Top Cards From Your Young Collecting Days?
ajw
Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭
I'm stealing this thread idea from the Freedom Card Board member matfanofold. Here's his thread.
It got some really interesting replies there, and I'm hoping to see even more here. I know we have collectors of all ages, so I'd love to hear what some of the guys older than me have to say...
What are the Top Ten cards that bring back the best memories from your from your early collecting days?
In no particular order, here are some of the cards that give me fond memories. I'm going to edit this and add some images. I think this post might even convince me to go out and reacquire these cards, as they really do bring back the memories.
1. 1987 Fleer Will Clark - the card that set me on my journey collecting Will Clark cards. I haven't stopped, and am actually picking up speed.
2. 1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg - I remember going to Mike's Cards (in Grafton, WI) to buy this card in the summer of 1984. It was one of the last cards I needed to complete my 1983 set, and it was really exciting (and nerve racking) to pay what it cost for just one single card. I'm guessing it was three or four dollars, but that's a lot for a nine year old kid. I put it in the button pocket on my jean jacket and rode my bike home in the rain. Somehow it managed to survive.
3. 1985 Topps Eric Davis - one of the first rookie cards I recall blowing up out of nowhere. I remember digging through huge monster boxes of commons picking out the Davis cards a dealer had failed to pull.
4. 1984 Fleer Update - this set was beyond huge. I remember this set leading the "Baseball Cards Are Investments" stories in newspapers and on TV. I also remember asking my parents to buy me a couple of sets for Christmas that year when they came out. They decided that one was enough.
5. 1985 Topps Roger Clemens - Clemens went 14-0 in his first 15 starts in 1986, and this card went crazy. I remember Mike (the same guy that sold me the Sandberg) telling me it was going up fifty cents every time he won.
6. 1983 Topps Cal Ripken - Cal was probably my first ever favorite player, and I couldn't afford to buy a bunch of his rookie card, so I picked up as many as his second year as I could. I still have a crappy red binder with my Ripkens and Eddie Murrays. I also liked the 1983 OPC, as I thought it was so cool how the card was just like the Topps, only in French and on lighter stock.
7. 1975 Fred Lynn - To me, 1976 is the last year of vintage Topps, and I always wanted a Fred Lynn card. For some reason, I thought it was just so cool that he won the Rookie of the Year *and* MVP that year. (oops, I had 1976 originally. I meant 1975. I always wanted Lynn's rookie!)
8. 1986 Topps Don Mattingly - From about 1985-1989 everyone was a Mattingly fan. I love the image on this card, as it perfectly captures the finish to Mattingly's classic swing. I also remember being really disappointed with the boring picture Topps used the next year. How could they screw up the card of the most popular player in the set?
9. 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco - This card was just huge. I remember buying a wax box in the spring of 1986 and pulling SIX Cansecos. Just incredible. I was 11 at the time, and I was so excited that I wrote a letter to SCD to share my experience. They actually ran my letter, though I don't have a copy of it any longer. I should ask them if they have any back copies.
10. 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly - While this card didn't excite me as it did most others, it is undeniably one of the handful of most significant cards from the 1980s. I do remember building this set from wax packs before they started to dry up. It's still a gorgeous set with great design and photography. Interestingly, the Mattingly is one of the less interesting looking cards in the set, and it loses points for picturing him without a mustache. In my mind, the Mike Schmidt and Robin Yount cards are the best cards in the set, as they were superstars at the top of their game with great photos in a classic set.
It got some really interesting replies there, and I'm hoping to see even more here. I know we have collectors of all ages, so I'd love to hear what some of the guys older than me have to say...
What are the Top Ten cards that bring back the best memories from your from your early collecting days?
In no particular order, here are some of the cards that give me fond memories. I'm going to edit this and add some images. I think this post might even convince me to go out and reacquire these cards, as they really do bring back the memories.
1. 1987 Fleer Will Clark - the card that set me on my journey collecting Will Clark cards. I haven't stopped, and am actually picking up speed.
2. 1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg - I remember going to Mike's Cards (in Grafton, WI) to buy this card in the summer of 1984. It was one of the last cards I needed to complete my 1983 set, and it was really exciting (and nerve racking) to pay what it cost for just one single card. I'm guessing it was three or four dollars, but that's a lot for a nine year old kid. I put it in the button pocket on my jean jacket and rode my bike home in the rain. Somehow it managed to survive.
