[kerryandbeth]

Just a fun thread to tell your story on how you started collecting baseball cards?

My story:
I was 13 years old when my dad gave me his 1940's and 1950's baseball cards that I pinned to my bedroom wall to make an expensive and regretful wallpaper! Then when I was 18 and working in residential construction, I found two boxes of 1977 Topps cards in an abandoned attic but just put them in my closet. In 1985 when I joined the Air Force, I bought packs of Fleer at the PX to get a Kirby Puckett rookie (which I never found), but once again just boxed them away.

I actually did not start collecting as a hobby until 1993 when I left the military and needed something to distract me from my college studies, husband duties, and parenting...since then I purchase 2-5 products every year and try to complete those sets.

What is your story?

[pjrussell529]

When I was 6 I started getting into baseball so my parents would put packs of cards in my Christmas stocking. First packs were 82 Topps. While I thought they were neat I was 6 so they just went in a box. In 85 my father and I would spend Saturday afternoons hanging out and he would pick me up rack packs of Fleer at Kroger. It still wasn't a huge deal for me but it was fun looking at them with my dad.

1987 really started the collecting part for me like most. My friends and I would trade after baseball and hit the card shows on the weekends. Did that until about 92 when playing sports and girls took up the majority of my time. After that I would pick up some cards here and there but nothing to write home about.

Fast forward to 2013. After splitting with my long time girlfriend I had free time and money and I thought about getting back into it. My uncle had a card shop in the 90's so I spoke with him. He gave me some advice and much of his collection...I was hooked again.

[BiggioBrooks755]

Cant remember who the guy is now, but I remember getting some 1987 Topps cards...Fast forward to 2003...and I got a couple packs of Upper Deck cards and I put them in a brown bag...(I think I threw out a Lebron James RC that was tossed along with the wrappers)

Then Christmas about 10 years ago, I got a complete set of 1983 and 1984 Topps Football from my aunt...which then evolved into collecting some football...then baseball...

[REDdad1]

It was 2007 and I think I was in a Target. I was over in GA for my son's baseball tournament and had to get him some new shoelaces. Saw all the packs of cards and just grabbed some regular Topps. Didn't know anything about the industry at all as I was not into them when I was a kid. Pulled the Derek Jeter/Mickey Mantle/George Bush card and was hooked from there. Was just a cool looking card. I have since come to love the Topps Chrome and Gypsy Queen products and prefer them over anything else.

[madamson]

Great thread idea!

Let's see...my first memories would be 1981 opening Topps baseball from the store in my hometown. My brother and I would get a pack or two now and again. My parents were farmers and money was extremely tight so it was a real treasure to get those packs. Not really sure when I got "hooked" into the hobby, but I still remember sitting at my grandparent's house in the summer of 1986 opening and sorting Topps baseball on the carpet of my grandpa's tv den.

I've had my moments of "leaving" the hobby like most others. Typical reasons, like high school and college with little or no money. However, it has been since the early 2000's that I have been back in, full-force with buying/selling/trading. I think one of the coolest things about this hobby are the relationships we build with others. One of my closest friends and I help each other out with our collections, picking up missing pieces for sets we want to complete or a quick phone call to let each other know that one of us has found boxes of the latest product on the shelves of Target, etc.

Not to be too cheesy, but I worry a little bit about where my collection will end up someday. I currently don't have any children, and, at age 40, am bummed. Hopefully someday, I will have a knucklehead kid to hand them down to! (I use the term knucklehead lovingly, of course!)

Again, great topic! Happy Collecting!

Mark

[kerryandbeth]

Great thread idea!

Let's see...my first memories would be 1981 opening Topps baseball from the store in my hometown. My brother and I would get a pack or two now and again. My parents were farmers and money was extremely tight so it was a real treasure to get those packs. Not really sure when I got "hooked" into the hobby, but I still remember sitting at my grandparent's house in the summer of 1986 opening and sorting Topps baseball on the carpet of my grandpa's tv den.

I've had my moments of "leaving" the hobby like most others. Typical reasons, like high school and college with little or no money. However, it has been since the early 2000's that I have been back in, full-force with buying/selling/trading. I think one of the coolest things about this hobby are the relationships we build with others. One of my closest friends and I help each other out with our collections, picking up missing pieces for sets we want to complete or a quick phone call to let each other know that one of us has found boxes of the latest product on the shelves of Target, etc.

Not to be too cheesy, but I worry a little bit about where my collection will end up someday. I currently don't have any children, and, at age 40, am bummed. Hopefully someday, I will have a knucklehead kid to hand them down to! (I use the term knucklehead lovingly, of course!)

