What was the first baseball card you ever purchased?

[jpaol99]

What was the first card you ever purchased? By this I mean paid cash for at a show, from a friend, dealer, etc. Cards from packs don't count.

When I was about 8 I went to a local dealer with my parents. Being from Cincinnati I loved the Reds. I paid $20 for a 1985 Fleer Eric Davis rookie! Didn't turn out to be such a wise investment.

My first vintage card was a fair condition 1933 Goudey Monte Weaver. I got it through the mail from Larry Fristch cards when I was probably 10-11. Not real sure but it was still $5-10 plus shipping at the time. (circa 1993) Even though it was low grade I was fascinated by owning a card that was so old. Still have that card to this day.

Justin

[MyGuyTy]

First baseball card I ever purchased was a 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco Rated Rookie that I bought off my friend, I was about 7 or 8 years old.

First vintage was a beat up 33' Goudey Ruth in the late 90's.

[Sean]

When I was a kid I only pulled cards from packs. I didn't actually buy a card until I was 40. The card was a T206 Gandil.

[freakhappy]

The one purchase that I remember when I was a kid was when I was around 12-13 years old (22 years ago) and I took the $50 I had and picked out the '82 Topps Cal Ripken rookie. To tell you the truth, I don't know why I chose that card, but I did. I remember the guy asking my Uncle if it was ok that I was purchasing such an expensive card



My first pre war card was my first T206, which was on January 1st of 2011...when it all began. Everyone had just left the house after celebrating the first of the year and it was around 3am...I was browsing eBay and I came across this oldie and thought the price was right ($19.00 with free shipping) and thought why not...and the rest is history

[jasonc]

Wow, mine as well, the future stars Cal Ripken regular 1982 issue. I definitely bought packs before this, but this was my first individual card purchase, I think it was in the late 1980's. I know I paid $6 for it and the condition wasn't the greatest, but not too bad.

[wolf441]

I think my first non "pack from store" purchase was a box of 1978 football. I split the cost with a friend (we were 8 years old at the time!) and we sent away for it (can't remember what company we bought it through). I still remember sitting at his kitchen table when it came in the mail and taking turns picking packs to open. The two cards that I remember were that I got a Dorsett and he got a Payton. I think I still have some of the commons lying around somewhere!

[iwantitiwinit]

1953 topps Johnny Podres psa6

[Jason]

I don't remember my first ever card purchase besides packs.My first prewar card purchase was a T206 Ed Killian Portrait.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

I don't remember. Probably a jersey card or autograph card of a player.

[Jason Carota]

The first card I ever purchased was a 1985 Topps Roger Clemens rookie. I was eight years old (summer of '87,) and I paid $20 for it. It still resides at my parents' house, along with all of my cards from my childhood. One of these days I plan on sorting out what I have there. I'm pretty sure I could piece together a complete set of 1987 and 1990 Topps.

[LKeeler]

I remember the first pack of cards I bought, 1988 Topps. The first individual card was a 1987 Topps Bo Jackson from a card shop in Salt Lake. My first prewar was a T206 portrait Keeler, and it happened to be trimmed which led me to learn the different levels of crappy grading companies!

[HRBAKER]

A pack of 1966 Topps @ IGA.

[Wildfireschulte]

I went to my first "show" in a mall in 1989 after having read about the Billy Ripkin Fleer ff card (about 25 years after I had grown out of buying packs of Topps ). I ended up buying a beautiful 1962 Lou Brock rookie card - not sure why I felt the need to be reminded every day about the worst trade in Cubs history. Us Cub fans can be masochists sometimes.

[t206blogcom]

My first pack of baseball cards was 1988 Topps. My Dad brought it home to me and I had no clue what they were. I was unimpressed, perhaps because it was 1988 Topps. He had to tell me that collecting cards was something kids did and that he collected when he was my age. Then I found out some of my older friends down the street collected them, so I then thought it was cool.

Ever since I was 9 or 10, I gravitated to the older cards. When I saved up my grass cutting money, I'd buy old beat up 50s commons from a local card shop. I remember liking the old Bowmans the best and my prized card was a 1954 Bowman Pee Wee Reese, that I still have today.

