1957 and 1977: A young man's perspective, an old man's reality
detroitfan2
Posts: 3,337 ✭✭✭✭
As I laid in my hammock this evening agonizing about how much of my disposable income I should allocate to the upcoming group rip, I began thinking about 1977 Topps, and how I can justify $100+ per pack for cards I opened in my youth.
In 1977, as a 12-year old, my dad would take us to the Troy Hilton card shows. My brother and I would “finish” our sets (1975 mini, 1976, and 1977) by going through the dealer stacks with the “need him, got him, got him, need him, got him” method. Certainly no formal checklist was needed, as everything was committed to memory (although years later we would discover we were missing the 1976 Topps Kurt Bevacqua Bubble Champ card, a story for another time).
Meanwhile, my dad was beating the bushes in hopes of completing his 1957 Topps set, the only cards that would somehow remain from his childhood. Dad would tell us the familiar story of throwing away the previous year’s card each year when the new ones came out. The 1957’s survived, glued into a traditional scrapbook, fortunately with a rubber cement like glue which dad, a chemist, was able to remove essentially without a trace.
So here’s the thing. In 1977, as a kid, 1957 seemed, well, historic. It was amazing that dad’s cards were TWENTY years old and survived. The players in the set, Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, not to mention Yogi, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, and more. These were not “players” to a 12-year old. They were statues and Hall-of-Fame busts who dad and grandpa would describe to you so you had a sense of how they played.
As it turns out, 20 years (nearly 2 lifetimes to a 12-year old), was not that long of a time. In fact, there was a chance that at least two players (Brooks Robinson and Minnie Minoso) were on both dad’s 1957 want list and my 1977 “need him, need him, got him” list.
Fast forward to 2016. Dang, it’s been nearly FORTY freakin’ years since 1977, and we’re talking about a case that hasn’t even been opened. 1977 seems like yesterday. The players of 1977, Brett, Yount. Rice, Morgan, Ryan, Schmidt, Reggie, Fisk, Seaver, and Yaz . . . they just don’t seem that old or immortal.
As a side note, in some ways 1977ish was a transition time. We saw the last of Clemente (too young of course) and Hammerin Hank and Kaline among others, all stalwarts in the 1957 set, in the years leading up to 1977. It was a time for a new generation.
I have no idea why I’m posting this, other than the reality than when you’re a kid, 20 years is an era, but once you’re an old man, 40 years is nothing but a day. That, I guess, is the beauty of this hobby, that a nearly 51 year old man can be 12 again simply through some cardboard. If only it wasn’t $4000 a box, although in some ways that seems like a bargain.
Carry on . . .
In 1977, as a 12-year old, my dad would take us to the Troy Hilton card shows. My brother and I would “finish” our sets (1975 mini, 1976, and 1977) by going through the dealer stacks with the “need him, got him, got him, need him, got him” method. Certainly no formal checklist was needed, as everything was committed to memory (although years later we would discover we were missing the 1976 Topps Kurt Bevacqua Bubble Champ card, a story for another time).
Meanwhile, my dad was beating the bushes in hopes of completing his 1957 Topps set, the only cards that would somehow remain from his childhood. Dad would tell us the familiar story of throwing away the previous year’s card each year when the new ones came out. The 1957’s survived, glued into a traditional scrapbook, fortunately with a rubber cement like glue which dad, a chemist, was able to remove essentially without a trace.
So here’s the thing. In 1977, as a kid, 1957 seemed, well, historic. It was amazing that dad’s cards were TWENTY years old and survived. The players in the set, Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, not to mention Yogi, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, and more. These were not “players” to a 12-year old. They were statues and Hall-of-Fame busts who dad and grandpa would describe to you so you had a sense of how they played.
As it turns out, 20 years (nearly 2 lifetimes to a 12-year old), was not that long of a time. In fact, there was a chance that at least two players (Brooks Robinson and Minnie Minoso) were on both dad’s 1957 want list and my 1977 “need him, need him, got him” list.
Fast forward to 2016. Dang, it’s been nearly FORTY freakin’ years since 1977, and we’re talking about a case that hasn’t even been opened. 1977 seems like yesterday. The players of 1977, Brett, Yount. Rice, Morgan, Ryan, Schmidt, Reggie, Fisk, Seaver, and Yaz . . . they just don’t seem that old or immortal.
As a side note, in some ways 1977ish was a transition time. We saw the last of Clemente (too young of course) and Hammerin Hank and Kaline among others, all stalwarts in the 1957 set, in the years leading up to 1977. It was a time for a new generation.
I have no idea why I’m posting this, other than the reality than when you’re a kid, 20 years is an era, but once you’re an old man, 40 years is nothing but a day. That, I guess, is the beauty of this hobby, that a nearly 51 year old man can be 12 again simply through some cardboard. If only it wasn’t $4000 a box, although in some ways that seems like a bargain.
Carry on . . .
0
Comments
Bosox1976
I thoroughly enjoyed.
It reminded me of an thread I wrote back in 2010 entitled, "we were invincible" or something like that.
The memories are priceless buddy.
Mark
T206 Set - 300/524
I think you just hit the nail on the head about why these "silly pieces of cardboard" (as many have dismissed them to my face when discussing the hobby) are such treasures to us who understand that, at least for a short time, a grown man can be a boy again with all the thrills of opening up a pack to re-discover his boyhood heros.
If only the 40+ year old gum stayed as well preserved as the cards....
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC POST! GREAT JOB!
Dave
for the 75 set as it was the favorite by far of my youth.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks.
Prefer to buy in bulk.
