What was "your year"?

vintagefun

Let me define "your year" with an example...

I was born in 71. I don't really remember ripping 78s, but I'm pretty sure I did since I had what I would consider a couple packs each of BB, FB, and even BK in my childhood collection, along with some 79BB.

But I vividly remember both 79 FB and 80BB. Especially 80BB. If my mom took me to ToysRUs I would spend 30 minutes going thru all the racks looking for Dodgers or AllStars on top. Didn't even know Rickey at the time.

Those are my years. First vivid recollection of rips.

FB = 79
BB = 80
BK = 88
HK = 89

What are yours?

coachnip13

1981 and Donruss. That was the first year I bought packs, and that's what the store near my house carried.

OAKESY25

83 BB
88 BK
85 FB
89 HK

bobsbbcards

BB - 1969
FB - 1968
BK - 1969-70
HK - Eh?
WP (Wacky Packages) - 1973

Stone193

I was born in a different era and wasn't that into collecting cards.

I bought them - looked for Dodgers and pretty much dumped them in the drawer each year and wasn't interested in sets, knew nothing of series, and didn't have friends who collected like some do today.

I don't remember the first pack or the last.

Wish I had the fond memories that others have here.

strat4454

First Packs
BB 1970
HK 1969-70
FB 1969
BK 1969-70

Favorite sets
BB FB 1972
HK BK 1971-72

I used to buy them on Sunday when I would walk to the store to get the newspaper for my dad
I also remember buying Topps greatest moments in 1971
1 pack only 3 cards...liked 1972 Topps President cards

53BKid

First Pack: 1969 at the end of the season.

Began collecting in 1970. Joe Rudi on the front of the 1st rack pack I bought.

I remember going home and looking at the cards, organizing the teams, and being mesmerized.

I didn't even know all the teams names.

I still recall trading with a girl for her cards, and I kept my cards at first in my grandfather's cigar box.


Favorite set?: 1953 Bowmans

The first time I saw them in 1976 I was awestruck. My then girlfriend's older brother had them and showed them to me. Nothing I could do would convince him to sell any to me.

It's been a lifelong passion ever since.

cardsfan73

1981 Topps Football
1982 Topps Baseball
1989 Topps/OPC Hockey
1989 Hoops Basketball

BostonAmericans

1974 for baseball, hockey and football. Don't remember year for basketball but it must have been mid-late 70's.

jmaciu

Great thread, Jim!

BB 1979
BK 1981
FB 1981
No Hockey

One of my fondest memories was trading a spare bike tire for a grocery bag full of mid 70's baseball cards.

TNP777

1976 football that my Uncle Bill bought for me at Bernie's Liquors.

1978 baseball that I bought from JJ Newberry's in Astoria OR with money scrounged from collecting glass bottles and beer cans on the side of the roads.

dberk12

I was born in '75 and can remember getting packs of everything in 1983 baseball. Everyone collected '83 Topps because the local shops didn't sell much Fleer or Donruss so it was always special when we founds those packs. My enthusiasm continued into the fall and can recall ripping '83 Topps football. Cards from these sets will always be nostalgic for me.

70ToppsFanatic

As if my user name doesn't answer that question completely

lightningboy

1970 BB even bought the 1970 Fleer Cartoon World Series
1971 FB
1973/74 Hockey
1973 Wacky Packages and Kung Fu cards

KendallCat

I can always guess people's ages when they tell me what year they first started collecting. If they started in 1980 they were born 1972, collected in 1966 they were born in 1958. Almost 90% of kids start collecting around age 7-8 since that is when they start playing little league. They collect for about 5-6 years until girls come around and some give it up - collecting not girls

That is why I think that the cards from the 70's will start to see a huge increase because guys are now in their mid to late 40's and early 50's with more disposable income, and cards they either never had or could not afford they now can get. Cards like 1971's, Schmidt rookies, 75 rookies like Brett and Yount...

ldferg

77 football

skrezyna23

Although it was an amazing time in my life.. it all comes back to 87 Topps Baseball (cringe). But opening the Donruss and Fleer was fun.

ssollars

'81 Football, collected the entire set from packs!

addicted2ebay

89UD
89TBB
90LEAF

TheDudeAbides

First pack I remember opening was in 68, pulled an Aaron, still have it ... 1970 has been, and always will be ... "The year".

DanBessette

First pack of cards was 88 donruss at ann & hope in seekonk, mass. I can still name most of the cards in that pack. My dad brought home some fleer team action football cards not long after and I traded for my cousin's 87 topps Herschel walker. Been collecting both sports ever since.

elsnorto

In order of what I bought first:

HK = Topps 1981-82
FB = Topps 1981
BB = Topps 1982
BK = N/A

Weird that I started with hockey given I had never played, followed, or had any interest in the sport at that point... but I bought enough of them to piece together the set out of packs.

