I purchased my first 19th century cards in 1989 at age 15. I was intrigued by Old Judges, cards that had begun and were still turning 100 years old. Emil Geiss was my first for $12 (Southern Cards) but I really wanted Detroit cards. The first opportunity for a Detroit OJ was from Lew Lipset through an SCD add with a $130 asking price. I had virtually memorized Lew's encyclopedia of 19th century cards and was so eager for my first Detroit and so I made it mine. Back then, OJ portraits brought more of a premium than they do today. I still love that card.
FWIW, I also preferred '85 Fleer over Topps & Donruss. In '85 I hadn't yet ventured into older cards. I not only liked the Fleer design most but appreciated that they put the Detroit team at the front of the set (having won the '84 World Series). I also liked the '85 Topps stickers as they dedicated a couple pages to the play-offs / WS.