Playing in a smaller sandbox

[nolemmings]

It is clear to me now that my love of the hobby is taking a different turn from where I traveled in years past. I simply cannot compete without abandoning other obligations– card prices are IMHO obscene, at least when viewed from my social strata. I feel like a journeyman MLBer who got the occasional taste and played alongside some great people but now is old, lacking skills and looking to see if there is a local town team where he can still catch on to play. Throw me into the “should have seen it coming” group. Not bitter, just a little melancholy.

Sooooooo, I would like to hear from folks who have focused their collections on more affordable items. I also would like to see some favorite pre-war cards/items that do not cost a mortgage payment, and maybe hear from those who do not spend the equivalent of a new car or two when there’s a major auction. With all due respect and congrats to those who have them, I have seen my fill of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson, and Honus Wagner cards to last for awhile. I am hoping this thread will shine the light on lesser HOFers and others that we don’t see so often, along with any collecting anecdotes.

Here are a few of mine that I thought were interesting: an 8x10 Geo.Burke of Hall of Famer Ed Walsh’s namesake (who died far too young); an advertising postcard of someone with a claim to fame; another postcard of a HOFer from the year he played against the Black Sox, a seldom seen stamp and a card touting a brewery. As you can see, anything goes: