How did you get started in the hobby

[mikemb]

I grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey. As an 8 year old, Mom bought me my first pack at the local deli, 1965 first series. Continued buying cards there for another 6 years. Not sure how I got 1959 to 1964 cards in my original collection, probably Dad or my older brother got them. Sad that the deli closed last year. Always went in there once or twice a year to bring back great memories. Mike

[vintagechris]

My Mom worked at the mall when I was growing up and I would go to the mall during Summer break and Christmas break to hang out. Spent most of my money on arcade games. One day, I was rushing to the back of the G.C. Murphy store where there was an arcade and on my way to the back noticed packs of 1980 FB cards. Stopped and looked at them, bought a few packs and took them out to one of the benches in the mall and opened them.

I was instantly hooked. Spent all my video game money that day on packs of cards. For the next 4 or 5 years, Mom would bring home 2 packs of cards each day.

[ALR-bishop]

5 cent pack at corner Drug/Grocery store at end of our block in St Louis

[Yoda]

I am really dating myself, but what the hell. My passion for the hobby started in my hometown, Schenectady, NY where I and my pals, ages from about 8-11,all of us playing Little League ball, would pool our weekly, meager allowances and dash to the local drug store and feast upon packs of '51 Bowmans. Outside would be the ritual of opening packs, screams of joy or derision as the players were revealed and then the business of serious trading began. Most of us were Yankee fans and just loved everything about Mickey Mantle. So you can imagine the excitement when we learned that Schenectady was to be blessed with the final series of the '51 Bowmans. Every available penny was gathered and when the cards arrived our gang, armed and ready with our life savings, wiped out every pack in the store. When all the packs were open we had about 50 Johnny Sains but not one of the Mick. We were devastated. While college, the military, family and all that stuff curtailed any active involvement in the hobby for a long time, I am now retired and actively engaged in the prewar scene, but the '51 bowman set will always remain my favorite. John

[vintagerookies51]

7 years ago, my dad brought me to the annual Minnesota Twins fest. I wanted to go simply because of my favorite current Twins players that would be there signing autographs- Carlos Gomez, Joe Mauer, Justin morneau etc... Passing by various booths one caught my eye where this guy had cards of all the absolute legends I had read about- Mantle, Mays, Yogi, Aaron- these guys were like gods to me. I fell in love with these cards and ended up convincing my dad to split the cost on a 1965 Topps Hank Aaron. I mostly collected cheap 1950s and 1960s cards then, but slowly started dabbling in pre-war.

[GeorgeBailey2]

Originally Posted by vintagerookies51

7 years ago, my dad brought me to the annual Minnesota Twins fest. I wanted to go simply because of my favorite current Twins players that would be there signing autographs- Carlos Gomez, Joe Mauer, Justin morneau etc... Passing by various booths one caught my eye where this guy had cards of all the absolute legends I had read about- Mantle, Mays, Yogi, Aaron- these guys were like gods to me. I fell in love with these cards and ended up convincing my dad to split the cost on a 1965 Topps Hank Aaron. I mostly collected cheap 1950s and 1960s cards then, but slowly started dabbling in pre-war.

What are you doing here?
It feels like the scene in "Captain America: Civil War" where Peter Parker describes the "really old movie" and Stark and Rhodes have some dialogue where they effectively roll their eyes.
Sorry to give you a hard time, I just thought it was funny.

While my first pack was most likely a 71 BB pack purchased by my grandmother, I think I really started that fall with the 71 FB. I grew up in K of P (the mall), but my father was from Baltimore. I remember going to one of his co-worker's house to watch a Colts-Jets game as they must have lived in Bucks county and were able to get the NY stations. Someone from that family must have worked for Topps as there was an uncut sheet of 71 football on the wall. I also remember being in Baltimore for Thanksgiving that year and going to the 5 and 10 (McCrory's, I think) and getting a boxed cello pack that had Johnny U showing. However, BB and HK were my favorites and that is what I currently collect. Although, I do have the 71 Football and Johnny Unitas in my searches.

