What got you into vintage cards?

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Posted By: jay behrens

Figured this topic hasn't seen the light of day in a long time. With all the new people on the board, it's good way for them to get to know everyone better and meshes nicely with the cards from when you were a kid thread.

1980 was when found a Beckett annual guide in a book store and seeing a 1972 Carew listed for $50 is what sucked me back in after giving up collecting as a kid because I was "too old" collect cards. I also found the Erbe/Miller book about the same time and that is what got me hooked on vintaged cards.

The first show Lee and I went to was a Manscoe Perry show at the Thumderbird in Minneapolis. I bought one of every Pete Rose card I could find from 1963-79. Also got a smoking 1956 Jackie Robinson. The first tobacco cards I bought were a t205 Matty about Ex for $15 and OJ Stovey about EX for $5.

Jay

I like to sit outside drink beer and yell at people. If I did this at home I would be arrested, so I go to baseball games and fit right in.

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Posted By: Chad

a neighbor gave to me when I was a kid growing up in Hayward, CA. Just have always been fascinated with the cards, the way they look, and the fabric of the game's history they represent. The first vintage cards I bought was the Tinker-Evers-Chance infield with Steinfeldt thrown in as a sweetener. Got 'em when I was 13 or so. Still love those cards along with teh Mathewson T206 I got for Christmas that year. I'm getting back into it now after years away from the hobby with a focus on T206's and cards of Negro Leaguers issued in Latin America. Recently won a Martin Dihigo Felices card at Ryan Cristoff's auction and I'm still giddy about it.

--Chad

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Posted By: john/z28jd

As far back as i can remember i was always into baseball history.My dad and grandfather being big baseball fans i heard alot about the past players.I went to the hall of fame when i was 6 and on the ride home i read the yearbook from cover to cover,and there were pictures of vintage cards in it.When i was 9 the card i wanted most was the Ewing/Mascot card.I was a big fan of catchers,loved Carlton Fisk,hated any other catcher who did good(Lance Parrish,Gary Carter,etc),and read about the old catchers,so Ewing was a favorite far back.I was also a big fan of Wee Willie Keeler and Home Run Baker when i was a kid but probably because of their nicknames.I had a made-up baseball team from when i was 7 but i used both of their names on the team eventho all the other names were originals

I didnt get any pre-50 cards till i made my 3rd trip up to the hall of fame and went to Larry Fritschs museum where i purchased a Roger Bresnahan t206 Portrait.I was hooked after that and looked thru his catalog for hundreds of hours.I think i had the t206 prices memorized

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

when I was 6 years old. Then, in the Second Grade, I checked out a couple of Baseball Card books in the school library and fell in love with the old T and E cards pictured in it. My other favorites from the pictures I can still remember - 1933 Goudey Ruth #181, 1938 DiMaggio #274 Heads Up with Cartoons and a 1933 Delong Pepper Martin Horizontal!

Soon after, I started buying older cards at Flea Markets. My first "Big" purchase was an EX/MT 1956 Koufax for $16! I still remember my Father telling me I was STUPID for spending $16 on a Beseball Card! That changed when Mattingly was Hot and I sold all my 1984 Topps Mattingly Rookies to a local Dealer for $20 each! To this day, my Father still asks about my card purchases every day!

Unfortunately, until the internet, I was stuck with 50's and 60's cards. Then, while working for New York Life, I made my first Vintage Card purchase - a crease-free VG+ T206 Ty Cobb Red Portrait from "Uncle Sam's" cards out of PA - I was hooked! Until then, the oldest cards I had seen in person were some nice EX/MT 1915 Cracker Jacks a Flea Market dealer had cheated someone out of and was selling. In fact, he was selling an EX/MT 1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb for a WHOPPING amount of $100 - I only had $32 with my that day and drooled over the Cobb (of course I was only 8 years old at the time and had a bi-weekly allowance of only $10).

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Posted By: Rob

From realizing the fact that today's cards are all garbage.

This year I booked up on vintage literature. I read that 'vintage' maintained its value. So I picked up a few graded 70's Nolan Ryan cards, but something was still missing. They didn't seem 'old enough' to have any mystique or history.

