Cards/Sets you never thought you'd like and now you love
 

I always thought the T204 Ramlys were kind of goofy. I realize that a lot of people disagree, but something about the ornate gold stuff and the head shots made it hard for me to connect the manly sport of baseball to them- The Real Housewives of New Jersey, perhaps. In my "I'd like to assemble every Yankee card from every set I like from the dawn of time through 1957ish," the Ramlys, were several notches above the 1955 Bowmans, which are at the bottom.

Because I don't attend too many card shows and have no friends who collect (other than some of you guys, who I've never met in person). as much as I am into cards, there are a great many sets that I've never seen in person.

At the White Plains show over the weekend, I saw a Ramly Knight and snapped it up (for what I think was a reasonable price. I'd post a pic, but it's at SGC being crossed from GAI- i Hope).

It was love at first sight. I never thought I'd have one in my collection and now I want more.

Perhaps this is too much like the "cards that surprised you" thread a few weeks ago, but I thought it was an interesting question.

Any cards you thought you hated and now you can't get enough of them?

Mecca Double Folders - not that I ever hated them but I did think previously
that they would be cards I'd probably not be pursuing. They really grew on me
though and now I love them. I don't like them in slabs and so far I only have
one that is graded and the rest raw. Ramleys I never liked nor do I now so
no change of heart there.

Yes, when I first took notice of the Diamond Stars cards, they seemed like the affordable alternative to the otherwise more desirable 1933 and '34 Goudey cards. I bought a few hall of famers almost reluctantly, because I couldn't afford what I considered to be the better cards.

After a while, I began to re-evaluate. The choice of color, having little to do with pictorial realism, and the prominence of background, standing equal to the subject, reminded me of the work of Matisse.

I might be overstating, but in any case, now I have the whole set.

Caramels

I always thought they were amateurish renditions of T206's; plus, you could never find them in as good shape or quantities as tobacco cards, so I stayed away from 'em.

Now, I love 'em!


Steve

An aquired taste
 

Never cared for Mayos, GC Millers or T207s in the 1980s and 90s. Now I've got complete sets of all three. Go figure.

T209's, T210's, T211's, T212's, etc. At first, I was never a big fan of sets that dealt exclusively with minor leagues. I soon came to realize how amazing those sets are.

Although I can't say I love them, E91's have grown on me over the last couple of years.

I was neither here nor there with Billikens until I visited Matt Goebel in Denver a couple of years ago and had the chance to see some up close. Now I just worship the little suckers; they're like Zeenuts with moxie.
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...%20Jimenez.jpg

Speaking of Zeenuts --when I got my first 1911 Zeenut I was captured by the image --while the T210 is still my favorite the Zeenuts opened up a whole new area of collecting.

The N284's I always dismissed since there were many generic poses & they paled
in comparison to the N162, N28 or N172's of the day.
But once I grabbed a couple, they hooked me. The great thing is they are so
much easier to obtain now then they were 20 or 30 years ago.
Back in the day, you would have to go to a large show like the National to even see any.
Now every day on the internet you can see some for sale on eBay or dealer sites.
Its no fun collecting a set if you can't add to it or upgrade it now & then.

http://www.qualitycards.com/pictures/1256529009.jpg

http://www.qualitycards.com/pictures/1251405001.jpg

It's funny both sets have already been mentioned, the T207 and 1911 Zeenut sets. Both are definitely acquired tastes but I love them both. I never thought I would like the Zeenuts but I guess it was a natural jump from the beautiful Obaks to another PCL set. The T207s are a "love or hate 'em" proposition. When you find a T207 in beautiful shape, no card in any set is prettier.

Like several others, I began collecting Diamond Stars as a relatively cheap way to build a pre-war set. Then the art deco designs began to get to me. National Chickle (whoever they were) took at least a moderate risk there, and we all got a big reward. Need a half dozen highs to finish. Favorite? #77 Charlie Gehringer.

I still don't own many, but T207s have really grown on me over the years.
JimB

i like 'em
 

i always dismissed the W515-1 as comic strips until i got my first uncut
strip of 8 including 5 HOFs and fell in love with them. I wish it had been 10!
they're framed---isn't everything---and folks ask me more questions about these than the Ramly's, the Caramel's, the M116's, the Cracker Jacks, the Goudey's and even my beloved T206s. Strange, huh?

all the best,
barry

Seconding Bruce, Bob, and Jim on the T207's, especially Bob's quote below...

I almost wish I had never seen a nice one so I'd not have the bug. The full set remains a collecting goal for this year (as it was last year, and the year before that ...).

--
Mike