[robsbessette]

After seeing the awesome picture on the January pickup thread, I was curious to hear any stories that people have about relationships with their fathers and card collecting.

I started collecting vintage with my father when I was 12. My Grandmother (father's mother) passed away in 1994 and we were left with the task of emptying out her house. Obviously it was a very difficult time for everyone since this was the house that my father grew up in. While we were cleaning out the attic we came across a bunch of cards from the 60s. I had never seen cards that old before. 1962 Topps Mays and Maris. 1960 Topps Gibson and McCovey. I was hooked. I was captivated when my father told me stories about the players I had never heard of before. Bill Stafford, Allie Reynolds, and Gil McDougald were all unknown to me, but they were some of my father's favorites.

A couple of weekends later after the clearing of the house was almost complete, our treasure hunt was almost over. In one of the last dressers we went through we found my father's high school wallet. He opened it up and pulled out 2 cards. One was a topless women playing card (9 of hearts, don't think I'll ever forget that one) that he quickly hid from me. The other was a 1966 Topps Mickey Mantle. To think that my 15 year old father kept a Mickey Mantle in his wallet. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It is absolutely destroyed, but I'll never trade it for anything.

From 1994 until I left home after college we collected cards. Christmas, birthdays, and sometimes just for the hell of it. We amassed a pretty nice collection that we still like to look through today.

I had my first child, a son, last year, and am hoping that I can be half the father that mine was to me growing up.