How we react to collectibles

[steve B]

I'd written most of this for the "viewing the Wagner" thread, but decided it wasn't really appropriate there.

I find it interesting how differently people within the same hobby can view the same item. And sometimes specifically the Wagner or a similarly expensive or heralded item.

I guess we're all different in how we view some stuff within the hobby.

The Wagner is a great card. And Everyone should see one sometime.

But having seen one I must say that for me the experience was an odd one. Went to the auction, registered, looked for the Wagner. Found it was in its own case for display and gave it a look. After a few moments of looking and the auction person showing me both sides the coolness wore off. Replaced by meh, it's a card, a creased written on T206. And I moved on to looking at stuff I could actually afford. I bought a T205 minor leaguer. They actually held the Wagner and did other lots waiting for one particular buyer to get there. He did win it for 30,000. Yeah, that was a few years ago.

Maybe if it was as nice as the one being sold now I'd have been more impressed? I've since seen other collectibles In the same sort of category as a Wagner. US C3a plate block(The upside down airplane stamp) 1c Z Grill.(Another insanely rare stamp, only one in private hands traded for the C3a plate block that had sold for 3 million.) Both got a similar reaction to the Wagner. "That's pretty cool, but not as special as I'd thought....."

I can sort of see why so many of them are sold every few years.

But I've seen a number of cards stamps etc that have left a much bigger impression. And were worth a very small fraction of the very top items.
I mean stuff I WANT.....But usually can't even come close to justifying the cost. Maybe it's because some of that is just out of reach? Or for some reason I just like it that much more.

Anyway, enough of this rambling, what do you think?

Steve B

[atx840]

Great post Steve.

I have yet to see a Wagner, Plank, Joe Jackson, Baltimore Ruth or really any other card that is not in my collection. This is a big part of why I am trekking down to the Nationals....just to see all that cardboard.

I am sure the moments leading up to seeing my first Wagner, as I walk towards the booth...will be somewhat exciting.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Leon's Young ghost and my first brown OM & Lenox. Cards just beyond my reach.

Oh and Large Ass.

[ctownboy]

It very well could be that the build up of anticipation to seeing the card overshadows the actual event. Or, in my case, I am not a HUGE T206 fan or collector like many on this board are.

I once knew an old time collector and rumor had it that he owned a T206 Wagner. Once I got to really know him (and he could trust me) he admitted that he owned one. In fact, he said his Father once owned two. They were from Pennsylvania and his Father was a huge baseball fan and a player (he told me his Dad once had a try out with the Yankees in the 1920's). Anyway, he said his Dad had somehow, along the way, picked up two T206 Wagner's.

After a couple of more years of going around looking for cards together, he took me inside his house one day, opened up his safe and pulled out the Wagner. It didn't seem trimmed but it did show wear and some creases.

His advice to me from the very beginning was to buy T206's. That was because many people collected them and if I ever had to sell my cards they would be the easiest to get rid of. I heard what he said but the commoness (if that is a word) really didn't do much for me.

I saw the Wagner and thought it looked like every other T206 I had ever seen. Translation, it didn't do much for me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn it down if he (or anybody else) were going to give me one but I don't know if I would go after one even if I had the money to buy it. The prestige of actually owning one would be cool but there are other cards that I would rather own.

David

[Blitzu]

Ok ok, I'm about to share a story that I haven't ever before. It was appx 1992, and I was reading a book that showed the T206 Wagner as the the holy grail of cards. Ill admit, I was a young lad then but very experienced in cards 1950 to the time. I had no clue about the cards prior to that but I knew honus was the big dawg.

So we stopped by an antique store not too far from a country club we use to sell cards at a weekly show. As we walked in there was a glass booth filled to the brim with various junk. Being young and eagle eyed I centered in on the most marvelous site I could of imagined. A mere corner of a t206 Wagner in it's glorious orange colored card that was staring right back at me under a barrage of rummage. I began to jump and proceeded to yank my fathers shirt sleeve with extreme angst. He caught on quite quickly, a foreign born man but quicker and smarter than most, he rarely lost an important moment. He calmly asked the elderly female behind the counter to pull out a few items out of the case but none if them were the Wagner.

