I started collecting in 1988 (around 9yrs old) and was obsessed with Kirby Puckett. I tried to collect all of his cards as well as other stars of the day. The 1989 Topps set was the first set I remember trying to put together. However, the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth 144 was the card that got me into vintage. And vintage has been all I have collected ever since.
My dad was not a sports fan and he did not care for baseball, but he understood value. He was the first to teach me about scarcity and the art of negotiating price. He used to begrudgingly take me around to shows and to every coin shop in the area (buying packs and wax boxes with my saved money). One of these trips he asked if I had any interest in a Ruth card behind the counter sitting by itself. He asked if I would consider having that ONE old card as apposed to some packs of new cards. I deliberated this because to a 9 year old having more is always better. Once I actually held the Ruth I was hooked. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. He and the dealer haggled over price for quite some time but they finally agreed and I left with a card that is still in my permanent collection.
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