[Harv72b]

What better time to date yourself than in your first post on a forum?

So it all started when I was but a wee little Harv, and an obscure little film with the god-awful cheesy title of "Star Wars" came out. My parents, bless their spend-money-to-placate-me hearts, decided to go all-in on the Star Wars toys, but alas--they had soon run out of new toys to spoil me with. "Empire" was so far off that nobody even knew what a "Blue Harvest" was, but then they stumbled on these wonderful little packs of Star Wars cards, which could be purchased for relative cheap & contained scores of different "toys" for me to play with. I kept those cards in an old coffee can, so those who thought to take care of them have me to thank for their values now.

Just before my teenage years, I discovered baseball (with a vengeance), and the cards that went with it. My family was living overseas and sports cards of any sort were hard to come by, but I made up for it whenever we traveled back to the U.S.--I had thousands of 1981 & 1982 Topps cards, purchased one cello pack at a time, held together in team order by rubber bands (hey, a friend of mine used packing tape!). Those wrinkled and torn cards with the corners all rounded off are probably still boxed up in my parents' storage bin somewhere...along with the glut of mid-80s cards I bought when we finally moved back stateside, but luckily there weren't really any highly collectible cards or valuable rookies during that time frame (Roger Clemens? Jerry Rice? Michael Jordan? Never heard of 'em).

I tried to rehabilitate in the early '90s when I moved out and found a girlfriend, but unfortunately she also liked to collect baseball cards so that program didn't work very well. And since she was a Braves fan (Orioles, baby!), neither did the relationship. I figured joining the Army was a better way to kick the habit, but then I graduated from basic training & discovered that they sold cards at the PX. I have early- to mid-90s cards in my own storage bin from sets that I didn't even know existed. Come to think of it, I also drank a lot back then so maybe they didn't. But I do have the cards.

I finally did take a prolonged break from the hobby when MLB ticked me off fourteen times too many, aside from a brief re-entry around 2000 when I had the misfortune of dating yet another woman who collected. But then, perhaps 6 months ago, I was shopping in the 24-hour Walmart which is the only store open when I get off work at 4am, when I noticed the tantalizing display laid out right there before the only register line which was open. I knew I was doomed right then, and I didn't even try to resist.

I've been a (rapidly) recovering non-collector since that time and have built up a new collection of somewhere in the vicinity of 2500 items, all of them acquired the old fashioned way (packs, baby! Gotta have the packs!!!). So far I've managed to stick to only football, aside from a baseball box which I accidentally bought (did I mention that I get off work at 4am?), and I hope to keep it that way. I barely follow baseball anymore, and I gave up on basketball & hockey long ago, so the NFL cards are the only ones where I recognize most of the names anyway. As before, it's not so much what I end up getting, it's the thrill of tearing open that new pack and looking for one of those magical cards with the xx/xx number on the back. Then getting it and discovering it's the backup guard for the Browns, but hey--it's the only #31/99 of that particular card in the world! The WHOLE WORLD, man!!!

Congratulations to anyone who read this far. Or condolences, whichever are appropriate.

______________________________________________________________

I'm so new this will have to do for my signature.

[melcmd]

What better time to date yourself than in your first post on a forum?

So it all started when I was but a wee little Harv, and an obscure little film with the god-awful cheesy title of "Star Wars" came out. My parents, bless their spend-money-to-placate-me hearts, decided to go all-in on the Star Wars toys, but alas--they had soon run out of new toys to spoil me with. "Empire" was so far off that nobody even knew what a "Blue Harvest" was, but then they stumbled on these wonderful little packs of Star Wars cards, which could be purchased for relative cheap & contained scores of different "toys" for me to play with. I kept those cards in an old coffee can, so those who thought to take care of them have me to thank for their values now.

Just before my teenage years, I discovered baseball (with a vengeance), and the cards that went with it. My family was living overseas and sports cards of any sort were hard to come by, but I made up for it whenever we traveled back to the U.S.--I had thousands of 1981 & 1982 Topps cards, purchased one cello pack at a time, held together in team order by rubber bands (hey, a friend of mine used packing tape!). Those wrinkled and torn cards with the corners all rounded off are probably still boxed up in my parents' storage bin somewhere...along with the glut of mid-80s cards I bought when we finally moved back stateside, but luckily there weren't really any highly collectible cards or valuable rookies during that time frame (Roger Clemens? Jerry Rice? Michael Jordan? Never heard of 'em).

I tried to rehabilitate in the early '90s when I moved out and found a girlfriend, but unfortunately she also liked to collect baseball cards so that program didn't work very well. And since she was a Braves fan (Orioles, baby!), neither did the relationship. I figured joining the Army was a better way to kick the habit, but then I graduated from basic training & discovered that they sold cards at the PX. I have early- to mid-90s cards in my own storage bin from sets that I didn't even know existed. Come to think of it, I also drank a lot back then so maybe they didn't. But I do have the cards.

I finally did take a prolonged break from the hobby when MLB ticked me off fourteen times too many, aside from a brief re-entry around 2000 when I had the misfortune of dating yet another woman who collected. But then, perhaps 6 months ago, I was shopping in the 24-hour Walmart which is the only store open when I get off work at 4am, when I noticed the tantalizing display laid out right there before the only register line which was open. I knew I was doomed right then, and I didn't even try to resist.

I've been a (rapidly) recovering non-collector since that time and have built up a new collection of somewhere in the vicinity of 2500 items, all of them acquired the old fashioned way (packs, baby! Gotta have the packs!!!). So far I've managed to stick to only football, aside from a baseball box which I accidentally bought (did I mention that I get off work at 4am?), and I hope to keep it that way. I barely follow baseball anymore, and I gave up on basketball & hockey long ago, so the NFL cards are the only ones where I recognize most of the names anyway. As before, it's not so much what I end up getting, it's the thrill of tearing open that new pack and looking for one of those magical cards with the xx/xx number on the back. Then getting it and discovering it's the backup guard for the Browns, but hey--it's the only #31/99 of that particular card in the world! The WHOLE WORLD, man!!!

Congratulations to anyone who read this far. Or condolences, whichever are appropriate.

______________________________________________________________

I'm so new this will have to do for my signature.

Another good read and welcome aboard!

It's fascinating reading these posts because they tell a lot about the personalities of fellow collectors. It helps to remind us why we like participating in this hobby.

[ugameck]

I've enjoyed reading all of the different stories. It helps to remind me why I still like this hobby. It's also good to know that some of our great members here are still checking in.

Let's keep up the great "testimonials"!

No joke - some of us oldies came out of the woodwork!
Great thread - that's why.