When did you start collecting pre-war/vintage?

[willworkforT206]

I bought my first pre-war cards at a flea market when I was about eight years old back in 1976. Paid a couple of bucks for four T206 beaters - G. Brown (Washington), Graham (Boston), Abbaticchio (Brown Sleeves) and Maloney. All Piedmont or Sweet Caporal backs. I had absolutely no idea what they were at the time. Later did some research at the library and bought Bill Heitman's The Monster by mail. My friends thought I was crazy ("Why do you want that old stuff? Who are those guys anyway?"). As the years went on, they kept collecting the latest Topps and Donruss sets while I bought many more T206s blind through the mail from card shops on the east coast (House of Cards MD, Den's Collectors Den, etc.) because they were so hard to find at local card shows. Got out of the hobby after high school and back in again just three years ago - well after the dawn of third party grading and ebay.

I sure miss the old days.

Steve