Friends who don't understand pre-war collecting.

conor912 · #1 11-29-2016, 09:21 PM

That doesn't surprise me one bit. I think a lot of collectors, probably even the majority, directly associate collecting with their childhood or players they've actually seen play or both. As hard as it may be to believe at times, I would guess that prewar collectors make up only a very small percentage of the overall sports collecting community.

drcy · #2 11-29-2016, 09:23 PM

Tell him that Bench was soft, playing with gloves and shin guards.

Sean · #3 11-29-2016, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conor912

That doesn't surprise me one bit. I think a lot of collectors, probably even the majority, directly associate collecting with their childhood or players they've actually seen play or both. As hard as it may be to believe at times, I would guess that prewar collectors make up only a very small percentage of the overall sports collecting community.

I agree. When people hear that I collect baseball cards, they ask me "who do you have?" I ask if they've heard of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Cy Young. Most of them haven't, but for those who do I tell them about or show them some cards.

I very rarely come across anyone who can identify lesser hall of famers, let alone Gandil and Cicotte. The last time someone at work said that he too collected, it turned out that he had a Derek Jeter rookie. That's why I'm here on Net 54. Without these guys I would never have anyone to talk with about pre-war cards.

Section103 · #4 11-29-2016, 09:46 PM

I'm glad for all of them that just don't get it. I don't need the extra bidding competition.

BruceinGa · #5 11-29-2016, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section103

I'm glad for all of them that just don't get it. I don't need the extra bidding competition.

Great point!!

abothebear · #6 11-29-2016, 11:23 PM

There was a steep learning curve for me when I first started looking into pre-war cards, and I collected cards for most of my childhood. And if I didn't have the internet I probably would have given up. Anything before Topps was fog in a land with little to get your bearings with. Building a context to understand it takes time and effort. And it helps to have an entry point. I started by looking for pre-war Cardinals HOFers, the team I was a fan of and a franchise that happened to have colorful characters and a winning history in parts of the pre-war era. From there I learned more history, and then knowing some history helped understand some of the other cards, and back and forth, etc. In some ways, though the sport and the medium are the same, pre-war card collecting is as different from modern card collecting as stamp collecting is.

Stampsfan · #7 11-30-2016, 01:11 AM

I'm always amazed at people who claim to be fans of any sport, and have little to no knowledge of anything historical. When I was in school and I had a reading project, it was all about any sport, and reading about days gone by. I still remember getting (and still have) the Mickey Mantle story, ordered in paperback through Scholastic books.

Bocabirdman · #8 11-30-2016, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section103

I'm glad for all of them that just don't get it. I don't need the extra bidding competition.

Exactly.....Phil Lesh, the bass player for the Grateful Dead, has wondered aloud, pre-decriminalization, "Do you think reefer would be as expensive as it is these days if we smokers didn't turn on so many damn people back in the day?".

glynparson · #9 11-30-2016, 06:32 AM

Gets my approval.

#10 11-30-2016, 08:18 AM

The worst is when you make a pick-up that you're super excited about but would rather not mention to your wife, then you think about telling one of your friends but quickly realize they wouldn't understand, so you then decide to post it in the pickups thread and get no response.

Leon · #11 11-30-2016, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

The worst is when you make a pick-up that you're super excited about but would rather not mention to your wife, then you think about telling one of your friends but quickly realize they wouldn't understand, so you then decide to post it in the pickups thread and get no response.

There are so many great, great cards listed in the pick up threads that sometimes they don't get responses. IF you have a really great, new pickup then could start a new thread, show it, and tell others to show that series too.....then you can get a little more exposure and have fun seeing other ones too. Just a thought. Many times I see a freaking awesome card and it gets a little overlooked; and it shouldn't.

Rookiemonster · #12 11-30-2016, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

The worst is when you make a pick-up that you're super excited about but would rather not mention to your wife, then you think about telling one of your friends but quickly realize they wouldn't understand, so you then decide to post it in the pickups thread and get no response.

The struggle is real lol . As I only have a few pre was cards I find that most don't even know mid to low range hofers from 50s and 60s

SAllen2556 · #13 11-30-2016, 08:33 AM

I wonder what percent of pre-war collectors are also just history buffs in general? My guess is it's pretty high. Personally, living in Detroit, the history of this city is fascinating to me, and I read all I can about it. That's what got me interested in pre-war more than anything else. I think you need a certain curiosity of the past to appreciate owning anything with, say, Sam Crawford's name on it.

You ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know. - Jerry Garcia

tschock · #14 11-30-2016, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

You ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know. - Jerry Garcia

Hmmm... that was probably John Barlow, but hey, I'll go with it!

vintagebaseballcardguy · #15 11-30-2016, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

I wonder what percent of pre-war collectors are also just history buffs in general? My guess is it's pretty high. Personally, living in Detroit, the history of this city is fascinating to me, and I read all I can about it. That's what got me interested in pre-war more than anything else. I think you need a certain curiosity of the past to appreciate owning anything with, say, Sam Crawford's name on it.

You ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know. - Jerry Garcia

I can relate to this. I was born in 1973 and have collected 1950s and 1960s. However, I am also a huge history buff (with a Master's to prove it), and I am beginning to put more and more of my collecting attention to pre-war as a result. Postwar has gotten sort of blah for me. I don't mean to belittle postwar collectors or anyone at all because that is what I have been. For me, pre-war takes me back to baseball's earliest days, and I find myself digging in and having to study to make sense of what I am seeing and trying to piece stories together.

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frankbmd · #16 11-30-2016, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conor912

That doesn't surprise me one bit. I think a lot of collectors, probably even the majority, directly associate collecting with their childhood or players they've actually seen play or both. As hard as it may be to believe at times, I would guess that prewar collectors make up only a very small percentage of the overall sports collecting community.

If you're old enough, prewar is your childhood.

btcarfagno · #17 11-30-2016, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

If you're old enough, prewar is your childhood.

That you Frank?

Tom C

Nashvol · #18 11-30-2016, 10:59 AM

I only dabble in prewar, but several years ago I asked a vendor at a local card show what his thoughts were about T206s and he said, "Good luck - most of them are fakes." I had been steered to him for his expertise.

My budget, not his comment, keeps me from delving deeper into them. I love the historical cornerstones of the hobby and the expertise of the members of this forum...

conor912 · #19 11-30-2016, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

If you're old enough, prewar is your childhood.

True that. My grandfather was born in '31 and remembers collecting '38 Goudeys. He still calls them "the cards with the funny heads".

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