Meaningful Worthless Card Stories

[mrmopar]

I don't have any one specific card that has deep meaning for me. Many cards from those early days shake something loose in the old brain. I have all of the cards I collected as a kid and although that was not as long ago as many, it was over 40 years ago now.

Growing up where I did, we had a great neighborhood, filled with kids all around the same age range. We played a lot outside (and sometimes inside as video games were starting to be popular). Wiffle ball, tag, riding bikes, tossing the football, hide and seek and whatever else we could come up with. There are a lot of great memories associated with this time for me and some things that bring those memories into a little bit clearer focus. Things like the RC Cola cans with the baseball players, Marathon bars, just about any card produced in the 78-80 range, sport or not. I used to buy sets each year through the magazines/catalogs starting around 1981. I spent a lot of time wishing I could buy more, filling out order forms i'd never actually send in because I didn't have the money. A few TCMA/RGI sets seem to have made the rounds within my friend group as they were broken up and traded, probably because they were free gifts with orders.

Books too. I used to get to order a few books in the Scholastic order each year and they were always sports related. The annual Weber stars of 78, 79, etc, The Baseball Card, Flipping, Trading & Bubblegum Book and many others. there was a set of sport encyclopedias at school that I wish I could ID now, as I had fond memories of looking through those at school. The elementary school I went to let us laminate some stuff once and I got several cards done, including a 78 Topps Rose that managed to survive. Most of the rest I peeled the lamination material off and ruined the cards.

I had a "Johnny Bench Batter Up" toy, which actually kind of sucked as I kept breaking the large rubber bands that made it work, but I had to buy one not that long ago for the memories. I went to a lot of Mariner games in that era, scrounging for autographs at the foul lines. Those were fun times!

So, here are just a few things that I picked up recently (had most of it already) that help bring those memories back...in no particular order or preference, just things that make me think of my childhood. Some I had then, others I obtained later because I always wanted, but never could find...

[orioles70]

Originally Posted by mrmopar

I don't have any one specific card that has deep meaning for me. Many cards from those early days shake something loose in the old brain. I have all of the cards I collected as a kid and although that was not as long ago as many, it was over 40 years ago now.



Growing up where I did, we had a great neighborhood, filled with kids all around the same age range. We played a lot outside (and sometimes inside as video games were starting to be popular). Wiffle ball, tag, riding bikes, tossing the football, hide and seek and whatever else we could come up with. There are a lot of great memories associated with this time for me and some things that bring those memories into a little bit clearer focus. Things like the RC Cola cans with the baseball players, Marathon bars, just about any card produced in the 78-80 range, sport or not. I used to buy sets each year through the magazines/catalogs starting around 1981. I spent a lot of time wishing I could buy more, filling out order forms i'd never actually send in because I didn't have the money. A few TCMA/RGI sets seem to have made the rounds within my friend group as they were broken up and traded, probably because they were free gifts with orders.



Books too. I used to get to order a few books in the Scholastic order each year and they were always sports related. The annual Weber stars of 78, 79, etc, The Baseball Card, Flipping, Trading & Bubblegum Book and many others. there was a set of sport encyclopedias at school that I wish I could ID now, as I had fond memories of looking through those at school. The elementary school I went to let us laminate some stuff once and I got several cards done, including a 78 Topps Rose that managed to survive. Most of the rest I peeled the lamination material off and ruined the cards.



I had a "Johnny Bench Batter Up" toy, which actually kind of sucked as I kept breaking the large rubber bands that made it work, but I had to buy one not that long ago for the memories. I went to a lot of Mariner games in that era, scrounging for autographs at the foul lines. Those were fun times!



So, here are just a few things that I picked up recently (had most of it already) that help bring those memories back...in no particular order or preference, just things that make me think of my childhood. Some I had then, others I obtained later because I always wanted, but never could find...

Thank you for sharing these memories...it is what keeps me rooted to my childhood and will keep me in the hobby.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Seven]

The card definitely isn't worthless, but what I was given for free, certainly tells a story. I'll update this post with a picture, when I am home, from work.

On my first trip to Cooperstown, I stumbled upon a small store, in Doubleday Court. It was then, and forever will be, to me, the perfect baseball hobby shop. The store, which recently closed, was Baseball Nostalgia. It opened in 1974, and was a longtime staple of Cooperstown. I spent so much time in that store on that day, talking to Peter, about all things baseball cards. I was able to scrounge enough money together, with the help of my father to purchase a 1953 Topps Willie Mays. As a bonus, Peter threw in a signed lithograph of Johnny Mize.

