Question for the vintage card collectors

Kdog08

And when I say vintage...I mean WAY back. What is your interest in collecting cards of players that you never saw play the game? I have often been curious about this. Because of my age, I never saw many that are in the hall of fame play on the field. My interest is created by the stories I read, along with photos and pictures. Other than that, all I personally have to go by is their stats and their reputation. What draws you to a guy that you never saw play?

IchiroDeported

As someone who loves history, world history etc. I am fascinated by the origins of the sport and the event that have occurred over the years. I also love crunching stats, looking at box scores and looking at career numbers of old time players, doing projections, what if's etc. Even though I have never seen many of the greats play I enjoy swimming through their numbers and accomplishments.

Yankees001

The old style cards look better than the modern ones. I collect HOF Players, cards of the greatest Team ever ('27 Yankees), and cards of players who are just famous. I've always been more of a fan of the Golden Age of the game.

An old card from the 1900-1940's that is beat up looks better than the modern stuff. I mean in design and personality. Besides who today will ever become more famous than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson? The answer is simple no one. And lets don't forget Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.

A-Rod, Albert, Howard are great! But, (YES BUT) their legends will never compare. Barry Bonds legend could not be compared even before all the steroid stuff came up, and surly not now.

Dave

itzagoner

excellent topic!

i've often tangled with the possibility of opening up my collection to older vintage stuff, but i am hopelessly drawn to cards of the period when i grew up loving and admiring professional sports heroes and teams, so most of what i collect tends towards the 60's and early 70's....that's the era when i really felt closest to the players, due to some good fortune and time spent actually getting to meet and socialize with the guys who now are responsible for my most cherished sports memories.....makes it very easy to choose.

csmtampa

Ted Williams- Marine, nuff said!

TomGshotput

Sometimes I am able to remember that the world extends beyond what I have seen. . .

revmoran

There are many great stories and great characters that have played the game - it's fun to find a historical thread and follow it, to find the pieces of the puzzle - for example I bought an old Yale football photo and wondered who were these guys? Came to find out that the guy holding the ball was on the first ever All American team - his name was Harry Beecher - then I found out he was on the very first football card, from 1888 - and there's more but that's the attraction of these vintage pieces.

benderbroeth

<< <i>There are many great stories and great characters that have played the game - it's fun to find a historical thread and follow it, to find the pieces of the puzzle - for example I bought an old Yale football photo and wondered who were these guys? Came to find out that the guy holding the ball was on the first ever All American team - his name was Harry Beecher - then I found out he was on the very first football card, from 1888 - and there's more but that's the attraction of these vintage pieces.

>>



that is a great card!!!

revmoran

One more thing about Harry Beecher, for the baseball fan - he later became a sportswriter in New York City and covered the professional baseball team whose offical name was the Greater New York Club of the American League and whose nickname was the Highlanders. Beecher, as editor of a sportspage in the New York Evening World, gave them the nickname "The Yankees" in a headline on April 7, 1904 - that nickname stuck and the team took it as its offical name by 1913.

HoofHearted

I really enjoy researching and hunting for cards for my Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins type collection. My goal is to get one Senator/Twin from each set issued from 1991 and earlier. (The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, so I get Senators pre-61 and Twins from '61-'91.) See the link in my sig line of one of my favorite pickups.

If you have a favorite team that goes way back, try to get a card from each set or a team-set from each set issued. You really get a flavor of what all the sets are about.

Good luck choosing what to do!

hammered

I never saw too many greats play in person. The best player I ever saw play in person was Tom Seaver.
But I carried Hank Aaron's 76 Topps card with me everywhere I went as a kid.
My collecting interest also tends to go back only to the era which I started collecting (early 70s), and the joy I had from collecting players that were greats at that time.

Interestingly enough, I also have very little nostalgia or interest in mid-80s stuff. This was when I was a teenager and too cool to collect (82 to 88).
As an adult, getting back into the hobby in the early 90s, I still pursue sets and subsets from that era.

TheHun

I enjoy the history of sports.

Now, as an amateur player, I can appreciate what the athletes of the early days had to do - work most of the day - train a few days - then go out and play a game.

They did not earn millions of dollars - diddn't have card shows to sign at and no players unions to protect their interest. Let's not even think what it was like if you got injured ...

I also like the portraits on older cards. Action cards are ok, but the old stand and pose for history - are the greatest.

HoofHearted

<< <i>I really enjoy researching and hunting for cards for my Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins type collection. My goal is to get one Senator/Twin from each set issued from 1991 and earlier. (The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, so I get Senators pre-61 and Twins from '61-'91.) See the link in my sig line of one of my favorite pickups.

If you have a favorite team that goes way back, try to get a card from each set or a team-set from each set issued. You really get a flavor of what all the sets are about.

Good luck choosing what to do! >>



I just stumbled on an old post showing some of my Senators/Twins card-type collection. I need to put an album together and get these organized...

Senators/Twins thread

SidePocket

It's not about whether you saw them play. It's about history and many other things. Who here saw Ruth play? Probably nobody. But that doesn't impact the price of his cards.