3. 1985 Topps Eric Davis - one of the first rookie cards I recall blowing up out of nowhere. I remember digging through huge monster boxes of commons picking out the Davis cards a dealer had failed to pull.
4. 1984 Fleer Update - this set was beyond huge. I remember this set leading the "Baseball Cards Are Investments" stories in newspapers and on TV. I also remember asking my parents to buy me a couple of sets for Christmas that year when they came out. They decided that one was enough.
5. 1985 Topps Roger Clemens - Clemens went 14-0 in his first 15 starts in 1986, and this card went crazy. I remember Mike (the same guy that sold me the Sandberg) telling me it was going up fifty cents every time he won.
6. 1983 Topps Cal Ripken - Cal was probably my first ever favorite player, and I couldn't afford to buy a bunch of his rookie card, so I picked up as many as his second year as I could. I still have a crappy red binder with my Ripkens and Eddie Murrays. I also liked the 1983 OPC, as I thought it was so cool how the card was just like the Topps, only in French and on lighter stock.
7. 1975 Fred Lynn - To me, 1976 is the last year of vintage Topps, and I always wanted a Fred Lynn card. For some reason, I thought it was just so cool that he won the Rookie of the Year *and* MVP that year. (oops, I had 1976 originally. I meant 1975. I always wanted Lynn's rookie!)
8. 1986 Topps Don Mattingly - From about 1985-1989 everyone was a Mattingly fan. I love the image on this card, as it perfectly captures the finish to Mattingly's classic swing. I also remember being really disappointed with the boring picture Topps used the next year. How could they screw up the card of the most popular player in the set?
9. 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco - This card was just huge. I remember buying a wax box in the spring of 1986 and pulling SIX Cansecos. Just incredible. I was 11 at the time, and I was so excited that I wrote a letter to SCD to share my experience. They actually ran my letter, though I don't have a copy of it any longer. I should ask them if they have any back copies.
10. 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly - While this card didn't excite me as it did most others, it is undeniably one of the handful of most significant cards from the 1980s. I do remember building this set from wax packs before they started to dry up. It's still a gorgeous set with great design and photography. Interestingly, the Mattingly is one of the less interesting looking cards in the set, and it loses points for picturing him without a mustache. In my mind, the Mike Schmidt and Robin Yount cards are the best cards in the set, as they were superstars at the top of their game with great photos in a classic set.
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'83 Topps Wade Boggs
'82 Topps Ripken
'87 Fleer Glossy Will Clark
'89 Fleer Bill Ripken FF
'84 Donruss ANYTHING
'82 Fleer John Littlefield Error
and opened them with my best friend (who is still my best friend to this day)
Vintage Topps - back then, Topps Vintage cards seemed unattainable for a teenager. Thanks to the crappy economy and slabs, i can now own those cards that were once out of reach.
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
1985 Fleer Glenn Davis
1985 Donruss Eric Davis
1986 Donruss Jose Canseco
1987 Donruss Mike Greenwell
1987 Fleer Will Clark
1987 Fleer Bo Jackson
1987 Fleer Ruben Sierra
1989 Upper Deck High Num Nolan Ryan (throwing FB) - actually, the whole 89 UD Hi series was huge
1990 Upper Deck Ben McDonald
1991 Upper Deck Todd Van Poppell
1980 Topp Reggie Jackson
1981 Topps Reggie Jackson
1984 Topps Don Mattingly
1984 Donruss Don Mattingly
Topps Sticker Albums
1988 Donruss Gregg Jefferies
1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr.
1976 Topps Kurt Bevaqua Bubble gum blowing champ
1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
56T Duke Snider
57T Duke Snider
58T Duke Snider
61T Roberto Clemente
66T Mickey Mantle
That's all I can remember.