It then became a ritual, everytime I visited the Hall of Fame, I would have to stop into Baseball Nostalgia. Many years later, in 2019, right before they closed, I visited the store, for the last time and spoke to Peter again. I bought some cards, one of them being one of my first 1952 Topps, a Warren Spahn, and told Peter the story of my first time in the store. He proceeded to dig around for a little bit, and found one more copy of the lithograph, of Johnny Mize, and gave me a second copy. It was a gesture I thoroughly appreciated and a bittersweet last memory of one of my favorite places to go, when I visited Cooperstown.

[mrmopar]

Originally Posted by Seven

The card definitely isn't worthless, but what I was given for free, certainly tells a story. I'll update this post with a picture, when I am home, from work.

On my first trip to Cooperstown, I stumbled upon a small store, in Doubleday Court. It was then, and forever will be, to me, the perfect baseball hobby shop. The store, which recently closed, was Baseball Nostalgia. It opened in 1974, and was a longtime staple of Cooperstown. I spent so much time in that store on that day, talking to Peter, about all things baseball cards. I was able to scrounge enough money together, with the help of my father to purchase a 1953 Topps Willie Mays. As a bonus, Peter threw in a signed lithograph of Johnny Mize.

It then became a ritual, everytime I visited the Hall of Fame, I would have to stop into Baseball Nostalgia. Many years later, in 2019, right before they closed, I visited the store, for the last time and spoke to Peter again. I bought some cards, one of them being one of my first 1952 Topps, a Warren Spahn, and told Peter the story of my first time in the store. He proceeded to dig around for a little bit, and found one more copy of the lithograph, of Johnny Mize, and gave me a second copy. It was a gesture I thoroughly appreciated and a bittersweet last memory of one of my favorite places to go, when I visited Cooperstown.

I thankfully was able to experience that store myself on my first (and only, to date) trip to Cooperstown in 2018. I agree, it was exactly what a sportscard and memorabilia store should be. Easily one of the best shops I have ever set foot in and I came away with a gem as well, a cheap ($1) Steve Garvey card I did not have already. It was a fitting part of a "magical" story that I wrote describing the entire experience, but lost due to a computer freeze before I could publish it. I lost my momentum and later posted a more hurried/revised version of it to one of the card sites. In a nutshell, I made my first trip to the Baseball Mecca, met in person a long time online collecting friend for the first time 20+ years after we first "met" online, also hit the Basketball HOF and it was just a fun experience all around. That card I found was a wrong back 78/79 Topps with a 79 front and a 78 Garvey back.

[todeen]

I started collecting in the early 90s as a 5 year old boy in Billings, MT. I bought my cards from Buttrey's Grocery Store....well actually, I smiled at my mom and had puppy dog eyes, and she bought me my cards. By about 1994, I discovered a real card shop, and it was the generic well organized, glass case, supplies. We've all been in these stores - it's almost like a Mr Clean card shop. For a 8 year old boy, that wasn't my thing. In 1996 I discovered a card shop that I liked much much more. It was a small house, perhaps even a double wide trailer. Its closeness made the shop feel very friendly - you were always within close distance of the owner, and that meant me, a 10 year old, got to talk to the owner about my growing interest. Because it was so small, not everything could be kept behind the glass cases. It felt like there was something to be discovered. 1996 was a fantastic year for baseball cards. While I didn't buy a lot of them, Topps Laser came out that year and it was exciting to see the die cuts. At this little shop I pulled a KGJ Powercuts. The pic isn't mine - it's borrowed off ebay. My card actually has foil separation at the very top of the card because I still wasn't a master at opening packs. Anyway, I was very excited to have that card after the 1995 season. The whole Laser set was fantastic.

[todeen]

Another story I have is more about friendship. My friend Alex, in Billings MT, was the nephew of goalie Andy Moog. I actually didn't care to play hockey, but it was fun to watch. We the junior ice hockey AFHL Billings Bulls. They played at the local arena and it was big time sports entertainment for a town in the middle of Montana. My friend would go visit his uncle, get cards signed, and then would share some with me. These were the only hockey cards I owned. After I moved away late in 1996, I found a card shop near me in Spokane. This card shop was in the same vein as the double wide trailer shop I loved so much in Billings. It had three vendors, and the main owner sold primarily vintage cards. I was introduced to so many items I had never seen before. It was amazing. One of the vendors sold hockey cards, and he had a 1981 Topps Moog RC. After looking at it for a year, I finally decided to buy it. It might have been $10-$15. This remains the only hockey card I have ever bought for myself. This pic is not my card - borrowed off ebay - obviously it's the OPC version. My card has all the hallmarks of "collector grade." Probably would grade a 5 or 6.