What is your cutoff? Prewar/Postwar

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Posted By: Bill Williams

When you say Pre war is before X date and post war is after X date. What year is generally considered?

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Posted By: Don

1917 for me, but most would say 1941.

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Posted By: Bob Donaldson

1941

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Posted By: leon

I usually think of Pre-War as before 1945 but 1941 is probably more commonly accepted. I actually collect pre-1950, just to make type card collecting more fun. regards

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Posted By: Ken Wirt

I tend to consider the 1948-49 Leaf and 1948 Bowman and Topps issues as the beginning of the post-war era.

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Posted By: Bob

1919

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Posted By: Mark L

The Playballs were issued before the war and include a lot of pre-war players, so I don't see how they could be excluded from the pre-war category. Maybe I don't understand what is at issue in the question.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

I collect Old Judge cards so the 1898 Spanish-American war is my pre-war cutoff,sorry Sporting News Supplement collectors! You guys might as well collect the shiny stuff

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Posted By: Glenn

For me it's 1939.

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Posted By: NYHighlanderFan

For me it's the 1975 Topps set.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

I agree with Ken W on the 1948 date.

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

Generally my cutoff is 1980 but I consider 1951 to be the start of the modern era. So I'm with Leon, but he's buying......

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Posted By: John S

1947

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

1943 MP & Co.

-Al

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

Well the U.S. entered WWII on December 7, 1941 so I guess pre-war is before that. To me the transition from 'vintage' to 'modern' baseball cards occurs in 1975.

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Posted By: peter ullman

My personal cutoff...for semantics sake...is 1919(pre-ww1)...but I collect up to the present in some cases.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

I'd say that prewar is before 1946; postwar is after. IMO the modern card era started in earnest about 1947 with the issuance of several commonly collected regional and other sets (Bond Bread, Tip Top, Exhibits, and on the west coast Signal Oil, Remar, Smith's, Sunbeam). The gum card modern era started in 1948. However, there were clearly card issued during the war, so it isn't a bright line.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Joe D.

what eric said.

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Posted By: Jason L

but why are people stating that 1975 date as the start of the modern era?
What made it different than 1974?

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Posted By: Anthony S.

Since I generally don't collect anything after 1912 I use the First Balkan War.

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Posted By: Alan

For most collectors, it depends on if they're the buyer or if they're the seller.

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Posted By: Mark Tylicki

I've always assumed WWII and cards issued prior to 1939 were pre-war and...after...1945....hmmmmm......ok, ok. Now, I understand the question. I never thought it through.

I guess we need a new war category for the stuff issued in between

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MY COLLECTION: http://www.rustywilly.com/MYCOLLECTION.htm

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Posted By: Alan U

"but why are people stating that 1975 date as the start of the modern era?

What made it different than 1974? "



I've heard 1973 (or maybe it's 1974) as the start of the modern era since that was the first year Topps stopped issuing cards in a series. Not sure I agree or disagree, but it's a reason.

As to the "pre-war", I think of "war" as "WWII, the big one", in the words of Archie Bunker. Maybe the categories should be Pre-War and Post Pre-War so we don't leave out "During War".

edited to add pre-war comment

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Posted By: Rob D.

My wife and I had a helluva fight at the beginning of last year, so I guess for me prewar is anything before 2008.

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Posted By: Alan

Rob,
That calls for a

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

I believe that 1973 was the last year Topps issued cards in series, so that is a natural cutoff point for the end of the 'classic' period of Topps production. Although any year you pick is entirely arbitrary and purely a matter of personal taste. The 1974 set was pretty lackluster and modern looking, but 1975 had more character, is still very popular and so usually gets thrown in with the vintage era. Perhaps the best test is that Kit Young only buys cards up through 1975; I suspect that anything after that is too readily available in uncirculated condition in quantity for him to mess with.

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Posted By: Bob

The "Great War" ended in the fall of 1918 so I use 1919 as my cut-off date. I always think of the cards issued before then to be the "golden" age, cards from 1919 to 1945 to be the "silver" age cards from 1946 to 1974 to be the "bronze" age and from 1975 to the present to be the "garbage" age.

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Posted By: Mike McGrail

I'm with Eric on this one ... 7 December 1941. The R336 set (Playball) is the last pre-war set in my judgement.

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Posted By: Joe D.

"My wife and I had a helluva fight at the beginning of last year, so I guess for me prewar is anything before 2008."


Let me guess.... she asked for a night of meaningful conversation.... and you brought up the Lajoie / Cobb batting title race of 1910.

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Posted By: T206Collector

...I collect Pre-WW I baseball cards. I only collect T206 cards and any signed pre-WW I card -- I would not pursue a signed card issued after the 1915 Cracker Jack set.



_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Visit http://www.t206collector.com for Net54 T206 archive, signed deadball card galleries, articles and more!

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Posted By: Rob D.

Joe,

Actually, the argument evolved from a conversation about which styles of eyeglasses are fashionable. And I still say I was right.

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Posted By: Mike

I agree with the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards. Modern starts with 1981. That's when everything changed ( 1981 Fleer and Donruss etc). After that it was all downhill for younger collectors. Factory sets etc. No more fun for the kids to make a set and cross out their checklists. It was great one set (Topps) and just a few others like ( Kelloggs, Hostess and some regionals ). I could eat a lot of Ding Dongs in the 1970's.

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Posted By: Don

Per the discussion above, most people consider the modern era of cards to begin in 1974 since the 1973 Topps was the last to be issued in series.

Personally, I'd start the modern era in 1971 since that was the first set to have real color photographs of actual game play. (the 1953 Bowman Reese tinted b&w photo is the only exception I know of).

I can see how 1981 might be considered. 1989 being the first UD set, which has modern card innovations might also be a good cutoff date.

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Posted By: John K

I think that most people understand it as before WW2 began. Sadly, a few more wars followed "the good war." Did Studs Terkel coin that phrase? Good book which I used to teach. Studs help to preserve our oral history, and I highly recommend "The Good War."

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

And Rob, did you have this argument with your wife before or after you used the Wayback Machine?