Snorto~

ashabby

Born 1965
Baseball 1974

MULLINS5

'89 Topps Hockey

lawnmowerman

1994 Pro Line Live football

Jlondon71

1980 topps baseball. I was 9 yrs old and I remember buying packs every Sunday after mass. It took a long time to complete the whole set after trading with three close friends. 81' football was my second obsession.

PhilG

Not to date myself but 1954 Topps baseball.

flcardtrader

FB = 78
BB = 78
BK = 76-77 - loved the Tallboys!
HK = 77

I was 10-11 years old at this point and would ride my bike all over town in search of the next haul.....Fun times......

dontippet

Born 1971. Ripping 1985 Topps is my first introduction to collecting BB cards. Sure do remember when I pulled my first Gooden from a cello pack from OurX Drugs. I was sitting in the family station wagon waiting for my mom to finish shopping at the next door grocery store.

I also remember getting late 70's and early 80's football packs in my Halloween trick or treating.

DezHood

81 Topps Baseball - Finished set from buying packs at the corner convenience store and trading with friends. The "Expos Future Stars" with Tim Raines and Lee Mazzilli stand out as toughest cards in my memory. It was also kind of cool that it gave us something to do during the strike and that Raines did have a pretty nice year stealing around 70 in around 80 games.

byronscott4ever

First pack I remember buying and opening (probably opened some others, but don't remember):
BB: 1984 Topps
BK: 1986-87 Fleer
HK: 1990 Upper Deck
FB: 1985 Topps

Favorite stuff now is pretty much basketball and all over the board, but junk wax still catches my eye for all sports

CenteredMantles

1986 Topps Baseball
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball

hyperchipper09

Born: 1970
Baseball: 1978 Topps
Football: 1978 Topps
Basketball: 1978 Topps
Hockey: 1979 Topps
Comic Books rivaled cards up until late 1987. First comic ever bought for me was in 1974. It's how I learned to read actually, comics.

TheMick6

1980 for me. I was 6 and pretty much baseball crazy begging my dad to lie about my age so I could play real baseball instead of tee ball. I can't remember what year I started football althogh I know I stopped cold when the colts left town. When people say it was like a death in the family there not kidding. I still haven't opened a pack off football since although the Ravens rekindled my love for football.

KendallCat

Had some packs and cards from 1973 and 1974, stepped it up in 1975, and first year of little league was 1976 and game was on. Had 2 brothers and all of us were within 3 years in ago, so parents had to buy in triplicate for us. Needless to say we had a lot of cards in the house. Growing up a Reds fan it was an awesome time since they won back to back in 1975-76, and I can remember every Saturday afternoon it was This Week In Baseball with Mel Allen followed by the NBC game of the week at 1:30 with Joe Garagiola and Curt Gowdy. Reds were on almost every Saturday against either the Phillies, Pirates, or Dodgers. Greatest year ever as a kid.

SumoMenkoMan

1986 Topps Football
1987 Topps, Fleer Donruss Baseball

I'm a product of the overproduced generation, but I still love the designs of all the 1987 baseball product.

yankeeno7

yup

.....oops...I mean...
BB 1978
FB 1978
Hockey 1978
Basketball never really got into it nor do I remember seeing packs otherwise I probably would have

I have deep admiration for my 78 Baseball! Love it love it love it!

Thank you for letting me contribute

DanBessette

<< <i>yup

.....oops...I mean...
BB 1978
FB 1978
Hockey 1978
Basketball never really got into it nor do I remember seeing packs otherwise I probably would have

I have deep admiration for my 78 Baseball! Love it love it love it!

Thank you for letting me contribute >>



Yup.

Baez578

90 Donruss and Topps....oddly enough I remember the very first card I laid eyes on....Charlie Hough.

GDM67

I had bought packs here and there (a '72 Baseball rack pack late in the season, for starters) but the first sets I really went out and bought multiple packs over a stretch of time were:

1976 Football

1976-77 Basketball

1977 Baseball

1980 Hockey

gemint

First packs for me were:

Baseball: 1976 aside from a few 1975 packs for my birthday. 1976 is the first year I really collected
Football: 1976
Basketball: 1977-78
Hockey: Never bought a hockey pack in my life

sdsalezman

BB - 1975 & 1976 - the liquor store I went to as a kid had unsold 1975 packs at the start of 1976
BK - 75/76
FB - 76
HK - 77
Also collected many of the non-sport releases back then - Happy Days, Superman 1, Star Wars, Welcome Back Kotter, Cars of 1977, Wacky Packages

Stingray

My first year of buying packs was 74, bought mainly baseball, but some football and a little hockey. But 75 was it for me, those colored boarders was such a change from 74. Collected a ton of 75s and living in Michigan we had the minis too!! Bought a ton of 77 also to get a Fidrych rookie card!!

Carew29

69 BB packs at K-mart with my paper route money and on the way out I always got two of the large grape gum balls. I can still smell that gum like it was yesterday!!👻

DanBessette

<< <i>the liquor store I went to as a kid >>



This made me chuckle.