2020... The year in review!

[Vintagecatcher]

2020.....not the year any of us expected!

Wanted to take this opportunity to thank Leon, and the other moderators for providing this site as an escape from the harsh realities we all faced this year.

This site helps fuel our passion for collecting. It also continues to build many lasting friendships between our members!

Although this year had months when I couldn't find anything I wanted to add to my "catcher collection," the items I did find, I have appreciated more!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Bill Carrigan E125 American Caramel Diecut
Yantz 210 Orange Border
Sunday Illustrated Magazine Catcher cover
S74 Meyers (Peach)
PCL Wilson Baseball

Let's see your highlights from 2020, and let's end this year on a positive note!

Patrick

[Exhibitman]

2020 personifies the ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times." I am just thankful my family is healthy and my practice hasn't missed a beat. I don't have much by way of vintage cards to show for it but I did land these autographs:



Daltrey on a Pro Card



Pete Townshend



Best for last, the master, Jimmy Page.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by Vintagecatcher

2020.....not the year any of us expected!

Wanted to take this opportunity to thank Leon, and the other moderators for providing this site as an escape from the harsh realities we all faced this year.

This site helps fuel our passion for collecting. It also continues to build many lasting friendships between our members!

Although this year had months when I couldn't find anything I wanted to add to my "catcher collection," the items I did find, I have appreciated more!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Bill Carrigan E125 American Caramel Diecut
Yantz 210 Orange Border
Sunday Illustrated Magazine Catcher cover
S74 Meyers (Peach)
PCL Wilson Baseball

Let's see your highlights from 2020, and let's end this year on a positive note!

Patrick

Hi Patrick

T'was an unpleasant year for the hobby.....the three Philly Shows were cancelled. And, the National was cancelled. I was looking forward to setting-up in Atlantic
City (only a 2-hour drive for me).

You asked for our hobby "highlights" this year.
I think you'll appreciate this, a T205 George Schlei with a tough PIEDMONT #42 back to continue my #42 run. I included my only Green-bordered T205 (Schlei).
Several other BB, FB, and Non-Sports cards; however, nothing too exciting to write about.


. .



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Vintagecatcher]

Thanks for you response Ted.

I guess it really was a rough year by the responses or lack thereof.

Patrick

[aelefson]

Great items Ted and Patrick! I especially like the PCL ball but it is cool to see both of your highlights. I had what I consider my best year ever, collecting wise. The odd thing is, 90% of my collection comes from antique stores, antique shows, and flea markets. Even though the pandemic significantly curtailed my antiquing (no Brimfield!), the quality of the items I found more than made up for the lack of quantity. Since March I have acquired the following items via antique shopping:

Full size lemon peel ball
1871 Trophy ball
Possible seamless type lemon peel ball
1843 Boys and Girls Book of Sports with small base ball section
1856 bound volume of New York Clipper newspaper with lots of baseball content.
Five Peck and Snyder trade cards from the 1880s
Walter Johnson store model glove (youth model but still happy to own it)
Big Run cigar box with Buck Ewing, Buffalo Bill, and other small portraits
Possible salesman sample mini Reach mushroom bat
Several early bats (pre 1900)

I also made a few purchases with the help of fellow board member bgar (Bruce) and those included an 1836 book that has the same illustration of baseball as the Carver book, and an 1840s notebook with the same baseball scene on the cover. Bruce has been instrumental in helping me reshape my collection via his information and a few trades we did. I wouldn't have much of a pre 1860s baseball ephemera collection without his help.

Other board members (soxinseven, bigfish, huysman, mghpro, kjavic and others) have helped me also with information, encouragement, and also by buying some of my other items so I could afford to obtain all of the above.

I am still amazed at what can be found antique shopping!

Alan

[packs]

For me 2020 was a banner year (hobby wise):









And a Carl Horner to round it out

[RCMcKenzie]

Here are a few from this year...

[DeanH3]

I was able to add a couple new backs for the Matty black cap mini run.



A few other T206's



Some non T206 additions



Every year my resolution is to spend less money. I don't think I have ever been successful yet. LOL!!

[mechanicalman]

2020 was a great year, Dean! (Cards-wise, anyway.)

[DeanH3]

Thanks Sam! Yes, card wise 2020 was great. Other than that, I'm happy to see it end. What a crazy year. Hope all is well on your end, my friend.

[jcmtiger]

Not much this year, but picked this up in a trade with Net54 member.

[joejo20]

2020 is the year that I began collecting prewar again from a long hiatus starting a family and a business.

I did not have collecting goals this year so I though it was best to post in this thread to show my highlights from this year.

T206 is where I started the year and have picked up 179 different cards mostly from members here. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to help me.


I was lucky enough to buy a small find of EPDG cards in super condition found in an envelope dated 1911

Once I started reading about T206 Players in the Zappala book I found that Lou Criger came to my small northern Michigan hometown to be the player/manager for the 1911 team.

Now I am a Criger collector and have since begun looking for any type cards and back runs.