I bought my first T206 after riding my bike around 10-12 miles up to a local outlet mall. There used to be a 'shop' in the middle of the mall, one of those stand alone stands. I bought a Schlafly and thought it was the coolest card ever. A week later, I went back and bought a Bush. I still have these cards and will never sell them.

[cobb1969]

When I was about 10, my dad took me to a local show at a hotel. He let me go in by myself and make my purchase which was these 2, which still have. I wanna say I paid like 8 bucks for the 2. My dad had no interest in collecting, but always took me to show when one was close.

[4815162342]

My first card purchase when I was a kid was a beat up 1984 Topps Ryne Sandberg. That led me to build a large Ryno collection that I didn't keep in mint shape.

My interest in vintage started when I read an article in Beckett about a Piedmont pack. Here's the same article online: http://www.t206museum.com/page/periodical_81.html But I didn't purchase my first prewar card until January 2009. I then found T206Collector's site, which led me here. A couple years ago I sold all my t206s and started collecting mellos.

[glynparson]

was purchased from Vince at Renninger's Antique Market in Adamstown. It was a 1951 Topps Redback Gil Hodges it cost me around a quarter. Purchased in 1979/80. First t206 Street portrait. First prewar actually was a small group of delongs purchased at a garage sale for around a dollar. Cards were real nice lot included a gehrig. Sold many years ago.

[novakjr]

Wow! This may be too far back to remember accurately.

I know my first pack, was 1986 Topps from the concession stand at tee-ball. The first card I ever traded for, was probably 1987 Topps Bo Jackson.. The first card I bought was probably something Bo related(just speculative, based on fuzzy memory), at the old card shop on the square in Chardon, Ohio. While the first one I can remember having to get an advance on my allowance was, I think the Select Young Stars Drew Bledsoe(was like $50 at the time).. The first Baseball card that I really saved for was the '82 Topps Ripken. And the first one when I was at working age, and actually spending my adult, hard-earned money on was the '82 traded Ripken(coincidentally, I wasn't actively collecting at the time, just really always wanted the card). And my first purchase upon returning to the hobby(the one that finally sucked me back in for good) was a beat to shit t206 Harry Krause(pitching)...

[Jay Wolt]

Been buying cards out of packs since the late 60's. I remember my 1st T206 from Card Coll Co in NYC
through a hobby paper I bought a Marquard portrait listed as NM. It arrived being vg/ex at best. It cost maybe $8 so it wasn't worth making a stink over it.
Musta been in the late 70's

[Al C.risafulli]

My first baseball cards were packs of 1977 Topps. I don't remember the first card, obviously, but I remember there was a Rod Carew in the pack, and I thought he was the greatest player in the game. I immediately fell in love with the card.

My first vintage card was a T206 Rube Waddell portrait. I bought it for a dollar at a store called Dollars and Sense in Ridgewood, NJ. My grandfather had told me about Waddell, and I couldn't wait to show him the card. That began a long tradition of me buying vintage cards of players my grandfather told me about.

I still have the Waddell. I bought it in about 1980. It's my most valuable card.

[Centauri]

I started buying packs around 86, but my first card purchase was a 73 Hank Aaron. I went to the card shop for a birthday, planning to buy some will Clark cards, but then I saw the Hank, and it was the same price! My young mind was blown away, so I got that one.

Of the topps sets, I love the 68. But T205 has been my dream.

[VoodooChild]

The summer of '85 when I was 10 yrs. old was when I made my first trip to a card store. I had $10 and bought a '71 Clemente, a '68 Ernie Banks, and a '78 Cello pack with Rollie Fingers in top. I still have them.

My first Pre-war card was a T206 Oakes that I bought a little over a year ago.

[shernan30]

I can't remember my first baseball card purchased, but I do remember bugging my grandma until she bought me an OJ Simpson cards from the local flea market. This would have been the early 1990s. My first pre-war card would have been a 33 Goudey Earle Combs I purchased this past January.