While pondering what to collect, I was watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark and the phrase "Obtainer of rare antiquities" caught my ear. Museums.... Art galleries.... Priceless pieces of history and art..... And then I remembered back in the early to mid ninties that baseball cards (before 1966(?)) were considered 'a work of art'. I wish I could find the article. [New York Times?] Baseball cards... Art.... And then I it triggered my memory of the 1994 Gloria Rothstein Show. There was a dealer selling a lot of real old stuff. In one of the displays I saw a white borderless card with a 'painting' in the center depicting someone of fame or importance. It was a billiards player but I don't remember who. But I did make it a point to remember the brand. Allen & Ginter.... Then I said to myself, "That billiards card is really nice. Wouldn't it be nice if they made those for baseball players?" Then I went on about my business. And more than te years later, lo and behold, they did make Allen & Ginter baseball player cards! Obtaining the Cap Anson was suggested in Mr.Mint's book. I was about to buy it, but the price was out of my range. Maybe there are more baseball players from that set that are cheaper. I did more searching and found that the Mike Kelly portrait looked more handsome. With a little research, I found out he was nicknamed "King", but didn't know why. It piqued my interest even further. I bought a book about him written by Marty Appel. I was HOOKED! I wanted his N28 so bad I could taste it. "If you want quality, you'll have to pay for it." And 3 months later, I came across one and my lucky stars ensured this forum was 'asleep at the wheel' during this auction. It is the jewel of my meager collection and is my 'fire card' - if there's a fire, it's going to get grabbed the hell outta there by me!

These days I am reloading for next year - when I might get a shot at any N172 $10000 Kelly potrait. However, I'm wondering if that N162 is still up for grabs ***you know who you are***.

These two questions form the foundation of what I would collect today:
"Would this be worthy enough to be auctioned off at Sotheby's?"
"Would I be happy to be stuck with it if I couldn't resell it?"

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Posted By: ted

BlackSoxFan

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Posted By: Adam J. Moraine

What got me into vintage cards were the fact that during the "vintage days" of our hobby, ballplayers played for the love of our game(i.e.Matty), and not multi-million dollar contracts (i.e. A-Rod).

Also, the fact that vintage cards can be well appreciated. They are something that our fathers, and grandfathers, once held in there hands when they were growing up. (it's all about TRADITION)

And lastly, the possible monetary value of these great cards will increase, even more so, than the current crap they make today. EXAMPLE: My T-206 Crawford, will always be more valuable than an 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr.

Best Regards,

Adam J. Moraine

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Posted By: leon

It was Smiling Dave

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Posted By: Bill Stone

In 1954 I was playing little league baseball in Burbank, California when I met Dale Long of the Hollywood Stars. The team was appearing at a little league ballpark and I got his autograph which I still have today. From that moment on he became my favorite player --I got his 1955 Topps card and was hooked. Years later we corresponded and he sent me a number of interesting items including a letter on Hollywood Stars stationary dated November 5, 1955 from Bobby Bragan to Dale Long saying how Bragan was looking forward to managing the Pirates in 1956. Dale Long added a note saying Bragan had been named manager and the letter was a response to one he sent Bragan. When Dale Long hit 8 homeruns in 8 games in May of 1956 I was the only little 10 year old boy who thought he was the next Babe Ruth.!! Years later I was moved to Kentucky and discovered the T210 Series 6 cards featuring the players of the Blue Grass League --my research has only increased my goal of acquiring all the Frankfort players ( or at least a scan of the cards in the meantime ) . As far as I am concerned 1955 and 1910 are the best years for baseball cards !!!

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Posted By: hrbaker

When I was 8 years old I began collecting by buying 1967 Topps in grocery tray packs (6 for .25). I bought them to find all of the Cardinals never acquiring the high number SP Mike Shannon until 1988 to finish the set. A client of my father noticed that I collected because I always had a stack with a rubber band around them when I stopped by his office on the way home from school for some ice cream money. One day the man told me that he had some cards from when he was a kid and if he could find them I could have them. Sometime later my dad came home from work with a cigar box full of 1954 and 55 Topps. I was hooked. I started asking kids at school if they had any cards I could buy or trade GI Joes and comic books for and that is how my collection started. My first card show was in Memphis in 1982. My first pre-war card bought was a 1939 Playball Gehringer bought out of SCD in 1989 from Kevin Savage. My favorite card is a PSA7 E95 Cobb. I have been collecting ever since. It took me appx. 20 years to complete the 54 and 55 Topps sets from the stake given to me. What a great hobby!