Seems like yesterday seeing that Franco Harris staring back at me.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
Well, we can tell who all the old guys are now! Thanks for the kind words and replies, they are much appreciated. I realized there were some factual inaccuracies in my “story”, as I believe the original shows were at the Plymouth Hilton (not the Troy Hilton), and I was only 11 at the time, turning 12 later in 1977.
Stone, if you can find the post you referenced, please link it, I would love to read it again.
Cincyredlegs, it is inconceivable that almost as much time has elapsed since 1977 as there was between the 1977 Topps set and the 1933 Goudey set.
70ToppsFanatic, thanks for organizing the rip to get us all thinking about this again. As you mention, without these boards, there are very few who understand. My dad “gets it”, and I am forever thankful for that.
Stingray, sounds like we might have shared some of the same stomping grounds. The 77 Fidrych is one of my top 10 favorite cards. As a side note though, I had never heard of the “rookie card” concept until 1979, when the Bob Horner card was jumping of dealer tables at 25 cents apiece.
steel75, while the Lions were not well represented, I distinctly remember pursuing the Wonder Bread cards (I still have the ones from when I was a kid), along with the Hostess baseball card counterparts. We had a Hostess / Wonder Bread “outlet” nearby where mom would load up on stale King Dons and Twinkies, we had a decent collection of Hostess cards. I also remember getting a hold of one of these (which I also believe I still have in my collection somewhere):
We also did a lot of dumpster diving (no exaggeration) to retrieve these bad boys:
I've always been surprised that those items weren't a bit more popular. . .
I got my first pack of cards in late 1976 and I was hooked. So I spent my life savings buying wax boxes of 1977. To me the most fascinating cards were the oid timers - the guys with the stats in teensy weensy print going in some cases back to the 50s! That was like prehistoric to a guy who only existed since 1968. The OP is right - Brooks Robinson was the "earliest" by my recollection too - but guys like McCovey, Jim Kaat, the Niekros, Yaz, Ron Fairly went way back too. Willie & Tommie Davis. I liked the guys who played for a dozen teams, too, or the ones who played for the Pilots or the Colt 45s. Joe Morgan comes to mind.
For me, cars were the same thing. I got my drivers license in 1985 and there were tons of 20something cars on the road back then. Early 60s Chevys, 64 1/2 Mustangs for $150 sitting in a farmer's field, teenagers driving rusted out Superbirds like it was no big deal. Now, not only are some of those cars worth more than my house, but there are even more 20something year old cars on the road today. The big difference? Cars from the early 90s are crap!
Here's the first one I found.
Unfortunately the scans are gone - it was a letter from a company offering what they thought was a "good investment" for us?
If I can find the letter - I'll put it back in.
I remember as a relatively new collector, scouring the boxes of cards that were filled with 1950s commons, flipping the cards over if I didn't recognize the name, looking for a "good" stat line. "Oh, this guy must have been good if he hit 33 home runs the prior year.". I would select singles that I thought were wise choices from the 53, 54, 55, and 56 Topps & Bowman sets. I didn't buy a ton, as they were a couple bucks a pop and this was 1979-82 time frame. I still have all of the cards I bought then, and a few more since. They seemed ancient (too bad I never discovered T cards then)compared to those pack fresh 78, 79 & 80 Topps cards I loved so much. My oldest card for the longest time was a nicely rounded, slightly creased 1933 Goudey Rogers Hornsby MGR card. It was not quite 50 years old. Still have it! I can't imagine the same excitement now over a 1970 Topps Ted Williams card for example, even a nice sharp copy.
I also bought the RC Cola cans, but never found any discards, but then again we never looked. I think I managed to collect a whole 3-4 cans (which I still have as well). Not sure why I didn't get more, other than I probably didn't care enough for any of the other subjects after I found a few "favorites" like Johnny Bench and Rod Carew. My how times have changed.
Now how about those Marathon candy bars to round out this reflection into the past.
I still can't believe it was 37 years ago that Thurmon Munson died. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a Royals superfan (and legit Bosox fan - my mom saw Ted Williams spit on the fans at Fenway and I saw Yaz hit the Pesky Pole in 1977). I had a major crush on a cute little curly headed Greek girl, and when I got to the Boys Club that day, there she was, with her girlfriend, reading the paper at the front desk and crying. Even as a Yankees hater growing up in New York, I was sad too. Good thing there were free baloney and cheese lunches, 6 square pool tables and 2 bumper pool tables, a swimming pool, a commissary stocked with 1979 wax packs for 21 cents per and softball games outside to manage the pain.
I'm old now and I have a lot of money. Of every thing I've got, one of the most precious is the bent, offcentered 1976 Topps set that I bought a couple of years ago for $150. Even today, I pull it out after a bad day at the office and remember how far I've come. And I still like the guys with the small print on the back. And the .300 hitters. Al Oliver, Bill Madlock, St Rodney Carew et als.
I collect: 80’s Rookies and 86 Fleer Basketball
Now how about those Marathon candy bars to round out this reflection into the past.
WoW ! Those were my favorite.
I started collecting in 75, but 76 has always been my favorite set from youth. Absolutely loved that it included the Sporting News cards of Ruth, Gehrig & Cobb that showed their lifetime stats.
Bosox1976
Anyone who's been here more than a decade has just about seen everything and anything...
My hobby is collecting things...
It's a blend of:
1. intellectual curiosity
2. the desire to acquire
3. the need to catalog and organize things - since I have no control over the chaos in the surrounding world
4. perhaps looking for immortality thru passing my collection to my son?
5. and a certain amount of just plain ole wanting to "show off"
IT WAS ADULTS WHO INTRODUCED THE PRICE GUIDE TO THEM! - thus, corrupting (perhaps) for life what this picutre represents to me.