I stood there in shock and horror and wondered how stupid he could be as I pulled harder and harder on his sleeves. He continued to point out other items I the case to view that were not the Wagner. I stood there in shock still not understanding what his malfunction was and felt like screaming out, "that one Dad, that one!!!" But it seemed he cared about everything except that. He then after what seemed like a hundred hours pointed out the "baseball card" for " my Kidd" so could look at it. So the old lady behind the counter grabbed it, and my heart began to beat a thousand times faster than before and I picked up the card and looked at the front and it looked good.

Now, keep in mind I've been collecting cards since could walk and my father and I had done 4 dozen shows so I was no amateur at that point and he trusted me. So I turned the card around and at my horror I caught the worst thing right away... The "reprint 1986" on the bottom border. I quickly told my dad false alarm, it's just a reprint, and he shrugged it off. I then, finally got what he was doing. As I was looking over that card he was schmoozing the lady behind the counter. He even anticipated the time it took me to analze the card he still left me enough time and trust to anaye it accurately. That right there says trust, if you know you're possibly looking at a million dollar card and you let your 15 y/o son judge the authenticity.

All that time I was wondering where my father was, yet, there he was was, right there infront of me, in his greatest glory, and I couldn't see it. Only till after it was done and did I get it and he still bought that reprint. The man was brilliant and he was 10 steps ahead of me the entire time. That beautiful Wagner still sits in my collection today and you know what... It is priceless. No amount of money will ever pry that reprint from my hands. It made my dad a hero that day and it will keep him that for eternity.

That's my story, I've never made it public before. I hoped you liked it.

[Ease]

Wonderful story Blitzu!

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by Blitzu

Ok ok, I'm about to share a story that I haven't ever before. It was appx 1992, and I was reading a book that showed the T206 Wagner as the the holy grail of cards. Ill admit, I was a young lad then but very experienced in cards 1950 to the time. I had no clue about the cards prior to that but I knew honus was the big dawg.

So we stopped by an antique store not too far from a country club we use to sell cards at a weekly show. As we walked in there was a glass booth filled to the brim with various junk. Being young and eagle eyed I centered in on the most marvelous site I could of imagined. A mere corner of a t206 Wagner in it's glorious orange colored card that was staring right back at me under a barrage of rummage. I began to jump and proceeded to yank my fathers shirt sleeve with extreme angst. He caught on quite quickly, a foreign born man but quicker and smarter than most, he rarely lost an important moment. He calmly asked the elderly female behind the counter to pull out a few items out of the case but none if them were the Wagner.

I stood there in shock and horror and wondered how stupid he could be as I pulled harder and harder on his sleeves. He continued to point out other items I the case to view that were not the Wagner. I stood there in shock still not understanding what his malfunction was and felt like screaming out, "that one Dad, that one!!!" But it seemed he cared about everything except that. He then after what seemed like a hundred hours pointed out the "baseball card" for " my Kidd" so could look at it. So the old lady behind the counter grabbed it, and my heart began to beat a thousand times faster than before and I picked up the card and looked at the front and it looked good.

Now, keep in mind I've been collecting cards since could walk and my father and I had done 4 dozen shows so I was no amateur at that point and he trusted me. So I turned the card around and at my horror I caught the worst thing right away... The "reprint 1986" on the bottom border. I quickly told my dad false alarm, it's just a reprint, and he shrugged it off. I then, finally got what he was doing. As I was looking over that card he was schmoozing the lady behind the counter. He even anticipated the time it took me to analze the card he still left me enough time and trust to anaye it accurately. That right there says trust, if you know you're possibly looking at a million dollar card and you let your 15 y/o son judge the authenticity.