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Posted By: T206Collector

Although I had a couple of T206 cards circa 1997, and had owned an E-card of Bender once upon a time, and have owned a 1933 Lefty Grove since 1989, I became a really serious collector of T206 cards when I discovered I could find them easily and affordably on ebay in 1999. I never would be where I am (about 10 cards from completion) without eBay.

....or the overproduction of modern cards, which drove me out of the modern card market as quickly as you can say, "1990 Score baseball was produced in very limited quantities."

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Posted By: steve k

I've already got a nice 50s and 60s collection. Been working on the 52 Topps set - long way to go. Just simply wanted to go further back as of course these cards are quite interesting. If I ever want to go even further back, I'll start collecting Greek and Roman gladiator cards - LOL.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

What I do remember is seeing Topps cards of the early 1950s, which had to be when I was about 8 or 9 years old (so, 1973-74, when Topps was issuing a couple of the blandest sets ever), and thinking that there is no way cards could be that great looking. That hooked me.

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Posted By: quan

came over here in '87, started reading up about early baseball history (cobb, speaker, young, etc) when i was in jr. high in '89 '90. Started collecting modern stuff around that time. stopped collecting while i was in college. thanks to ebay got back into collecting and bought my first vintage card in 2001. From there I discovered Pete C's caramel website and has been hooked ever since.

So the order of thanks would be:

1.books in jr high
2. ebay
3. caramel-cards.com

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Posted By: Richard

I am a recent vintage collector. My first real vintage card was a 1957 Brooks Robinson - one of the most beautiful sets in my opinion. I bought it about 3 years ago and couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It is the sole reason why both my friend and I started collecting vintage (baseball, basketball and football). Prior to me getting the Robinson, it was all about the lowest numbered shiny card out of Upper Deck SP Authentic.

About a year ago I picked up my first pre-war card - a red t206 cobb. I couldn't believe that I could own something that I usually only saw in magazines. And then, a few months ago, I picked up my first caramel card - an e93 young (thanks bcd). I have been hooked on pre-war ever since.

I used to walk by all of the vintage tables at the shows and go directly to the modern tables, wondering what kind of old geezers bought that old crap. Now I occasionally glance at a modern table on my way to the vintage area and shake my head wondering why people can't move the latest shiny card at 90% off.

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Posted By: Wesley

It was BCD who got me hooked on prewar cards. Brian used to email me scan after scan of cards he would tell me I could never afford. The cards were so beautiful that I thought even if I could own lesser condition ones, I would be extremely happy.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I grew up in the advertising business, and I grew up loving baseball,
most notably the Yankees.

In 1975 I attended my first baseball card show in the basement of
a NYC Church...there I saw wonderful examples of advertising
signs and early posters promoting the sport I loved.

I began by collecting rare type cards in top condition. My first
year collecting I owned a Four Base Hit and a Just So which
I still have today. I worked for years to obtain the largest collection
of Boston Garters---and have countless adveritising signs--- it
was the idea of somebody's hero promoting America's game
which attracted me then, and keeps me in it.

I have been so lucky to find so many wonderful pieces which
tell the story of not only America, but America's game.
As DeToiqueville wrote...to know America...you must know baseball

That's why I still collect today..and keep filling in America's Toughest
Want List

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Posted By: brian p

I have been collecting bb cards since I were a wee lad--my mom would bribe me into making a grocery run for misc. food items by saying I could buy a pack of cards. My first vintage cards were the ones my oldest brother collected in the late 50's to early 60's and passed on to me and my other brother. Living in family that not only liked to collect just about everything, but was also into antiques probably early on gave me an appreciation for old things. Coupled with a passion for the sport of baseball and its history, I was destined to collect the old stuff. My first baseball card show that I went to, in 1981, I purchased my first Pre-WW2 cards (at the first table inside the door): a T206 Matty dark cap, a T206 W. Johnson pitching, a T205 Breshnahan, a T205 Wheat (Broadleaf), and a E98 Cy Young, all for $11.00. That was all the collecting money I had brought. They are in about F-G condition (still got them all), and that set the tone for my future low grade collecting...

