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Posted By: vetekbob

What a wonderful thread this is. It has certainly gotten the synaptic juices flowing for sure. If this thread keeps going like it is we will have to come out with a two volume dvd disc set lol not that that would be a bad thing mind you There is one thing that I have noticed that hasnt been brought to light as it were and if it has then I have missed it and my appologies and that is yes there is monetary value in pre-war cards today whether you are a diehard collector,an investor without real personal attachment or what have you but to me the most important aspect in what we call the hobby of card collecting is the "historical record" of life as we knew it then as the collective group we call the human race.
Yes I am a diehard collector of cards and yes I collect them for the other reason as well howbeit to a much smaller scale and intent but I also collect cards for the legacy that passed before me and one that in whatever small way I was a part of when I have passed this earth. We know what we know about baseballs history and all that that entails because people like each one of us shared a passion not only for the game of baseball but even more so a passion for life and all the little nuances of day to day life back then and I feel that it is still with us today in collecting pieces of the past like we do.
Each one of us as individuals and as collectors collectively are helping to pass on to the next generation a piece of ourselves in who we were, what we cared about, what we believed in, and what we stood for not just about the game of baseball but about society as a whole and its driving force in each of our lives and to me that is a legacy that means so much more to me than how much I may have paid for a card, or whatever collectible I saved.
Maybe some of us collect cards and or other collectibles because to us they represent a time when life didnt seem so robotic and chaotic and the game baseball was so much more than just a game, it represented and in some small miniscule way helped to define the social isms that we are still growing in and working toward today as a collective body of people. Baseball cards to me personally represent a portal in time that someone before me saved and in looking at the card or cards I can travel back in time in my mind even if for a moment and smile in wonderment inside myself wondering what it would be like to have seen, talked with, or played with the legacies of our past, wondering what little tidbit or wisdom they might would share with me if they could.
I have been somewhat concerned about the increasing prices of cards and what that may mean for me as a collector but not "solely" in the sense of wanting to complete a certain set but rather my concern is what are we losing inside ourselves and as collectors if we allow ourselves to go blind to just the dollars paid and or the artistry of a card or cards as we all can fall prey to at times. To me, babseball in its true essence embodies the heart and soul of a person striving to do their best for themselves and at the same time working together for a common goal.
I think it is pertinent and prudent to ask the question that started this thread in the first place for I feel it ask each one of us to look within as to what is truly important in our lives and causes us to ask ourselves, what kind of legacy are we leaving for the next generation that may find one of our cherished cards and not know what it truly meant when baseball was more than a nine inning game and life was more than just how much money players made back then or the prices each of us paid for our cards.
Robert


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