All that time I was wondering where my father was, yet, there he was was, right there infront of me, in his greatest glory, and I couldn't see it. Only till after it was done and did I get it and he still bought that reprint. The man was brilliant and he was 10 steps ahead of me the entire time. That beautiful Wagner still sits in my collection today and you know what... It is priceless. No amount of money will ever pry that reprint from my hands. It made my dad a hero that day and it will keep him that for eternity.

That's my story, I've never made it public before. I hoped you liked it.

awesome story

[Orioles1954]

I've seen probably 5-6 Wagners over the decades and, while I think its neat, have never been shaken up over it.

[atx840]

Thank you for sharing Blitzu, great story!

[deadballfreaK]

I think if I saw a Wagner in person I would salivate a bit, but I know (aside from finding one at a yard sale) it will never happen, so I could quickly let it go. Finding something on my want list that I can afford is a better feeling. For instance a T207 Mike Donlin.

[cmoore330]

I got to see Wagner as a kid...in rural Oklahoma...at Walmart. This was at the height of the hobby and it was some sort of promotional tour. Pretty cool experience for a kid! In fact, I think there is some sort of promotional card from the event hiding in my collection.

[tonyo]

Loved the story Blitzu!

This pales in comparison, but just answering Steve's question:

I started collecting pre-war in 2009. Since that time, I have only been to one show and zero b&m stores. The show was a small one in a hotel conference room and as per usual only one, two, or three tables with any vintage cards.

One guy had some t206's and also had a Fatima team card and a T3 or two. It was the first time I had seen either type in person. I remember staring at those two for a pretty good while and being surprised at the actual size of the cards. Made me smile and to put it simply, I thought it was pretty cool.

That's about the extent of my reaction, but I do love to receive new type cards that I have never seen before. Have similar feelings when that happens. It's one of the things I love about type collecting, unfortunately I must have gotten all the "easy" pre-war types (up to 89 now) because it's pretty infrequent that I'll score a type that I don't already have an example.

As far as seeing a t206 wagner? It would probably be similar to when I saw the Stanley Cup..... pretty cool to see and now I can say "I have seen the Stanley Cup up close and in person" but not much beyond that.

My prevailing thought would probably be: Perplexed that anyone could/would spend 6 or 7 figures on that little piece of cardboard.

[t206blogcom]

I've been fortunate enough to have seen and held a few Wagners over the years. While they were neat experiences, the wow factor quickly faded. I'd love to own one of course, but I no longer get giddy over them.

[atx840]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Frankly, my signed pre-WWI card collection is intoxicating to me. Very hard for me to get that rush with the unsigned stuff anymore, but I keep hunting nonetheless.

I have/get a similar feeling from several of my errors...a distinct emotional change when I visit the safety box.

If you get that from your cards, no matter condition, type, set or price then all the power to you.

[Tanman7baseball]

The first time I saw a Wagner t206 was when I was 12 years old. Needless to say it was ine of the best experinces of my life. My grandfather and I went to the Hall of Fame that summer all the way from Southern California. Baseball was my passion then and still is now. I watched every Dodgers game with my Grandpa as a child and he would tell me stories and facts about players from his era. He even got me to start collecting and took me to my first card shop. I credit him to starting my card addiction.

The plane ride to the Hall of Fame felt like an eternity. I was overwhelmed with anticipation. Literally couldn't contain myself. After a grueling long plane ride and drive we finally arrived. The whole city the surrounded the HOF was beautiful. So much baseball. It was amazing. We finally made it inside and I literally had my breath taken away. I looked at every single thing on every single floor. My grandpa waited patiently for me while I read literally every little information box.

Finally, we made it to the floor where the Wagner was at. I saw the card from a distance and urged my grandpa to rush over to it with me. It was entombed in an incredibly large case. The card was more than breathtaking. I stared at it for several minutes. Literally nothing else compared to it. I was in awe...It was more than a great experience and it was even better that I got to spend it with my grandpa. Sadly, that would be the last experience at the HOF with my him. He passed away 3 months later after a 15 year battle with cancer. All in all, 10 years later I still can't wait to go to the Hall and see the Wagner again..

The card might not be the best or coolest card to collectors, but it is a card that represents the hobby.