Brian

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

When I was a kid I collected modern cards, but I didn't just collect, I hoarded them. It wasn't until my dad convinced me that I was wasting my money on the new stuff that I had a change of heart. My dad gave me three Old Judge cards that he had found in an old scrapbook album that he acquired at an auction. One of them was Dan Brouthers and when I looked him up in the price guide I noticed the HoF notation next to his name and it picqued my curiosity to learn more about him. I didn't really start to collect the cards at that point, but I started getting into stratomatic games with friends using the oldtime players which led to more research. I joined SABR and the rest is history.

I kick myself now for wasting so much money on 1986 Donruss cards when I could have been spending that money on T-206, Cracker Jacks, and Goudeys that a fellow at the flea market had a huge book full of. I remember looking through that book lots of times, but the $10-$20 pricetag on those cards just seemed outrageous to me.

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Posted By: pete

For me back in '85 my brother told me to look through my fairly big collection of modern baseball cards for an '84 Donruss of Don Mattingly, it was worth $5 at the time and I had 4 of them...he told me to hold onto them because he was going to be big some day and his cards would be worth big $....well, I got hooked on some of the '80s junk until one day I was at this place called "Boardwalk and Baseball" in Orlando, Fl (I think) I remember walking through a MINI-HALL OF FAME and watching a minor league KC Royals game, then I saw it...a Rookie of Mickey Mantle the '52 Topps I read so much about, I had to have it...It was priced in the Beckett at $5995.00 and it was worth every penny, probably an 8 or better...I immediately called my brother back here in California and told him to wire me $3000...he told me I was crazy, I was willing to sell my '85 Toyota MR2 to buy this card...
Needless to say, I drove home without the card...about 2 -3 years later I saw the Micks card sell at auction for $50k...I dumped about 98% of my modern cards and started picking up the '50's and '60's...then I read the story about Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall buying the Honus Wagner for some rediculous price, then it started again, I dumped about 99% of my '50's and '60's stuff and picked up a few T-cards, a Cap Anson, ty cobb, cy young, etc, etc, etc....snowballed from there!
since I started buying these cards, I found this site (by accident, kinda) started reading up on this stuff and BAM!!! here we are...
pete-
and to answer the question of if I kicked the sh*t outta my brother is no, but i remind him often

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Posted By: Damian

I have been a huge baseball fan since I was about 7 when my family moved to Atlanta and I became a Dale Murphy and Brave fanatic. I collected cards for fun until I bought a baseball card collecting kit at a book fair at school in 5th grade. In that kit was a price guide and I was hooked. I used this guide to price a couple of my friends father's 50's and 60's cards and was hooked. My first vintage acquisition was a Clemente rookie that I bought for .50 at an antique show. My step dad was visiting with a coin dealer while I was checking around for card dealers. I strolled up to them to tell my step dad I was ready to go, and the coin guy sees my card binder in hand and whips out the Clemente(no case, sleeve, or protection and in poor condition). Tells me its mine for fifty cents. I was estatic and have been a huge Clemente fan ever since. Needless to say I was now really hooked on vintage stuff. I have collected on and off until about 2 years ago, I really got hooked again through ebay. While having almost always collected 50's and 60's, I never really gave much thought to pre-war cards until about 3 or 4 months ago. I don't know, its like I caught a disease or something. Especially the more mainstream stuff T206, Goudeys, CJ's. There is just a magic in these little cards that make me appreciate the history and culture of the game I love so much. Mark Peavey told me about this forum and I love it. This is a great thread. Thanks Jay. Keep em coming folks.

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Posted By: JimB

I started collecting cards out of packs in 1975. When I got to junior high in 1979 I met some guys who collected older cards and went to shows with their fathers. I remember trading for a 1960 Yogi Berra around that time from one of them. It floored me to own a card that was that old. Then I started going to shows and spending all of my allowance on baseball cards. I was mostly collecting '50s and '60s cards then, but eventually came across T206s at a card shop in the San Fernando Valley. Like Quan I was reading a lot about the real old-timers and had heard about tobacco cards, but I will never forget the feeling when I saw an actual TY COBB tobacco card in person. I traded the show half my collection for that card which he was asking $90 for at the time. That was my first pre-War card and of course my first T206. I just completed the T206 set in December, so it only took about 25 years.
JimB

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

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Posted By: FatBoy

A hunting friend of my dad's who knew I collected baseball cards (this was in the late 60s) had around 50 T206s (including 2 Cobbs) that were his dad's in a desk drawer at home. He brought them with him and gave them to me on one of our hunting trips to the cabin when I was about 14.

