Which decade did you start collecting?

Guru

I started collecting in the early to mid-80's. I remember going to the gas station when my parents would fill up. I had a choice...candy or cards. I always chose cards. I mean, you get candy AND cards in that one because of the gum. I would get home, break open the pack, and put it in my plastic sheet in my binder. Good days that are missed.

ndleo

My very first show was the big Plymouth, MI run by Jim Hawkins in 1980. I think it was the 1985 show where I made a few hundred dollars selling my 1984 Donruss Mattingly rookies for $50 each to fat sweaty dealers.

slum22

My earliest packs were.1986 Topps FB cello packs when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. My dad worked at a grocery store so he would bring packs home once in a while. I remember getting some SportsFlics baseball packs too. In 1988 collecting went into full swing and we would get boxes of 88 Topps from the warehouse store.

Stingray

<< <i>My very first show was the big Plymouth, MI run by Jim Hawkins in 1980. I think it was the 1985 show where I made a few hundred dollars selling my 1984 Donruss Mattingly rookies for $50 each to fat sweaty dealers. >>



I use to go to those shows back in the 90s, then they stopped doing them and I think moved them to the Deaborn area. They were not as good, but those Plymouth shows where awesome.


Started collecting in early to mid 70s.

WhiteTornado

Late 1970s. Started off buying packs of football cards at places like K-Mart and the grocery store. Went to the occasional local show in the early 1980s. I also collected baseball cards back then and Nolan Ryan was one of my favorites. I recall not buying a Ryan rookie in decent shape back then that I believe cost $9.50.

lightningboy

Started in the spring/summer of 1970 just before I started kindergarten. Normally would get packs from Ryan gas station in Alsip, Illinois. No plastic sheets back then, just took all the cards, rubber banded into teams and put in a shoe box so they would stay in good condition

Griffins

First packs in August of '70 (4th series). Collected thru '75 via auctions, shows and mail order, sold the collection in '80, and then started again in late '99.

PaulMaul

1974, right after I got tired of wacky packs.

itzagoner

child of the late 60's. peace, love and cardboards, man.

RipublicaninMass

Haties

54topps

First packs were 1980 Baseball. Been collecting ever since then.

cpamike

1976 for me even though I also was still able to collect the "old" 1975 cards that year as well. Btw, the Ryan rookie was $20 when I started going to the local card shop and it was more popular for Koosman back then.

BostonAmericans

1974. First pack was given to me by my uncle. Then anytime I earned some allowance money, I calculated it out to the number of packs of cards I could get.

tkd7

Mid 70's. I still remember my dad driving me to a card store on my 10th birthday (March 25) to pick up a complete set of the newly issued 1976 Topps baseball set.

tkd7

<< <i>1976 for me even though I also was still able to collect the "old" 1975 cards that year as well. Btw, the Ryan rookie was $20 when I started going to the local card shop and it was more popular for Koosman back then. >>



Kooz was a great picther!

EchoCanyon

1971 -- first packs opened. Didn't keep 'em.
1972 -- first year I saved them.
1972-1982 -- collected and saved.

stopped.

came back in 1989.
1989-1992 -- collected and hoarded 1989T Gregg Jeffries. :-(

stopped again.

came back in 2007.
2007-present

LarkinCollector

85 Topps baseball then stopped about 89/90. Picked up sports collecting again in about 2010 with some non-sports stuff in the late 90s.

YogiBerraFan

Around 1980 for me. The mid 80s were a great time to collect cards. It was my favorite time period. Things started changing in the late 80s. I remember going to the monthly card show at the Holiday Inn every month from 1983 through 1988.

jmaciu

1979 was when it all started for me. I collected heavy in the mid to late 1980's. I still remember the school holiday break when I opened a fresh wax case of 1987 Donruss.

PaulMaul

It's funny to compare the recollections of those collecting in the '70's and '80s. I stopped collecting in 1982 for twenty years, so all this stuff about selling hot rookie cards to dealers and checking price guides is really alien to me.

I do remember visiting Renata Galasso's warehouse in 1977 and buying two vending boxes, because I had gotten bored with ordering complete sets.

