What vintage card has been in your collection the longest?

This question took me a while to figure out but I believe this one has been on my collection the longest. This card was purchased in the early 80's, $5 I believe. I liked the combination of old card and HOFer:



Lee

I'd have to say this one. It's the card that got me focused on collecting T206 HOF portraits.

My first vintage card was a T207 Recruit - WaJo that I tradeed some 1960 Topps cards for to Bill Huggins (of Huggins & Scott Auctions) at his retail shop in Silver Spring, MD, back in the mid-1980s when I had a full head of hair! Where has time gone?!!
Val

Probably as an indicator of how little time I have been in the pre-war collecting market, of the cards that are in my collection, the earliest one that I purchased and still have was purchased in October 2008. I purchased a couple others a month or two earlier, but they are gone. So, this one (which will be recognized as having been owned by at least 2 others here... Jeff and Ben) has been in my collection the longest. Coincidentally, it is also tied for the earliest produced card in my collection.

So, this card began my affinity for E107 HOFers and also signaled the dramatic shift in my collecting (away from high end A-Rod rookies and other high end, modern insert sets). Fortunately, I sold my A-Rod rookies off just prior to his outing for 'roids. Fortunate timing for me, but it confirmed in my mind why vintage is the way to go. We all know Cobb was a jerk and Matty was a gentleman. Not much "news" will come out about them to affect their card values! I don't regret my switch for a minute.

Good thread idea, Lee!

I miss that Joss.

A birthday gift from my parents in 1982.

1939 Playball Charley Gehringer (1988)

Since I sold off my other stuff (with the exception of Ewing and Mascot), the Delahanty in my avatar is actually my oldest card.

My first T206, thanks to Keith O'Leary back in 2000, or 2001:


Bought, PSA slabbed not long after, crossed to SGC a couple of years later, sold a couple of years later, bought back a couple of years later. At this point, the sentimental value, and the ridiculous amount of money I have into it, haha, are too great, and my plan is to keep it in the SGC holder and never sell it again.

I think this is my earliest pick up that is still in my collection today. I saw it at one of those little hotel shows in the 80's. Never had seen anything like it, had to have it. It was raw at the time.

my first vintage card-about 1989 or 90

heres mine




paied 30.00 for it don't remeber when I bought but it was a nice additon to the Vintage Yankees collection

When I was 17-18 years old I remember finding this on eBay being sold by the big dealer in Las Vegas at the time. Can't remember their name, but it was like 1999-2000. It has scrapbook damage on the reverse, and I believe it cost me about $70.

I bid even though I don't think I had $7, let alone $70. Looking back it makes me laugh how much things have changed, such as me bidding in days in advance and nervously waiting, rather than sniping. And of course the trip to the post office to buy a money order.

My mother was kind enough to buy it for me as I informed her that failure to pay was a breach of contract or some nonsense. I was a real stinker, but considering that I now work for a retail giant in Florida teaching high school dropouts how to get old ladies to buy discount cards and sign up for magazine trials that automatically renew ... it all makes sense in retrospect.

The next day, however, she took me down to get a job and I began working to sustain my beater addiction before college. I still have it, recently had it graded, and despite the damage to the back it somehow managed to pull a numerical grade.