How did you get into pre-war card collecting?

[Mark17]

I read "The Glory of Their Times." A half dozen times (so far.)

[cannonballsun]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I read "The Glory of Their Times." A half dozen times (so far.)

I also read "The Glory of Their Times". It's a great book, but I only read it once. Maybe it's time to pick it up again.

[ullmandds]

I grew up a big yankees fan...had a neighbor who was a sportswriter for the herald trib. He told me stories of the past...I was really interested in baseball history...I read a lot. I sold my childhood collection to buy a car in the late 80's which consisted mostly of 50's-present. I kept my prewar which was maybe 2-3 cards.

When I got back into collecting a few years later I didn't want to re-collect the cards I used to have so I decided to focus on prewar...they were much more interesting to me.

I've since re-accumulated many of the more modern cards from my original childhood collection...but to me these cards belong in binders...not slabs!!!

[Rhotchkiss]

I have collected on and off for 40+ years (since I was 7). In my first collection, I had a t206 Bresnahan batting, and I thought it was so cool. Before my brother and I sold the collection (in 1992), my best and favorite vintage card was a real beat up t206 Cy young with glove. For some reason (maybe I am an old soul), I have always been attracted to the old stuff.

I got back into the hobby in 2014-15 with an eye toward investing, but investing in things I love and would like to collect. So, I jumped head first into t206 HOFers, and fell in love with rare backs. Then I expanded into Cobb, Wagner, Jackson, Plank, Ruth, and then have just stayed with rare version of key early HOFers. I love the players, the stories, but especially the Americana and add-backs. Below is my favorite add back - given out only at one store, in Philadelphia in 1909.

From an investing standpoint, I believe there is no better risk-adjusted-return in cards than rare pre-war and HOF pre-war.

[Exhibitman]

This:



I saw it in a bookstore on 86th Street in NYC. I was ten and there with my parents. A suitable amount of begging, whining and pleading and it was mine. Read and re-read it incessantly and I was hooked.

[Casey2296]

I was "shanghaied" by Leon and his Pre-war henchmen, brought to this sub and haven't been able to escape.

[jingram058]

I was given some tobacco cards with some other cards along with Boy Scout stuff and comic books in a big box when I was 11 years old (1969).

[joshleon]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

This:



I saw it in a bookstore on 86th Street in NYC. I was ten and there with my parents. A suitable amount of begging, whining and pleading and it was mine. Read and re-read it incessantly and I was hooked.

I had this...this is the one with pic of the 33' Delong Traynor.

Yep, having that book for me too. That did it.

[darwinbulldog]

When I was a kid in the junk wax era I was always proud of whatever my oldest card was, but in those days I never really ran across anything pre-war or considered that I might be able to afford such a thing. In 2002 I finally got on eBay and, for old times' sake, started looking through the baseball card listings. When I realized I could not only afford a real 1933 Goudey or a real T206, but I could easily find hundreds of them all of a sudden, that was it.

I didn't really know anything about rare pre-war cards then, but I think I came to the original Net54 page by way of Google in trying to figure out what the deal was with PRO compared to PSA/SGC/GAI, and that's how I learned about trimming. Then I stuck around and read through old posts and realized how little I knew about old baseball cards compared to some of these people. Twenty years later, and maybe now I am one of those people.

[birdman42]

In the early 80s I was working in a coin and stamp shop. The owner let a fellow set up his baseball card inventory in a display case. I've been a baseball fan all my life, especially Washington, so when Wayne Miller put his cards out I was interested. The oldest cards I had were Post off the back of my mom's Raisin Bran boxes. One thing led to another, and I was hooked. Wayne had a seemingly endless supply of T-206s among other fabulous items. The only regret is that I didn't buy more.

Bill

Some cards from Wayne:
Maybe the last five-buck T-3

Walter...

...and his battery-mate