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
1983 fleer Ron Kittle
1984 topps Ron kittle
1983 topps greg Luzinski
1984 Greg Walker
1984 fleer Jay johnstone
1980 rickey henderson
1984 fleer Ron Kittle
1984 fleer Don Mattingly
1986 donruss Canseco
1986 fleer Canseco
exactly the same with me.. thats how I got back hooked.. seeing the prices all come down due to ebay.. supply and demand
The biggest for me were during the 1989-1992 boom:
-1989 Fleer Bill Ripken FF (I really thought it said Rick Face for a while and didn't quite understand the fever over it)
-1990 Donruss Harold Baines "Line" Errors (came and went so quickly, I tore through hundreds of packs at Toys R Us looking for these)
-1990 Leaf Frank Thomas (this card was simply untouchable for me at the time)
-1990 Pro Set Lombardi Hologram (still trying to pull on of these)
-1990 Score Bo Jackson B/W (Easy pull, but only ever owned 1 at the time - legendary card)
-1990 Upper Deck Ben McDonald Error (I think I remember these selling for $150 at a show in North Hollywood, CA - still one of my favorites)
-1990 Upper Deck Kevin Maas (When I finally owned one, I dropped it into a full sink which was a tragedy as I hung with other kids who had dozens of them)
-1990/1991 Upper Deck Heroes Header Cards (These boring cards were $10+ for a while and I could, of course, never pull one)
-1990-91 Upper Deck French Sergei Fedorov Young Guns (The highest I remember seeing these go for was $175. It still remains one of the best card designs and I purchase these whenever I have the chance to. Again, I could purchase just a single pack of these upon release and I pulled a Ken Hodge or maybe Robert Kron, Young Guns card and was thoroughly disappointed)
-1991 Score Jose Canseco Dream Team (black and white portrait card mirroring the Bo card from the previous series. I remember these going for $4 or so and never finding one)
-1991 Stadium Club Frank Thomas + Nolan Ryan, Griffey, Juan Gone, Etc (These cards truly raised the bar and still are beautifully designed cards. They increased in value so quickly, I could only afford one pack after their release, Karl Rhodes was my big pull from that pack)
-1992 Bowman Emmitt Smith FOIL (I remember pulling this at a card show and the dealer offering me $100 right there. I took, bought more packs and pulled another)
**1990 Fleer Dave Martinez and 1990 Upper Deck Mike Witt #702** These were both mentioned in various publications at the time and I was really intrigued by them. Especially the Witt, as I had no image to go off of. These two cards really had my imagination running and are part of the reason so much of my collecting is centered around errors and variations.
Collecting Robin Ventura and Matt Luke.
2-1960 #148 yaz
3-10 anything 1960 set(esp. red sox related)
had all but one card as a kid(missing hobbie landrith),mom thru them all out,went back at 50 something and re-made the set(all-cards),then broke up and sold.the fun is in the hunt.
During recess in Catholic school waaaaaay back when, we used to shoot baseball cards against the school wall outside. We were maybe 10-12 feet away, closest to the wall won the card, sometimes a side bet of extra cards. Now, when I tell you one of those years was 1952, do I have to go any further into detail? It pains me to think of the Mantles that went through my fingers. If I knew then what I know now, I'd be typing this from Bora Bora at my seaside villa.
I can't remember how many packs of 1955 Topps I used to buy at the corner store. The girls would give me their cards, they only wanted the big slab of pink gum. Yup, just a nickel, and what are they worth now unopened or in mint condition? I guess I've satisfied this itch from childhood days, as I have the 16th best 55 Topps set on the Registry, just 22 short of a straight PSA 8 set. The set name is Teddy Ballgame.
1979 Topps Thurman Munson - last card of my second favorite player. I was 11 when he died. I started collecting cards in 1978.
1978 Topps Greg Luzinski - First card I remember pulling from a pack. It remains one of my favorite cards.
1981 Donruss Tim Raines - I loved watching Tim play for the West Palm Beach Expos (minor league team). I didn't like the Topps multi-player card of Raines.
1963 Topps Pete Rose - This was the card to own in the early 80s. I was so excited when I bought one in 9th grade.
1984 Mattingly and Strawberry - We all wanted their cards. They were can't miss HOFs. They all bring back great memories for me.
1982 Topps Ripken - I had the uncanny ability to get Ripken rookies out of packs. At one time I pulled around 30 cards out of packs.
1981 - 1982 Topps Stickers - I loved trying to complete my sticker albums
1970s Hostess and Kelloggs - I went through a lot of cerel and Twinkees looking for cards.
I really need to buy a beater set of each, those are two sets I have wanted for a long time now. I don't care about condition, I just want to relive my childhood again.
