Baseball cards

[Cityofgrit]

So, I used to collect when I was a kid. Then it became a dorky thing to do when I hit junior high, so I stopped. Fast forward to now, I am starting to collect again, but I'm buying older graded cards. I just got a 1956 Sandy Koufax PSA 7 and a few others. Just wondering if anyone else collects or if I'm just a dork (which by the way, I'm fine with)

 

[MisterSuperGod]

You're just a dork.

i used to collect as a kid. One of my high-school teachers gave the class a list of addresses where we could write to all the major sports teams.

i used to send in cards asking for an autograph. Not sure how legit they were, some looked like they were penned by a child, but i had a bunch of them. That was a good time in my life.

Now i'm old, short tempered and i no longer collect nor do i have any of those autographs anymore. Bummer.

 

[biggerben69]

My Father was a Russian Immigrant who owned and operated a couple of grocery stores. My earliest memories are with him at those stores. I started sweeping and bagging groceries. Then learned how to operate a cash register and count back change without the register giving me the info.
Then learned how to use the slicer in the deli and the scales to weigh cold cuts. I loved making my own grinders.
One of the customers was an old man named John Ellis. His son John Jr played for the Texas Rangers and also my beloved Yankees. I got friendly with that old man and we would talk when he came around. His son had retired from Pro Ball and got into Real Estate. Local Celebrity. Nice enough guy. The old man gave me gifts from time to time. One item he gave me that I still cherish is autographed baseball signed by Yankee legend Mickey Mantle.
When I started Little League one of the incentives I had to perform was for every home run I hit I got a box of Topps base ball cards.
My father collected coins and had these plastic sheets that fit into a binder. The sheets had slits to slide coins in. He got me a bunch of sheets for my cards.
I was obsessive compulsive even back then and remember spending hours organizing those cards different ways. I had thousands upon thousands of Topps cards. Mostly from 76 through 79.
My father and Uncle had a sporting goods store that was in business for 32 years or so. They both were card collectors...my uncle more so. My father loved his coins.
Back in Ct at my fathers home I have a couple of complete Bowman sets. 1947 is one. I can't remember the other. I don't have an interest these days. Kinda glad. I can get a little obsessive and have other things to take care of these days. Lots of memories though, for sure.

 

[notdeadYET]

Like you I collected back in the day. Late 80's, early 90's and quit for the same reasons you did. I remember all the card shops, the trading, the binders of cards. It was good times.

Fast forward to today. When my kids want/get something that I THINK is a collectible, I cringe at how quickly they destroy it. Part of me is like, "keep it in the original package", "thats not really a toy", "do you realize what that could be worth".

So for my sanity - I don't let them collect.

 

[Cityofgrit]

My Father was a Russian Immigrant who owned and operated a couple of grocery stores. My earliest memories are with him at those stores. I started sweeping and bagging groceries. Then learned how to operate a cash register and count back change without the register giving me the info.
Then learned how to use the slicer in the deli and the scales to weigh cold cuts. I loved making my own grinders.
One of the customers was an old man named John Ellis. His son John Jr played for the Texas Rangers and also my beloved Yankees. I got friendly with that old man and we would talk when he came around. His son had retired from Pro Ball and got into Real Estate. Local Celebrity. Nice enough guy. The old man gave me gifts from time to time. One item he gave me that I still cherish is autographed baseball signed by Yankee legend Mickey Mantle.
When I started Little League one of the incentives I had to perform was for every home run I hit I got a box of Topps base ball cards.
My father collected coins and had these plastic sheets that fit into a binder. The sheets had slits to slide coins in. He got me a bunch of sheets for my cards.
I was obsessive compulsive even back then and remember spending hours organizing those cards different ways. I had thousands upon thousands of Topps cards. Mostly from 76 through 79.
My father and Uncle had a sporting goods store that was in business for 32 years or so. They both were card collectors...my uncle more so. My father loved his coins.
Back in Ct at my fathers home I have a couple of complete Bowman sets. 1947 is one. I can't remember the other. I don't have an interest these days. Kinda glad. I can get a little obsessive and have other things to take care of these days. Lots of memories though, for sure.

I am obsessive compulsive as well....back when I was a kid I would get Ninja Turtles figures, open the box, cut off the ID card on the back, take all of that and the weapons they came with, and put them in plastic sandwich bags. In my adulthood I collected old detective novels from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, concert posters from every concert I've been too (that developed into quite the obsession for a while), and now baseball cards. My mom was a bit of a collector when I was younger...mostly little figurines and Disney stuff.

 

[Cityofgrit]

Like you I collected back in the day. Late 80's, early 90's and quit for the same reasons you did. I remember all the card shops, the trading, the binders of cards. It was good times.

Fast forward to today. When my kids want/get something that I THINK is a collectible, I cringe at how quickly they destroy it. Part of me is like, "keep it in the original package", "thats not really a toy", "do you realize what that could be worth".

So for my sanity - I don't let them collect.

I remember the days of the card shops. I used to ride my bike to one in the downtown area where I grew up. I remember how exciting it was to walk in and see the really expensive cards in the huge plastic cases. Maybe I'm doing something I always wanted to when I was a kid lol buying the expensive old cards.

 

[notdeadYET]

Funny. This story just popped up on my ESPN alert.

Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball card from 1910 sells for $492,000

Maybe I should get back into this hobby!

 

[Cityofgrit]

Funny. This story just popped up on my ESPN alert.

Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball card from 1910 sells for $492,000

Maybe I should get back into this hobby!

I've been looking at a Shoeless Joe Jackson Crackerjack card from 1915 on Ebay. $43,000