The Card you ALWAYS wanted as a youth?

What card did you see in a price guide or book on Baseball Card Collecting as a youth and always dreamed of owning?

For me, it was two cards - a 1933 Goudey Ruth #181 and 1938 Goudey DiMaggio #274 (the one with the little cartoons in the background). It seems that both of these cards were pictured in the old Baseball Card books I read as a child from the public library and the Primary School's library and these two cards immediately stood out as "MUST HAVES". I have owned several examples of these cards over the years, but always end up selling them to buy cards I want more at the time. I also remember taking a liking to the Delong Pepper Martin (which was pictured in one of these books I checked out every week until I wasn't allowed to, b/c the max number of checkouts in a row was four - so, I would lay off a week and go back to checking these books out for four more weeks).

When I started, everyone already knew about the T206 Honus Wagner and that card was on top of everyone's wantlist, including mine. As I became more involved in the prewar hobby, however, I discovered there were earlier and rarer cards for Wagner.

As a kid, the top of my want list included the FBH Kelley, Duke cabinet Delahanty, m101-5 Thorpe and Weil Baking Ruth. I've owned only 2 of the 4 and currently own one.

Jay

sabrjay wrote:As a kid, the top of my want list included the FBH Kelley, Duke cabinet Delahanty, m101-5 Thorpe and Weil Baking Ruth. I've owned only 2 of the 4 and currently own one.

Jay

Weil Baking Ruth - the M101 type or the E135 type?

When I was a kid there was no Collecting Books or price guides. We were putting cards in the spokes of our bikes. I do remember struggling to acquire a 59 Topps Bill Henry, why you ask. Because He lived in my neighborhood and his son was on my little league team. Those were different times.

rman444 wrote:

sabrjay wrote:As a kid, the top of my want list included the FBH Kelley, Duke cabinet Delahanty, m101-5 Thorpe and Weil Baking Ruth. I've owned only 2 of the 4 and currently own one.

Jay

Weil Baking Ruth - the M101 type or the E135 type?

The e135 type

Jay

Wow, Jay. How many do you think exist? Can't be too many of the Standard Biscuits either. I would think that both the Weil and Biscuits are far far far tougher than the Collins and Boston Stores.

As a kid, I didn't really know anything about prewar stuff, so the card I always wanted and really never thought I would ever have was the 1984 Donruss Mattingly. I have since been able to purchase one, and it is proudly encased in a nice screw down holder. I love that damn card.

Thanks,

AndyH

t206 cobb bat off, without ever having seen it (or a picture of it). That or a goudey ruth, which I may have seen, at least I knew goudey's existed 'cause I had a few beaters from when I was a kid. Got the cobb bat off, but never a goudey ruth--never felt like shelling out the dough for the card (plus, I've directed my collecting more to pre-wwi cards).

Andy - the Donruss 84 Mattingly brings back some fond memories. I traded a bunch of Eric Davis Rookies for one in 86. In fact, during the outrageous prices of the "Mattingly Rookie Craze", the 84 Donruss Mattingly I owned was my most valuable card (when it was selling for $100)!

When I first got back into collecting I purchased every card I wanted then I was young (except a 52 Mantle)...every Puckett rookie, complete 1986 Topps set (first card packs I bought) and the Griffey Upper Deck rookie where the big ones. But I think I spent less than $50 for everything, which is nothing compared to what I spent growing up .

Thinking of the card I wanted when I was a kid was probably the 1952 Topps Mantle, T206 Wagner or an Old Judge with the "ball hanging on a string card" (that's how I described it to my parents, hoping Santa had an extra lying around).

sdbh

The three top card in order that I've always wanted were T206 Plank ( I would trade fingers for just a half of one) 1952 Mantle (way cool card) and a 1933 Goudey Gehrig (I got a ugly sgc 10 on ebay for my 30th b-day and I love it)

Mine was probably a '56 Ted Williams. That was the set that probably first attracted me to vintage cards and I thought that was one of the coolest big-name Hall of Famers in the set. When my mom heard I wanted to spend $75 on one card, she went ballistic. I didn't end up buying the card...

...but I did acquire one in a trade with my cousin shortly thereafter. It was nice but had some indentations in a semi-circular pattern in one quadrant of the card. Almost looked as though a child had teethed on it. I submitted it on my first-ever PSA invoice and it came back a 4. I'll never forget those first grading results. Of course there was the shock of having your nicest cards come back as 6's, but even more profound was the realization that my cardboard treasures were now just plasticized commodities. Which I did end up selling during my unpaid semester of student teaching.

The funny thing is that I've lately been browsing the Wiliams listings on eBay, as I'd kinda like to have that card. Just because.

modern: '89 upper deck griffey jr rc. who didn't want the first ever upper deck card? i was too poor to actually buy a pack to have the thrill of a pull, i bought a few later on but the best i could do was a smoltz or sheffield rookie. i finally bought a bgs 9 griffey in 2001 i guess? still have it and it's way cool!

first vintage was probably a '54 bowman ted williams, he's one of my fav all-timers. i pulled a replica out of an 89 bowman pack at disneyland in 1990 and have always wanted one since...have owned a couple since 2001.

the '89 griffey is a great card. that smile. that promise. because of that card, i'll always think of his career as a bit of a letdown. awesome in and of itself, but that card - it was his destiny to be the best ever and you wanted him to do it.

Steve, a few years after collecting and looking for a 54 Topps Ted Williams I could afford, I too ran across that 56 Williams and wanted one from that day forward.

From time to time, I will buy the 54 Topps #1 Williams and the 56 Topps Williams, simply b/c I really like both. Then, when it comes time to raise money, I seem to let them go, instead of some of the Vintage Cards I like better.

Well, first it was a '79 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie

But as soon as I discovered that baseball cards were produced prior to the 1950's, I had my heart set on a '33 Goudey Ruth (either #144 or #181). Never owned one until this day but would still like to.