<< <i>I am apparently the dinosaur of the group, but will try not to cry as I go down memory lane...
During recess in Catholic school waaaaaay back when, we used to shoot baseball cards against the school wall outside. We were maybe 10-12 feet away, closest to the wall won the card, sometimes a side bet of extra cards. Now, when I tell you one of those years was 1952, do I have to go any further into detail? It pains me to think of the Mantles that went through my fingers. If I knew then what I know now, I'd be typing this from Bora Bora at my seaside villa.
I can't remember how many packs of 1955 Topps I used to buy at the corner store. The girls would give me their cards, they only wanted the big slab of pink gum. Yup, just a nickel, and what are they worth now unopened or in mint condition? I guess I've satisfied this itch from childhood days, as I have the 16th best 55 Topps set on the Registry, just 22 short of a straight PSA 8 set. The set name is Teddy Ballgame. >>
Great story. I have no cards from my childhood, but I remember them well. I had tons of 60s and 61s, but never thought about doing a set. Sixty-one is still my favorite set-it's the only one I have in PSA 8 or better.
I chased the 1980 set as well. I had at least five shoeboxes of extras. I needed a Bobby Bonds. Ooooh, the scream I let out when I pulled it walking out of the Eckerd's in Kenner, Louisiana....
In 1983 it was Willie McGee. I remember chasing that one as well.
The 1975-76 Pistol Pete Maravich had huge value in my neighborhood. It was tough to come by, and Pete was a local hero.
Oh, and I loved the 1973 Topps Archie Manning (even with that Green Bay looking helmet).
I also loved the 1976 Fred Lynn and the 1975 Bobby Murcer. As a young baseball fan, I was confused as to how Bobby Murcer of the Giants was an AL All-Star...
My favorite cards from that era (in no particular order):
1. 66 Willie Davis (my favorite player!)
2. 66 Koufax (my 2nd favorite player)
3. 66 Mays (just a really cool card and I like #1 cards)
4. 67 Champs (another #1 card- even though I was a Dodgers fan- I also liked the Robinson boys)
5. 67 Tony Oliva
6. Everything else from 66 and 67
I later fell in love with the 71s, and that is by far my favorite set now.
-Topps Dodgers cards in PSA 9, 1952-1979
-1971 Topps in PSA 9
Thus, my first memories were chasing Lynn and Rice rookie cards. Initially, Hernandez and Carter were not popular as those other 2.
1979 - Chasing Horner and Wilson rookies.
1981 - Charboneau and Fernando rookies.
Usual suspects after that: Ripken, Sandberg, Gwynn, etc....
1968 Topps Mickey Mantle
1959 Topps Duke Snider
1963 Topps Stan Musial
1958 Topps Hank Aaron
1972 Topps Willie Mays
1958 Topps Warren Spahn
1959 Topps Sandy Koufax
1960 Topps Yaz Rookie, my dad bought this for my Xmas present, I think he paid around $50. I can remember wanting a Rose Rookie, can't remember what they were going for, but they were pretty expensive. Always wanted a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, but they were booking for $1,500 in the CCP. I was thinking, how could anybody pay that for a card, lol.
1967 Topps Mickey Mantle, paid $10 at the Nashville Flea Market early 80's.
1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky Rookie, paid $10 at a card show sponsored by Egad Card shop in Nashville early 80's
1960 Topps Mickey Mantle, paid $20 at Egad Card shop early 80's.
1980 Dave Stieb. First card I saw that was taken at Toronto's home stadium. Home whites. What a thrill.
1984 Mattingly. All of them, but especially DR.
1985 Donruss Gooden. The card to have that year.
1985 Mark McGwire. Not a big card until he broke in a few years afterwards, but it was fun to hunt for it.
That's about all that really stand out.
Or Regional Canadian Baseball Issues?
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My favorite as a kid were,
84 Dickerson-Loved running style
83 Lester Hayes
84 Marino-quick release,blew me away
83 Marcus allen
86 payton,still not sure why,but manI loved this card.
82 Munoz-wanted to block like him so bad.
82 Lawerence Taylor-My favorite
84 Jackie Slater-Any blocker better??
Then along came Jordan in 86,broke all kinds of laws to get these boxes
back in the day.Great thread.
Needs'
1972 Football-9's high#'s
1965 Football-8's
1958 Topps FB-7-8