Some people were never Registry Level card collectors

by ItsOnlyGil Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:27 am

I discovered that some of my cards from the 50s survived my youth when going through some of my old stuff which had been packed up for me when I (finally) left home upon my marriage - thanks Mom ! I didn't find these until my second daughter was born, and we were set up in a house (in the 1970s). In going over the cards, I recalled how we pitched (flipped, scalled, or whatever) thru the air ... heading for a perpendicular surface such as a wall, stoop, or the feared garage door.
The objective of course, was to impact the wall softly so that the card did not rebound much. Because the one closest to the wall won all of the cards - and there were often several of us - flipping two or three cards apiece.
As you may imagine, after several flips, each card was no longer NM, but there were hopes for vg/ex. After several days in your pocket, and surviving many similar encounters; vg was a condition to aspire for - but nobody ever seemed to notice.
Sometimes the card would be removed earlier in this cycle. Because we would flip in the schoolyard with (relative) strangers, and others who would be bringing a source of new material. So, trading was a daily occurance:
You would take your pack of cards out of your pocket and quickly rifle thru them to the onlookers chant of "got'em, got'em, got'em, need'em; dropping out the needed cards for him to reciprocate as you watched him rifle his pack.

As I indicated, this is a description of the 1950s baseball and non-sports cards which I viewed in the 1970s. And I was fine with these. Heck I was way more than fine. I was reunited !
The thoughts of PSA8s were still not even a dream (I did not say nightmare).
I understand that this experience primarilly relates to practises in east coast cities, and those of other locations were to maintain their cards in top condition, rather than use them as toys.
I wonder what the demographics work out to be relating to youthful experiences vs. adult collecting preferences.

Sorry to make this so long, but at least I did not break it up with paragraphs, spell checking, nor other encumberences to make reading more enjoyable.

by TheBig6 Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:07 am

We had a Major Leaguer that lived in our Neighborhood and his son played on my Little League team. I had the hardest time getting his card, I remember when I finally got it, I was sitting on the Pot (Sorry if thats TMI) in elementary school and I had bought a pack of 59 Topps on the way to school. So, I reached in my pocket and pulled out the unopened pack and opened it and walla there it was, a shiny new 59 Topps Bill Henry. Funny how you remember things like that. Come to think of it, I was probally saving that uopened pack just for that morning Constitutional just like I do auction catalogs today.

I can also remember putting 56 Mantles, seems like they were a dime a dozen in my bike spokes for that beloved Motor Sound.

I also remember having to eat dozens of Armour Hotdogs before I finally got a Coin besides a red Frank Malzone. Seems Like I was always getting a Red Frank Malzone

I love reliving my childhood, I guess that goes hand in hand to My Collecting Passion Now.

by ItsOnlyGil Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:44 am

Yeah, '56 Mantles musta been common - I wound up with two of them, and '55 Clementes too, but three of the '54 Kaline rookies. I kept the Mantles, but sold off the others for pre-war.

The funny thing is nobody wanted the rookies back then.

Who was Aaron? ... in 1954?

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Some people were never Registry Level card collectors

Some people were never Registry Level card collectors

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