Bob Costas; First time you paid for a card.

jimmyg

I was watching When It Was A Game 3 with my wife the other night. Bob Costas chimed in about baseball card collecting.

He had never heard of anyone ever paying someone else for another card. They might flip for a card. Or put them in their bike spokes (non-Yankees of course). Or trade for a card. But never pay for one.

I started collecting in '81. I bought packs for the next six years (and three complete sets were given to me (83T, 83F, and 84T). 30 years later, I've still probably only bought cards about 20 times (single cards or lots).

I bought loads and loads of packs, an 86 Donruss 'The Rookies' set, and, when I was older, tons of boxes of rather worthless stuff ('90 score hockey, '90 hoops basketball).

I remember when I had trading sleepovers with my friends, his mom's admonishment was, 'no trading for money.'

No, no... you bought packs and traded the cards you got. You never bought cards.

My short answer is I think I first bought a card in '87. It was an '86D Eric Davis.

How about you?

saucywombat

1981 Topps Tim Raines RC from a table that used to always be set up in Charleston's Market - probably 89 or 90

twiley

First actual single card I bought was this 1966 Mantle.



I was 10 years old. I bought the card at a card show I went to with my mother. I paid 10 bucks for it from my allowance. I still have the card even though its only a psa 1. It is one of the last few things I still have around that reminds me of my mom.

PhilG

87 Topps Barry Bonds

Phil

TheHun

My first purchase: A 1979 Topps Thurman Munson.

I went to an old flea market and met a guy who claimed he need 3 or 4 cards to complete his collection of EVERY N.Y. Yankees card ever made ! He was selling his duplicates.

I never saw his collection but would love to have had a chance. This was about 1980 and I began to buy Munson, Guidry and Reggie cards. Within a year I purchased a 1928 Harrington's Babe Ruth.

nightcrawler

The first cards I ever bought were a c56 Pud Glass and a c55 Georges Vezina, that was in late dec 79. I used to think it was 78 but I was mistaken.

I only paid $15 bucks for the Vezina, and $5 for the Glass I think. I thought I got a great deal from an unknowing seller until I signed up here and found out that the erased pen marks on the back are considered catastrophic defects. Turns out the price I paid back then was right on par with the current values at the time.

But the card itself has'd to be worth at least $1500 now, so I feel lucky about it in one way. But in another way it sort of lead to my collecting and spending far more than I ever should have.

fur72

First packs were 1982 Topps.

First card I paid for? 1984 Topps Carmelo Martinez rookie for $1.25 at a show.

fur72