Again, great topic! Happy Collecting!

Mark

Thanks for the story and the compliment. I have a knucklehead son, and I still worry about what will happen to my collection within the next 30 years! LOL

---

Fast forward to 2013. After splitting with my long time girlfriend I had free time and money and I thought about getting back into it. My uncle had a card shop in the 90's so I spoke with him. He gave me some advice and much of his collection...I was hooked again.

Does that mean you went back in time to get cards/players that you liked, or did you just start with 2013 products?

---

Saw all the packs of cards and just grabbed some regular Topps. Didn't know anything about the industry at all as I was not into them when I was a kid.

Cool how you just sort of stumbled upon the hobby...

---

Then Christmas about 10 years ago, I got a complete set of 1983 and 1984 Topps Football from my aunt...which then evolved into collecting some football...then baseball...

Did you keep the complete football sets together or break them up?

[waynetalger]

Purely by accident, then the money then the fun

Accident:
I found a 1960 Carl Yaz in a walmart parking lot in 1989 which I gave the card to my friend the next day and he sold it and if memory serves me right 150.00 and he tried to give me 75.00. I told him I gave him the card and the money was his. After school I went to walmart and bought me a few packs and about 3 months later I went to the card shop in the mall. I made my money back by sell nolan, smoltz, maddux and Griffey cards plus some. Then in 1991 I collected for the fun and now its been a habit of mine. in 2003 I started getting into vintage cards and in 2005 pre-war cards.

My dad and mom supported my collecting habit and when I met my wife and in 1997 I told her I would sell of my collection she said and I quote " Absolutely NOT you enjoy it and every man likes to have a collection of something and since you are not into cars and huge items keep collecting I can deal with it and you enjoy it" fast forward to 2015 my wife says " You have a walk in closet with and all the shelves are plum full I said for you to keep collecting but some must go." So I am following her instructions baseball cards say football is going by, by slowly but surely. She happy so that makes me happy. When she see a huge number card trade she gets ecstatic. HAHA (shhhh to bad she doent know I have some boxes I havent even opened up yet but I am on vacation now so let the ripping begin)

[kerryandbeth]

When she see a huge number card trade she gets ecstatic. HAHA (shhhh to bad she doent know I have some boxes I havent even opened up yet but I am on vacation now so let the ripping begin)

Ha! That is hilarious. I myself have opened a few boxes during my lunch break at work and then bring home a plastic bag full of cards that my wife thinks is leftover lunch!! She doesn't complain otherwise because we have an extra bedroom that is mine to use for card storage along with other crap.

[bman12]

WOW great thread for me it was back in 2010 when my dad passed away he had started collecting when he retired from work. I used to bring him home tons of cards I would find in the trash I drive a rubbish truck and find cards all the time. When he passed I took his collection started looking them up to see if they were worth anything. that's when it hit me I couldn't sell them I felt the thrill of collecting them and now its my hobby and every pack/box or case I open I imagine him by my side smiling. Thank You for this thread.

[REDdad1]

Great thread idea!

Let's see...my first memories would be 1981 opening Topps baseball from the store in my hometown. My brother and I would get a pack or two now and again. My parents were farmers and money was extremely tight so it was a real treasure to get those packs. Not really sure when I got "hooked" into the hobby, but I still remember sitting at my grandparent's house in the summer of 1986 opening and sorting Topps baseball on the carpet of my grandpa's tv den.

I've had my moments of "leaving" the hobby like most others. Typical reasons, like high school and college with little or no money. However, it has been since the early 2000's that I have been back in, full-force with buying/selling/trading. I think one of the coolest things about this hobby are the relationships we build with others. One of my closest friends and I help each other out with our collections, picking up missing pieces for sets we want to complete or a quick phone call to let each other know that one of us has found boxes of the latest product on the shelves of Target, etc.

Not to be too cheesy, but I worry a little bit about where my collection will end up someday. I currently don't have any children, and, at age 40, am bummed. Hopefully someday, I will have a knucklehead kid to hand them down to! (I use the term knucklehead lovingly, of course!)

Again, great topic! Happy Collecting!

Mark

Don't worry, the knucklehead comment is appropriate. My son and I used to collect together, but he is 14 now and these things call "teenaged girls" seem to have taken up his time. Luckily my 7 year old daughter LOVES baseball cards. She is happier than I am when a box or package come in the mail! Of course I had to teach her how to carefully open them.