Father/Son baseball card relationships

[robsbessette]

After seeing the awesome picture on the January pickup thread, I was curious to hear any stories that people have about relationships with their fathers and card collecting.

I started collecting vintage with my father when I was 12. My Grandmother (father's mother) passed away in 1994 and we were left with the task of emptying out her house. Obviously it was a very difficult time for everyone since this was the house that my father grew up in. While we were cleaning out the attic we came across a bunch of cards from the 60s. I had never seen cards that old before. 1962 Topps Mays and Maris. 1960 Topps Gibson and McCovey. I was hooked. I was captivated when my father told me stories about the players I had never heard of before. Bill Stafford, Allie Reynolds, and Gil McDougald were all unknown to me, but they were some of my father's favorites.

A couple of weekends later after the clearing of the house was almost complete, our treasure hunt was almost over. In one of the last dressers we went through we found my father's high school wallet. He opened it up and pulled out 2 cards. One was a topless women playing card (9 of hearts, don't think I'll ever forget that one) that he quickly hid from me. The other was a 1966 Topps Mickey Mantle. To think that my 15 year old father kept a Mickey Mantle in his wallet. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It is absolutely destroyed, but I'll never trade it for anything.

From 1994 until I left home after college we collected cards. Christmas, birthdays, and sometimes just for the hell of it. We amassed a pretty nice collection that we still like to look through today.

I had my first child, a son, last year, and am hoping that I can be half the father that mine was to me growing up.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

You can pass that Mantle down to your son with a great story behind it.

[Volod]

Enjoyed reading your memoir, Rob. I think, in our culture, your experience may not be common. Got a chuckle out of the fact that your elders actually saved the old cards. I enlisted at 17 back in the 60's, and took pains to find a hiding spot in an old chest in my family's garage that had probably not been touched in decades. Secreting my card and comic collection there and pushing it into a corner under piles of other stuff, I was confident that no one would ever find it, let alone disturb it for the next three months. Right - about a month later, sitting on my footlocker in my basic training barracks, I read a letter from my mother that ended with her casual aside, "by the way, your father cleaned out the garage last week and found an old chest with some of your stuff in it. I didn't think you were still interested in it, so we put it in with the yard sale things." I wanted to scream, but I think I just stared at a wall for an hour or so. There went several major sets from 1951 to 1955 in near mint condition, along with hundreds of pristine comics lost. I can laugh about it now, but at the time....

[campyfan39]

Great thread!
My Dad's cards were tossed but he got into collecting in 1978 when I was 5 and we "bought back" most of the cards he had as a kid. Some of our greatest memories have to do with cards. I am writing a book about our experiences so my boys can understand and know the stories associated with many of the cards.

Dad passed away in 2004 at only age 54. I inherited his cards and now I have a disply room in my house complete with a mural of cards with a bat and glove at the bottom. The artist put my signature on the bat and my Dad's on the ball. When I go in that room, which is almost daily, I feel close to him in some strange way.

Here is a picture of the mural:

[Bestdj777]

Great stories and love the Mantle! One of my first vintage cards had a similar origin. My grandfather found the card and kept it in his wallet. I still remember him pulling it out and handing it to me. It was a beater from the 70s, but it is still one of my favorite cards.

I never bonded with my dad over baseball cards. My interest in collecting came from my Mom who is such a huge baseball fan. Listening to her stories about her Mantle cards growing up is what really peaked my interest. Years later, she is the one that encouraged me to purchase my first Mantle rookie.

I hope that when I have kids they share a similar interest. As soon as funds become available, and I learn my way around the topic, I hope to start picking up pre-war cards of female players so I can pass them along if I have a daughter.

[robsbessette]

I love these stories! So much fun to hear everyone's interactions with family members and how they revolve around baseball cards. I come from a lineage of Yankees fans, and since my father was one of four boys there was plenty of baseball memorabilia floating around my Grandmother's house.

Here are a couple more baseball family heirlooms from the Bessette household. 1949 World Series Game 2 ticket, 1953 World Series Game 1 ticket, and 1977 World Series Game 6 ticket that some might recognize as being the "Re-gie" game.

Two of my uncles were at the game, and I don't know if it's a family urban legend or not, but Uncle Bob and Uncle Bill swear on their lives that they are the first two guys to jump up in the famous video clip when Reggie hits his third homer.

These are the kinds of stories that I could hear told over and over again and never get sick of.

[robsbessette]

When your book is done, sign me up for a first edition copy. I bet it will be an awesome read for us sappy folks!

Originally Posted by campyfan39

Great thread!
My Dad's cards were tossed but he got into collecting in 1978 when I was 5 and we "bought back" most of the cards he had as a kid. Some of our greatest memories have to do with cards. I am writing a book about our experiences so my boys can understand and know the stories associated with many of the cards.

Dad passed away in 2004 at only age 54. I inherited his cards and now I have a disply room in my house complete with a mural of cards with a bat and glove at the bottom. The artist put my signature on the bat and my Dad's on the ball. When I go in that room, which is almost daily, I feel close to him in some strange way.

Here is a picture of the mural:

[Harliduck]

Great stories!!

I have three older daughters...then my son. He is the youngest and is now 7, and a card fanatic. I can't really track his first card, wish I could like others here (mine was a 1979 Reggie Jackson, first card I pulled out of a pack). I gave him all my 80's and 90s junk which of course he LOVES. He is always supplying the kids at school with cards from that era and he loves being "the card man" with all the kids. About 6 months ago he came to me and said he wanted to collect all the cards of Harmon Killebrew, who is my hero. I was pretty proud. He now has the 56, 59, and 65. I have severall of every card but am only giving him them at special times so he appreciates them.

Cool story...his uncle, my brother, just started the 59 set. My son wanted BADLY to give him a 59 Killebrew for Christmas, but didn't want to part with his. So he came to me and offered a trade, completely out of the blue for me, a Russell Wilson rookie (VERY coveted for him) and a 90 Donruss Sammy Sosa for one of my 59 Killebrews to give to his uncle for Christmas. How could I pass up that trade! Uncle was very happy...

I got back into collecting for him, and he will get all my cards someday...and I wouldn't trade a minute of time we organize and look at cards together. I LOVE IT. His goal right now is to get a Clemente card, and when he saw the picture above he was VERY jealous...love that too. He just read about Clemente in school. I also carried two cards in my wallet from when I was 12, to 30. I have them in special protectors now, or whats left of them...a 69 Willie and a 69 Aaron. They will be his when he gets his first real wallet.

Here is a picture of him from a couple nights ago...my brother and I took our families to the local shop that was hosting local star Doug Baldwin (Seahawks Wide Receiver) and got a card autographed. What a great moment, and Doug was AWESOME to my kid...who as you can tell is also a major Seahawk fan...

[campyfan39]

Love the stories and thanks ROB
I am hoping for publishing date int he fall I will post it here!