, and how he bought a suit once mainly because of the large grouping of tobacco baseball cards that was offered as a bonus.

Brian