When did you start collecting pre-war/vintage?

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by Leon

Since we have been discussing the potential for diminishing values of our pre-war/vintage cards I think it will be interesting to see when folks started collecting this era. Someone made the comment that collecting pre-war came a bit later in their collecting careers as there were other things more important in the earlier part of their lives (for many of us that includes our 20's). Also, with the values/prices many of us might not have had the disposable type of income to be able to do it any earlier. It would seem that many collectors start collecting the older stuff a bit later in their lives. We'll see what the poll says.
For me, I started when I was about 33-34 yrs old...which was about 15-16 yrs ago. It was called "mid life" crisis. I was walking through the local Garden Ridge mall with my wife and there was a tiny, 20 table card show in the middle of it. I saw a '54 Banks rookie, on Smilin' Dave's table, that was a bike-spokes card, for $10-$15.......I was hooked and then went back in "collecting" time from there. Lets don't count your childhood collecting unless you started collecting vintage then and never stopped. regards

Leon -- I'm glad you found something to buy at that show, I went fairly often -- we called it by the name of the Mall --- and I don't remember making too many purchases at that show. The funny thing was at that time I was living on the other side of town and it always seemed like a haul to get there -- now that I live literally 5 minutes away, I wish that show was back there --- instead of being long gone

Rich

[Anthony S.]

My dad collected old football programs at the time (Cal, the 49ers, and others) and brought me along to my first sports collectors show when I was about 7. I still remember the first time I saw a box of T206's. I just thought they were the coolest thing in the world. I think I bought a T206 Mullin, a T206 Abbaticchio and a T206 Irv Young -- who I thought was Cy Young for the next couple years (but then again, so did the makers of e97's and they were probably older than 7) at that first show. I made the mistake of bringing a T201 Mecca double folder to show-and-tell in 3rd grade. It came back to me in 2 pieces. I continued to collect T206's and a few T207's, e90-1's, an old judge or two, etc. until freshman year in high school. Then I went cold turkey pretty much until my 30's (with the exception of one show I went to just after college) when I decided it was time to sell off my cards. But once I pulled them out of storage, I was instantly hooked again.

[frohme]

I got started in the late 60's/early 70's in a roundabout way. Dad would take us by 7-11 on the way back from Little League practices and we'd get the Slurpee cups. I think that would have been in the 72/73 time frame. One of the older guys on my team (12 seemed ancient then!) got me interested in cards.

I had most of the mid-70's sets but - like most others - had different interests in high school/college. Was on again in the 90's and have been back mostly full time since about 2006.

While I don't have the cards from the early days, I (somehow) still have all the Slurpee cups - mostly 72, 73 baseball and the 73? HOF run of 20. Anyone else collect those in the day?

--
MIke

[mrvster]

27 ish, 1998 or 1999 after the new shiny rookies....thanks Johnny Drekker for my t206 addiction

[Leon]

Originally Posted by frohme

I got started in the late 60's/early 70's in a roundabout way. Dad would take us by 7-11 on the way back from Little League practices and we'd get the Slurpee cups. I think that would have been in the 72/73 time frame. One of the older guys on my team (12 seemed ancient then!) got me interested in cards.

I had most of the mid-70's sets but - like most others - had different interests in high school/college. Was on again in the 90's and have been back mostly full time since about 2006.

While I don't have the cards from the early days, I (somehow) still have all the Slurpee cups - mostly 72, 73 baseball and the 73? HOF run of 20. Anyone else collect those in the day?

--
MIke

Hi Mike
I think we are probably close in age.... I will be 50 in a few months. I used to have tall stacks of those slurpee cups. We used to collect and trade them just about like cards. I lived in Houston and we used to try to get all of the Astros. I liked Pittsburgh too, for some reason, and had lots of those players also. Oh to be a kiddo again!! regards

[frohme]

Yep - I turned 48 a few months back, Leon. I was in the Orlando area until '75 when we moved to Houston (Space Center area). What part of town were you in, if you don't mind my asking?

I forgot in my original post that my first real obsession was with the RC Cola cans from the summer of 77. Talk about something mom hated having in the house!

[Leon]

Hi Mike
I moved around a few times, unfortunately, as a teenager. I did live in Clear Lake most of the formative years. Went to Clear Lake Intermediate the first year it was open and was the first class through the 3 grades....then moved in high school to Deer Park and then Bellaire.....Went to Clear Lake High, Deer Park High and Bellaire High.....regards

[frohme]

The world gets smaller everyday!

I started at Clear Lake Intermediate in fall 1975 - in 7th grade (I think that would have been its third year), so I must have been just one year behind you!

Went to Clear Lake High from there, graduated in 1981.

We lived just two blocks from the intermediate school (my parents are still there). You?