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[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by shernan30

I can't remember my first baseball card purchased, but I do remember bugging my grandma until she bought me an OJ Simpson cards from the local flea market. This would have been the early 1990s. My first pre-war card would have been a 33 Goudey Earle Combs I purchased this past January.


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Bet that OJ was in killer shape.

[ParisianJohn]

The first cards I bought with my own money were 1986 Sportflics when I was ten or eleven. I think they had three player cards and two mini team cards in each pack. I believe the packs were like $3 a pop. Some day I'll get my money back on that investment

Actually, I still have them and like them, though they are a little gimmicky. They've held their condition much better than my junk wax cards of that era. I also had vey good luck buying them, in that the entire set was only 200 player cards, I bought 57 cards, and I only pulled two doubles (Joe Carter and Paul Molitor).

The first individual card I bought was a T205 Eddie Collins - the red one with his mouth closed. I grew up in Philadelphia, and when I was blowing off assigned readings from school I would often read of the old championship Mack Men teams and that drew me to buy that card a few years later.

[Rich Klein]

My first pack was in 1967 -- I bought ONE high number pack and then started buying for real with 3rd series in 68

About the time I was 13, I went to Sports Corner and bought a few cards among which were a beat up 1955 Jackie Robinson and a T206 McGinnity.

So one of each in the modern and the old to begin with single cards.

I own neither of these cards any more

Rich

I bought a 1968 Mantle at a High School Flea Market in the mid 70's for .02 cents

[K-Nole]

1973 Topps Roberto Clemente.

I was in the 4th grade (without giving up my age, this was in the late 70's).
I was a big sports fan and I knew I had heard of him and knew he was a star.
A buddy of mine brought in his cards and I saw it and knew I had to have it.

So, I traded 2 unused NFL Pencils, AFC & NFC, for it.
Took it home and showed my Dad and he was really happy for me :-)

[midwaylandscaping]

First pack: 1978 Topps
First single card: 1974 Topps Steve Garvey

[ethicsprof]

50+ years ago but a '62 mantle for a dime stands out.

best,
barry

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by K-Nole

1973 Topps Roberto Clemente.

I was in the 4th grade (without giving up my age, this was in the late 70's).
I was a big sports fan and I knew I had heard of him and knew he was a star.
A buddy of mine brought in his cards and I saw it and knew I had to have it.

So, I traded 2 unused NFL Pencils, AFC & NFC, for it.
Took it home and showed my Dad and he was really happy for me :-)

Best trade ever!

[albrshbr]

1973 Topps Mike Schmidt for $5 in 1980. I believe it was the only card in the set that Beckett listed for more then $1.

[Tomman1961]

My first show. 1980 at age 19. Montclair NJ. Bought big lots of 1955 Topps commons, and scoured through others looking for the minor stars. I'll never forget my next show.Meadowland, NJ. I saw a nice lot of 1960's Mets yearbooks and bought them. I tucked them under my arm. I had a small box to hold my cards. I bought 1955T Aaron, Mays, Williams, Bank, Killebrew, and others I do not remember. I tucked that box under my arm. The box must have slipped away from the yearbooks. A 7 year old girl ran up to me and pulled on my shirt. "Mister, I think you dropped this". I caught her Dad's eye and we shared a nice wink. I droped my 1955 T cards on the floor. Nice kid. Nice Dad.

[EGreenwood]

I started buying packs in 1978. As I recall, my first purchases were a stack of 65 Topps (Koufax on top, Drysdale on the bottom of the stack) for $5 and a 54 Topps Jackie Robinson for $5. This was circa 1980 at Wes' Hall of Fame in Paramount, CA. Still have the Robinson.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Heck of a deal on the Robinson.

[ullmandds]

My earliest memories of collecting were seeing 75' topps at a flea market...offering to trade a girl my whole collection at the time which consisted of maybe 50-80 70' topps...mainly commons...rubber banded by team for a 76' topps babe ruth card...she wouldn't do it! I starting buying packs in 77'.