[Mdmtx]

I bought football only from 1972 to 1975. Then started on baseball and football in 1976. Traded all my football including several Payton rookies for a 1955 topps set. Also in about 1975 I started cold calling for collections to be donated so I could set the Guinness world record for the most cards. When I would get a list of several, my parents drove me around to gather them up. About 1980/81 I lost interest in setting a record but had tons of cards. About late 1981 or early 1982 my parents told me I needed to get rid of all the cards. Fate intervened and I stumbled on the original sport Americana annual price guide in a used book store. Then shows, then shop, then liquidation. Then decades pass and rejuvenation a couple years ago. Had a short lived rejuvenation about 10 years ago, but that one didn't last long. This time around it seems to be back in the blood for sure.

Mark

[mark evans]

I collected 1958 Topps football as an 8 year old, got all the cards, and promptly threw them out.

The only other set I've ever collected is 1961 Topps baseball. Got them all and this time had the good sense to put them away.

Never collected anything else until discovering eBay in 1998. Then got heavily into 50s and 60s baseball, football and basketball cards of my heroes (Mays, Unitas, Chamberlain, et al). Also got into vintage cards of Jewish sportsmen.

[vintagerookies51]

Originally Posted by GeorgeBailey2

What are you doing here?
It feels like the scene in "Captain America: Civil War" where Peter Parker describes the "really old movie" and Stark and Rhodes have some dialogue where they effectively roll their eyes.
Sorry to give you a hard time, I just thought it was funny.

While my first pack was most likely a 71 BB pack purchased by my grandmother, I think I really started that fall with the 71 FB. I grew up in K of P (the mall), but my father was from Baltimore. I remember going to one of his co-worker's house to watch a Colts-Jets game as they must have lived in Bucks county and were able to get the NY stations. Someone from that family must have worked for Topps as there was an uncut sheet of 71 football on the wall. I also remember being in Baltimore for Thanksgiving that year and going to the 5 and 10 (McCrory's, I think) and getting a boxed cello pack that had Johnny U showing. However, BB and HK were my favorites and that is what I currently collect. Although, I do have the 71 Football and Johnny Unitas in my searches.

I know exactly which scene you're talking about

[Sean]

Originally Posted by mikemb

I grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey. As an 8 year old, Mom bought me my first pack at the local deli, 1965 first series. Continued buying cards there for another 6 years. Not sure how I got 1959 to 1964 cards in my original collection, probably Dad or my older brother got them. Sad that the deli closed last year. Always went in there once or twice a year to bring back great memories. Mike

I was eight in 1965. That's also the year that I started collecting. I stopped in 1969, and didn't get back into it until 2002.

That '65 Topps set was always my favorite post-war set.

[Huck]

I was 10, living in Hawaii, buying packs of '72 Topps. I never completed the set, due to finding out much later that (1) either my interest waned or (2) the later series never made it to the pacific. Fast forward, to the college years, meandering around in a convenience store after an evening of being over served at a local bar. As I waited for the cashier to ring me up, I noticed the packs of 1981 Topps on the counter. I said to myself "I never completed that 1972 set. I am going to complete the 1981 set." Many pack purchases later and after finding a tiny, dark and dank local card store (remember those??) in a strip mall and purchasing missing cards there, I finally completed the '81 set. I spent well over $100 putting that set together and have hundreds of doubles and triples. I was happy, content. Then I saw an ad in the local paper, about a card show at the local VFW. As I walked into the show one of the first things that I saw was a sign on a dealers table, which read - "1981 Topps complete set collated - $19.99", that soured me a bit on trying to complete a set via pack purchases. At that first show, I saw my first tobacco cards, which I thought were really cool looking and purchased one (Hanifan, NJ). That was the start of the insanity. In the early '90s I started collecting IP autographs of the HOF's who were guests at the show. I was spending far more money on cards than autographs but over the years, that reversed and more money was spent on autographs as opposed to cards. I still collect cards, but prefer vintage over the new stuff.

[daves_resale_shop]

It was 1986, I was 8 years old. I was a member of Coach Marsh's AAA Brewers club... My first game didn't go as planned (hitless at the plate), so to cheer me up my dad took me to Norumbega Stamp and Coin in Newton Mass to grab a few packs of cards... For some reason I found myself flipping through the pages of their display binders, and was taken aback by these trendy, colorful, disco-like cards (1972 topps). My dad picked out 3 cards, two of his favorites: Carl Yastrzemski, and John Kennedy (I think he liked the name), and a very cool mustached 1974 topps Luis tiant...

Took those cards with me everywhere that year, remember it like it was yesterday