dude you have way too much card knowledge lol
LOL...that's what my wife says! I am proud to be one of the few people, who managed to hang onto my baseball, football and basketball cards, since I began to collect them in 64 as a kid. I never put them in the spokes of my bicycle either. Most kids would, but I wasn't about to ruin the cards of the players I emulated. I used playing cards instead. I would lay my MLB cards out, in roster order, then play ball with my buddies, imitating each players stance and swing. As well as learning how to switch hit at an early age, and even throw left handed, although I am right hand predominant. Funny how something so simple as baseball cards, taught me ambidextrous.
My oldest card is a 38 Red Rolfe Goudey (Yanks 3rd baseman), a 49 Playball of J. Dimaggio, and T. Williams. I have quit a few 1950 era cards, a 51 Bowman Red Back of Alvin Dark, (Boston Braves), 57 Mantle, Spahn, Kaline, Berra, B. Robinson-RC and S. Koufax-RC, Mays, Marichal, Aaron, E. Matthews, and quit a few others from the 57 set. A 55 Clemente Rookie. 58s of- Koufax, Berra, Maris-RC (Rookie-Card), Clemente, Kaline, & others.
Mantle and Mays I have more of than any other old era cards. I have every year of those two greats, from 57 until they retired, with several duplicates of each. MT-PSA 8.0 to 9.0.
The saddest thing in my collecting, was one selling a Mint 9.5-1966 and 64 Mantle Gem Mint cards with sharp snow white borders. (Those 2 cards looked like they just came out of a new wax pack). I have never seen any others in as good of condition, since I traded them both for Full Sets of 82-85 Topps, 87 Fleer Tiffany Sets. I still think I got screwed on that deal.
The other screaming moment in collecting cards, was: I reached into a box to pull out some cards I kept in plastic boxes, and not seeing what I was doing, the box got caught on one of my two Lew Alcindor Rookie Cards. Pissed off, and stunned, I traded all my 60s NFL and NBA cards less that Alcindor rookie. I got screwed on those deals too, and regret ever trading them, as all those were HOF greats.
The first set I ever put together as a young teen was the 66, 67 and 68 Topps sets. I bought wax packs by throwing newspapers, until I completed those sets. When I got older, and "got a real job, a haircut, and was no longer a slob", I put together sets for 63 to 70. I quit collecting in 1992, until I bought out a friends, 50s-60s partial set collections in 2000 (a small gold mine). My last set is a 2005 Topps & Update Sets, (full of Future's Rookies, like Verlander). Of course I had to have the first few years of Upper Deck. As well as the new Stadium Clubs by Topps, the Leaf by Donruss, and Fleer Flair. By 93 there were 78 different sets and subsets made by 7 different card manufacturers. That is when I said screw this, they have been mass produced beyond reason, and are now a dime a dozen.
Though one can't rergret one's past mistakes, when it comes to trading or selling cards. As much as I screwed myself, on bad deals, tho' they seemed like good deals then, and some were. I unloaded 50 Mark McGwire Rookie Olympic Cards, when it was going for $300 climbing higher and higher, and I undersold everyone, with $100 for each card. I have over 500 Nolan Ryan Cards, 1,000 plus Mattingly cards, and tons of others. My wife gets pissed off, since I have 4 of 8 closets crammed full of them, including un-opened wax packs, rack packs, cello packs, from the 1970 to 1987, all with stars or rookies showing on the front or back, (of cello & rack packs). Back then anyone with a firing order, that Topps and Donruss used, could look at the front or back of a un-opened pack, and tell you there for example would be a Mattingly card, say 10 cards back or in front of whatever card was on either side, did you know this? Many don't, and I have since lost my firing orders, I put together.
I could talk this shit forever, sorry to ramble on. It's time I check myself against the boards.....Ugghh.