I picked up the other 2 T206 Cobbs at a nearby flea market for 5 bucks a piece within the next 5 years or so after receiving the first 50 and got up to over 450 by the time I was 25. Most of these cards I was able to buy at antique shops, flea markets and estate sales.

I said this before and regret it still to this day. I was big into flea markets and antique shops for cards. Used to go somewhere every week. I always asked the dealers if they had any new vintage cards, they all knew me, all knew what I collected. I passed up 100s of N172s because they reminded me too much of the "black and white" actress and actor cards .

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Posted By: Identify7

I guess it was mainly my father who got me interested in prewar players. When Id mention Musial, he'd counter with Speaker; Feller was "refuted" by the Big Train, etc. Although he had the initial advantage of being born in the teens, I tried to catch up.

When I "discovered on my own" the Hornsby .400+ seasons streak, we looked up the player who was the opposite: Bill Bergen.

And I was off. Certainly I continued my interest in current players including Williams, Spahn, etc., but reading about the performances of past players gave me an overall perspective that none of my friends had any interest in.

My first non-OJ cards were a w502 Hornsby and a Dockman Bergen.

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Posted By: Glenn

I read an article a few years ago about Hall of Famers who don't really belong in Cooperstown, and one of the players mentioned was somebody I'd never heard of before -- Rabbit Maranville. So I looked him up on ebay and found out, to my surprise, that one could buy a 1933 Goudey Hall of Famer for under $100. I was surprised, I think, because I had just plunked down about $100 for a '97 Bowman Chrome Kerry Wood on the chance that he might someday join the Hall. So I guess I have Rabbit Maranville to thank, and the Baseball Writers.

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Posted By: Josh K.

Glenn,

Its a good thing you weren't looking up HOFers who unquestionably belong in the Hall. Had you looked up Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb on ebay, you may never have started collecting vintage.

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Posted By: Richard Lloyd

Colledted cards as a kid and still have many(late 60's-early 70's) then in early 90's collected NEW cards!!! Hit my head against the wall and figured out I was buying NEW cards that looked OLD and finally said what the HELL am I doing!!!! THEN I figured out EBAY and have not looked back since!!!!!

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Posted By: will watson

from before i could ride a bike until 2002, i collected only modern cards. i had little interest in vintage. i started to get out of the hobby around summer of 02 for a few reasons: i was in college, drinking and womanizing way too much, and most importantly i was getting sick and tired of overproduced modern junk. its no fun buying a $100 box, and pulling a jersey card that i might get $10 for on ebay. i know collecting should be about having fun, but the idea of getting a 10% return on your investment if you ever did sell was disheartening.

in late september of 2002, i had just about quit the hobby entirely. then, my dad died suddenly in a hunting accident. one week later, i was sideswiped by a drunk driver, my truck rolled twice, and i was almost killed. i was about as depressed as a human being could be, didn't care about school or my life, or anything. i ended up getting $2000 cash from the accident. i almost blew it all on booze and drugs. i was to the point where if i died, i wouldn't care. but for some reason, i decided to get my life together. i got back into the hobby, and spent the entire two grand on vintage cards.

looking back, it was probably one of the best decisions i've ever made. cards have been therapeutic, a way to escape the hell that was my real life. whenever i'm down, i can pull out my boxes of vintage baseball and hockey cards and forget about everything else. i've collected vintage stuff non stop since then

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Posted By: Dave Williams

I love history, and bought an old scrapbook at an estate sale in the 70's with newspaper clippings, photos, etc... from the 30's and 40's about mainly baseball, but also Notre Dame football. I also got some old baseball registers from the 50's at that sale.

I read everything in them, and all the old registers, and then at flea markets would buy anything that was old. I got my first T 206's of McGinnity and Casey at a junk barn in Georgia, and then a Chance, Phillippe, and a couple other T 206's at a flea market in Peoria, Illinois.

Then when Beckett published his first annual guide I bought one, and realized there were gobs of pre WWII cards out there, and would go to card shows and buy all the HOF'ers I could afford.