Thanks to Patrick for this one

I also began looking for Northern Michigan Prewar Baseball memorabilia and aquired these.

There were many other highlights but it may be best if I stop here before I spend all day posting pictures

A huge THANKS to the members I have bought from over the year and also to Leon for your efforts with this great forum. Joe

[GasHouseGang]

I had wanted to pick up some T205 HOFers and Leon started selling off some of his. Then someone did a set break on a 1934 Goudey set and I was able to pick up my first Dizzy Dean.

[familytoad]

Cards are one way for me to cope with this crazy thing called "Life"
2020 was completely awful for basically the entire planet, so my fits of depression comes with a lot of company.

But the cards were good. One of my best years adding to my collection.

Key cards-

• 1934 Goudey Gehrig,
• 1954 Johnston Cookies Aaron RC,
• 1951 Bowman Mantle RC,
• 1939 Play Ball DiMaggio.
• M116 Honus Wagner.
• 1928 Yuengling Gehrig.
• 1963 Pete Rose RC
• W517 Ruth and Gehrig
• 1910 T212-2 OBAK set (missing 8 cards)
• Various E90-1 tough cards, including Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker and Cy Young

I finished 3 baseball sets and 3 football sets.
I added 27 sets to my WL since last year at this time. ( Lord knows why?)
I scanned a trio of my 2020 acquistions.
I intend to re-scan most of my key cards this year, I'm way behind...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

[Jason]

It was a slow year overall for my collection. I was able to aquire a couple handfuls of new T209/T210. I stand by my previous population estimates. Since that thread new to the market cards are pretty much non existent. I was able to finish off my two N172 player collections. Nash and Johnston. Here is my favorite pickup of the year. Series 8 Pepe SGC 20 with the upside down split Series 3 TEXAS league back!

[Jason]

Front

[C-mack]

Had some pretty fun pick ups in 2020 ! Good dent in my goudey set and a solid amount of t206s

These were my favorites of the year

[kkkkandp]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

Not much this year, but picked this up in a trade with Net54 member.

Beautiful item, Joe!

[Leon]

Possibly my favorite pick up of 2020...

[Kevin]

I collected on an off since the 1980s. Instead of collecting in my late 20s and early 30s, I spent my $ on wine, women and song. Good, but fleeting times. I wish I invested 5% of the money I wasted from 2000-2014 in cards.

During the pandemic, Peter Schwartz who I know from Islander games, started posting his ticket stubs on Twitter. I had some serious FOMO. I went to my folks house, finally found ticket stubs from the late 70s and 80s Isles glory days, posted a few on twitter. My friend from imaginesports (Steve Brightman) retweeted some and some baseball card collectors liked my pics and started following me. Then I followed them and saw all these great "mail days" that they posted. I then went to my folks house and unearthed my T206 collection. About 140 cards. I reached out to John Goodman, my go to dealer from East Hampton, and bought 4 cards from him. Then...I tweeted a few of mine. @t206podcast liked one of my posts and I was like "There's a podcast??" and I listened to every episode in 2 days. I reached out to Justin and Jay. Justin has been really kind and gracious and he pointed me to net54. Leon allowed me to join the group and I've added about 25 cards or so from here since October.

Monster # 169. Would like to get to 170 tonight. Might check out John's eBay store.

2021 Goals: Napoleon Lajoie T206, break 200 "Monster Number"

Sorry for the flow of this post. I'm by myself with the kids tonight.

[upstateNYmilb]

Originally Posted by Leon

Possibly my favorite pick up of 2020...

I really decided to focus on vintage, and pre-war cards this past year. While reading and listening to podcasts (The Monster and Vintage Baseball Card Podcast) I learned about Jefferson Burdick. Very cool that he lived in Syracuse, my hometown and where I currently reside. This article and photo are awesome.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

[Snapolit1]

To my eyes the only real story in 2020 (separate of course from the Covid havoc that permeated every aspect of our lives) was the steady drumbeat of extensive, highly coordinated, highly sophisticated fraud in nearly all corners of the hobby, met with a universal shrug of the shoulders, yawn, and a "what'cha gonna do really" by most collectors. Lower head, forge ahead. What's a little criminality among friends.

In some pursuits, this stuff would be considered shocking. In this hobby it's just the price of admission I guess.

As far as 2021, I can't wait to see the next batch of 1,000 pristine autographed Goudey cards that suddenly appear out of the ether.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

To my eyes the only real story in 2020 (separate of course from the Covid havoc that permeated every aspect of our lives) was the steady drumbeat of extensive, highly coordinated, highly sophisticated fraud in nearly all corners of the hobby, met with a universal shrug of the shoulders, yawn, and a "what'cha gonna do really" by most collectors. Lower head, forge ahead. What's a little criminality among friends.

In some pursuits, this stuff would be considered shocking. In this hobby it's just the price of admission I guess.

As far as 2021, I can't wait to see the next batch of 1,000 pristine autographed Goudey cards that suddenly appear out of the ether.

There sure are a lot of signed cards nowadays. It's almost like they are making more all of the time.

.