MY first vintage card purchases were a 33 goudey eddie collins, a 35 nat'l chicle rolfe, a t205 Criger, and a t206 matty beater...and a 95' mayo lave cross that turned out to be fake...I can't remember the order!

[poorlydrawncat]

I grew up in the late 90s, so it was all Bowman's Best and Fleer Ultra for me. Man, those were the days...

[itjclarke]

My first purchase was sort of random, but it was a 1977 Topps Reggie Jackson. Think it was like $6 and purchased from some random card shop in the South Bay that I'd never been and never went back to (to this day, no idea why my mom and I were there.... Still fun to reflect on how little you knew about everyday life/activities when you were 10-11). Anyway, I loved the fake/airbrushed Yankee helmet. Still have it somewhere, boxed away in my first card binder.

[pcoz]

First prewar card.......

[ullmandds]

damn Pete...B-BANG!!!!

[darwinbulldog]

I don't think I ever heard of a baseball card until my older sister found one in a library book in 1986 and let me have it. In retrospect that was very nice of her since it was a Ruth card (modern), and she was the big Ruth fan in the family. Anyway I decided I wanted more baseball cards so I got my dad to bring me to a card show a couple of weeks later at the Metairie Holiday Inn. I bought a 1986 Fleer Baseball's Best card of local favorite and promising rookie Will Clark and a 1972 Kellogg's Ty Cobb then a pack of 1986 Donruss.

First prewar card wasn't until about 16 years later, a '33 Goudey Maranville.

[Ronnie73]

I started actual collecting in 1984 and went to my first show in late 1985. The first card I purchased at the show was a 1981 Topps Dave Winfield for 50 cents. I thought it was so cool to see Dave in a different jersey other than Yankees. I still have that card. I had all the 1984 and 1985 cards from opening packs at the time so that's why I went with the 1981 Topps.

[howard38]

When I was very young I ordered the TCMA 1936-39 Yankee Dynasty set through an ad in Baseball Digest. It's really not a bad set but I was pissed when I realized the cards weren't actually from the 1930s.

The first time I bought a real card was at a comic book convention in NYC around 1976. I picked up a mint 1958 Whitey Ford for $0.35. I also bought a '63 Wilhelm for a quarter and a January '62 Mad magazine w/a drawing of two fighting Santas by Don Martin on the cover for a dollar. Those were the days.

[bnorth]

My first card purchase was in a guys basement. It was the only card shop we ever had in our little town. It was 1986, I was 17 and it was my favorite player Wade Boggs 1983 Fleer rookie. Not 100% sure, I think it was $15 at the time.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by pcoz

First prewar card.......

Wow!

I'm guessing your first car was a

[abothebear]

The first pack I remember buying myself was '85 Topps. I remember walking home with my friends from the Five and Dime and opening the packs hoping for the olympic team cards.

The first singles I bought were probably Alan Trammel cards at a mall show.

[Bigdaddy]

My first packs were 1977 Topps baseball.

There was an antique mall in the next town over and a lady there had several boxes of cards that you could either buy (couple of cents each) or you could trade her two for one. Mostly I traded with her. The first individual card I remember buying from her was a 1966 Willie Mays. She had bought a small collection and did not put those in the 2-for-1 box. I think the card was $5 or $6 and I talked my mom and dad into giving it to me for Easter instead of candy. I remember there was also a Mantle and Koufax, but I passed on those to get the Mays.

[SikSyko]

First cards would of been some mid 70's O-Pee-Chee packs (can't remember the year) and the first single card was this one.

[billyb]

Does buying the 1961 post cerial for the cards count. I could look at the back of the boxes before I made my purchase, yes I made the purchase. I was 13 at the time and my paper route money went for post cerial. I was looking for the Mantle, Kaline, or any other Tiger.

[AMBST95]

The first packs I remember actively ripping were 88 Topps. I would have been 8 years old at the time.

The first single cards I remember buying were Ripken singles and Donruss Diamond Kings at the Eastern Market in York, PA. The first large purchase I remember making was for an 82 Topps Ripken at a mall show.

My first prewar card I bought was in 2011 when I purchased a T206 Jack Dunn.