Well I went back to the complete sets in '78 15 o/c Dave Kingmans will do that to you.

addicted2ebay

Got my first box of Topps in the summer of 89, have been hooked ever sense.

WhiteTornado

<< <i>...1989-1992 -- collected and hoarded 1989T Gregg Jeffries. :-( ... >>



I remember when that was such a hot card to have.

PM770

Bought my first pack in April 1978. Slowed down my collecting in 1982. Stopped completely in 1984. Started again in 1986. Have been going strong ever since.

paleocards

A lot like Anthony (Griffins): Growing up in West LA, first packs in 1968, buying heavy '71-'74, petered-out and stopped collecting in '75. Twenty-five year hiatus, but got bit by the bug at the dawn of the millennium when I wandered into a local card-show. I've been hooked (big-time) ever since.

rrpb76

First cards bought in 1948 the B&W Bowman set Collected Bowman & Topps through 1954 Started up again in 1990 Went heavy thru 2011 Ran out of storage space and cut waay back after that
Still have the 48 & 49 full sets raw, full 1950 Bowman raw. I picked up a 95% of a 1941 Playball set and filled it in ....raw

gregmo32

1977.

Griffins

<< <i>A lot like Anthony (Griffins): Growing up in West LA, first packs in 1968, buying heavy '71-'74, petered-out and stopped collecting in '75. Twenty-five year hiatus, but got bit by the bug at the dawn of the millennium when I wandered into a local card-show. I've been hooked (big-time) ever since. >>



lol, must be a SM/Venice/WestLA thing!

miwlvrn

1982

ssdawg77

I started in 1980 with a shoebox full of 60/70's baseball cards from a garage sale two houses down from my grandmother's house. I collected until I started high school on 1989. I sold everything I had at a local show to a dealer not long after that. I started back collecting in 98 and sold again in 2000. I started back one more time in 2005 and have been spending my kids college tuition since.

vintagefun

78-79 was my first packs. I had a lot of 79 FB. But the 80's is when I really got into it. I remember getting my allowance for my chores, scavenging through the couch cushions and my folks cars for spare change, and taking the aluminum cans and bottles to the recyclery. I used to put a small stone in each aluminum can before crushing it to increase the weight a touch. Once I had my cash, it was simple math to figure out how many packs I could get, but I needed to leave enough for a soda and 2 video games. I was always jealous of my neighbor who had a paper route. He made the kinda money that bought a box at a time, while I was buying a few packs at a time. Good times.

bunt

<< <i>First packs in August of '70 (4th series). Collected thru '75 via auctions, shows and mail order, sold the collection in '80, and then started again in late '99. >>



Extremely similar, but 1971. Sold all while in high school for a couple bags of green stuff. Started again 37 years later - I want my earlier cards back now

GoDodgersFan

1978 Topps Baseball. Saved all my allowance money on cards and was hooked. In Junior High, worked Valley News (now LA Daily News) as a paper boy and added more funds to cards. I still remember one
of the early shows I attended at Pierce College and got Steve Garvey's auto in person. Just some awesome memories of growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the late 70s and early 80s.

Stopped in 1996 doing graduate work and returned to the hobby in 2006.

ScottA

1972. My dad bought me a pack or two and I actually still have a couple survivors. He collected coins and always supported the idea of collecting cards. Happy to report that in a mere 42 years I'm only 17 cards away from completing set!

I also remember a candy distribution company warehouse near me and my buddy and I went in together and bought a wax box of 1976 topps baseball from them. We were in heaven! Did that for 2 or 3 summers.

I also attended a Jim Hawkins show with my dad in Plymouth, Mi when I was about 11 and was set on buying a Mickey Mantle card. Ended up with a 1969 for $5. - trust me, it seemed like a lot at the time! And I also remember mailing in to the Renato Galasso company where you could order complete sets. Bought my 1979 set that way (paid extra for the Bump Wills error card!). I always wondered what ever happened to them.

bishop

1957

TheCARDKid

1985 topps cards were my first. I remember trading them on the playground at school. Then in 1987, I started collecting "professionally" (i.e. blowing all my money on rookies cards and packs/boxes).

The late 80's were the days. Beckett was IT. Afternoons watching a ball game, wrestling on saturdays. A great time to be a kid.

TNP777

1976 - I remember my uncle buying me packs of '76 football and then going with him to Bernie's Liquors to buy more. I really caught the bug with the '78 baseball set. Bought as much as I could afford from J.J. Newberry's in Astoria OR every chance I got.

lahmejoon

First pack of cards was 1987 Topps baseball. I collected through '94 and then lost interest. Started becoming interested again around the time I joined the board, but didn't truly dive back into the pool until about two years ago.

Kid4hof03

First pack was 1979 football, not long after that a cousin gave me his collection of 70's baseball and football. Of all the things I have collected and continue to collect 70's Topps is still my favorite.

redlegs

1974. The cards everyone wanted was Hank Aaron and Pete Rose. My favorite set as a child was the very next year in 1975. I started learning about the history of baseball with the classic MVP cards.

cardbender

<< <i>First packs in August of '70 (4th series). Collected thru '75 via auctions, shows and mail order, sold the collection in '80, and then started again in late '99. >>



Like Griffins, started in Aug. 1970 only with Topps Football packs and cello's.

Getting old now....

ldferg

77. Football. First cards I remember are a Seahawks checklist and Jim Zorn. Started at a local 7-11.

cpamike

<< <i>77. Football. First cards I remember are a Seahawks checklist and Jim Zorn. Started at a local 7-11. >>



Hopefully with the Super Big Gulp.

WFFL

Judd's Southside Market Seymour, IN in early 60's. Tough to beat.

MrNearMint

My older brother started collecting cards in the early to mid 90's so naturally I tagged along. My dad bought us our first box; 1994-95 hoops. We pulled Jason Kidd, grant hill, jalen rose rookies like crazy (I didn't really know these players but my brother said they were good).

I remember my brother pulled a jalen rose magic's all rookie team FOIL insert and I was super jealous.


I stopped collecting until about 98/99 when my mom moved into an apartment complex that was right behind a card shop which was right next to a papa Aldo's (now papa Murphy's) and so the place smelled crazy good. I bought a ton of 98-99 fleer tradition basketball trying to pull the mj playmakers theatre insert. No luck!

Stopped collecting for a few years, picked it up in about 2008-09 and have no plans of stopping.


98-99 fleer tradition and papa Aldo's...that's what it's about!

Bear48

1976 - baseball, also brought home a shoebox full of my uncle's cards from grandma's house that year (mostly 71s, 72s, & 73s). still have'em all.

bobsbbcards

1967 Baseball, no football until '68. All three sports in '69 (Hockey doesn't count).

PhilG

1954 Topps. Had shoeboxes full. Mother tossed them out when I left home.
Phil

ReggieCleveland

You guys are old.

PhilG

Tell me about it

Gemyanks10

Christmas of 1990 i got my first factory set of 1990 topps baseball. I was 6 years old at the time. I can remember my older cousin having a 1988 topps factory set and being extremely jealous. I sort of looked up to him and wanted to be like him. I can remember once I received the set for Christmas, my parents kept telling me that I can open it and "play" with the cards, but don't mix them up with the other shoebox full of cards that I had, or the set wouldn't be worth anything anymore because of them being all mixed up lol. I collected like that mainly just buying wax packs and factory sets from the local Ben Franklin store and K-Mart until I wax a young teenager and then I started to attend the once bi-weekly polish community center and mall shows in the Albany area. Once I became eligible to drive, cards took a backseat to girls, drinking, etc. I came back into the hobby around early 2010 just for the simple fact that I missed it. I needed to find something that didn't involve work, and also something that makes me happy and baseball card collecting does that. I've met some really cool dudes since i've been back into it, and often kick myself for getting out of it in the first place, who knows where my collection would be if I didn't take an 11 year hiatus lol. Enough rambling. Have a good one everybody.

Jimmy

Carew29

(1969) Topps Baseball and Hot Wheels...still have a few

[/URL]