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In July or August, 1993, I attended a tiny comic show here in Austin. It was a disappointing show, as I recall, because it was mainly collectors trying to sell the same "hot" books to each other. Maximum Carnage, Knightfall, and such. Hardly anything of interest to a non-Big 2 fanatic. Except one guy had a small case of sports cards, and in there was a 1955 Bowman Hank Aaron card, nice looking and richly colored and glossy but with some corner dings and edge chips. As I recall the dealer wanted $20 for it but I haggled down to $18. Card #1 acquired.
I had always had a fondness for the 55 Bowman set. The "Color TV" design in perfect step with its time, with color sets having made their consumer debut the year before. I love TV, being an introverted only child of a single parent, and I think that has something to do with the appeal for me. But it is also just simply clever. Some people don't like the design, I know, but I'll just leave those people be. I had always wanted to collect the set but finances and availability were always a factor. A year out of college and working for $6.25 an hour or whatever I made didn't exactly enable me to chase the whole set down at once, but it was now a possibility. I couldn't have made a better purchase with my $18 at that show, because now I was on the road to something real.
The next step on this 320-card road I think was Willie Mays. At the monthly show I attended religiously, I found a Mays for an affordable price. The Frank Thomas market must have been slow that month, because I think I forked over $60 for a solid if somewhat faded Mays. Funny memory with that card. I went from the show to work that afternoon. A girl I barely knew, Monica, saw me admiring it when I thought I had it obscured from view, and asked to see it. She asked me how much it cost and I told her. She then turned to our coworkers and said,"Hey, look what Joel just gave me!" and started showing everyone. I wasn't sure what was going on, or if I'd get it back easily. But she was just ****ing with me. Monica and I have since been great friends for over 20 years.
From then on, I'd look for 55s at every shop and show. Surprisingly few people had any, especially in the early years. They'd have 51s or 54s, but people with any stock of 55s were sparse. But I acquired a Ford, and a Berra, and probably a few commons here and there. Then I got a Mantle. I've written about it several times here over the years. It's creased in 2 spots, one either side of his body. The corners are all crumpled, and it's got chipping on all edges. But I don't think I'll ever want to upgrade it. The registration, depth of color, and ultra sharp focus are perfect. It is so well-printed with the body so clear and the background of the outfield slightly out of focus, it looks three dimensional, like you could stick your finger into the card and wrap it around Mickey. I saw it at the monthly show, and the guy wouldn't budge off $60. But he took my name and number to help me find me more 55s. A week later, on a Wednesday or something, I got a call from him. He would sell me the Mantle for $50. I suppose he needed quick cash, but I agreed and luckily had the $50 available in the bank. So a major cornerstone was acquired there, and I still love it. And I knew someday I would complete the set.
Over the years, I made a few additions to my growing collection. In addition to the monthly show, there was a quarterly "Collectors Expo" that was lots of fun. There would be about 100 dealers, just a few who had cards, but there was all kinds of stuff. Movie posters new and old, with bootleg VHS tapes and DVDs, breweriana, postcards, toys, vintage clothes, art, just all kinds of stuff. One card dealer who was always there always had a small but really nice selection of vintage cards, and over the years I got a lot of my commons from him. I remember he had this great 49 Bowman Satchel Paige that I always coveted. Perfectly centered and solid looking, it was way more than I could afford, but when he finally did sell it felt like I really missed out.
Eventually the monthly show stopped running, and the Collectors Expo disappeared, and the Internet took over. I honestly could have completed my set over a decade ago if I really wanted to, but I enjoyed searching out the cards in person. My set is, as you might imagine, not setting any records on the PSA registry, but it was important that I keep it consistent in condition, about a VG-EX, and at that level you just go by eye appeal more than strict grading. If you've ever collected a vintage set, you know what I mean. In addition to creases and corner dings, you've got wax stains, kids would write things on the backs, and the centering is all over the place. Plus, as an oversized set, you see cards trimmed a lot. Not all the time, and usually done decades ago by a kid who wants his old cards to line up with all his post-1956 cards, but you have to be vigilant for that. Buying online, if you're lucky, nets you a justly graded card, but it's often hard to see what you're really getting and if you want it to be part of your set.
A few years ago, I started making the trip to Houston for the Tristar shows, pretty much the last big shows in Texas. They always bring a contingent of vintage guys, and my salary was commensurate with an adult of my seniority, so I was able to take significant chunks out of my want list with each trip. I also noted that it would have been easier to complete my set in NM than my middling roughness, because that's what dealers brought. They sell for more, and sell easier, so of course they'd leave the junky stuff behind on long trips to multi-day shows. Around 2013, in preparation for one of these shows, I updated my want list again, and found I was within striking distance, less than 40 cards. I prioritized their acquisition over almost everything else at that show. Sadly, I all but struck out. I only added a couple cards as I recall, although if I had been willing to pay $12 each for NM commons I would have made much more progress.
But still, I kept chipping away, and relented in staying away from ebay. I added a half-dozen here and there, and crossed more and more off my list.
For Valentine's Day this year, my girlfriend and I were going to Houston, and a big draw was the Tristar show with Jim Kelly signing. I covered our adventures there in another post. But I was down to about 21 cards needed for the set, and I was aiming to find them. Uncle Dick, a dealer I don't think I'd encountered before, had a binder of 55s that might have been my own collection. Almost every card I needed, most in off-grade condition for off-grade prices. After picking through his binder thoroughly, surreptitiously consulting ebay for guidance (Don Mossi's rookie card really is a good deal at $17), I scratched all but three cards off my want list, for just over $100. Thanks, Dick.
At a table in the next aisle I found card #318 (really #283 ), an umpire named Nestor Chylak. Two men stood between me and my goal, Billy Loes and Charlie Grimm. I still had yet to see Roger.
Roger Neufeldt is one of my favorite dealers at these shows. He has a wonderful and continually replenished selection, fair pricing, and a nice demeanor. I know nothing about him, really, and I doubt he'd be able to pick me out of a lineup, but over the years I've bought quite a few cards from him, although nothing more than $100 or so. But there he was at the table right in front of the entrance with all sorts of sweet cards available in exchange for mere money. I knew he'd have my Loes and my Grimm.
I was wrong. He had neither. The quest was forestalled.
Upon returning home that Sunday, a thankfully uneventful drive, I got on eBay and decided that I couldn't wait any longer to compete my set organically, and ordered both cards online. The Loes came from Bill Henderson, King of the Commons. I've bought a couple cards from him over the years, and was pleased when it arrived, in all its common glory. The Grimm came from Levi Bleam and 707 Sportcards. I met Levi at a show in Dallas once. Seemed like a good guy in a good mood at the time. Who wouldn't be with four 1952 Topps Mantles in your display case? So it felt pretty good to be able to complete my set with a card from one of the most well-known vintage guys in the hobby. I placed both orders at the same time, but the Grimm took a few extra days to arrive, the clear last-place finisher.
I have to admit it's weird to not be collecting the 1955 Bowman set any longer. I might upgrade a few cards here and there, but I think I am actually done. I'm 44 years and 4 months old, and for about 21 years and 7 months of that time, almost exactly half, I've been a "1955 Bowman baseball set collector." Now, I am a 1955 Bowman baseball set owner. And it feels pretty damn good.
I had always had a fondness for the 55 Bowman set. The "Color TV" design in perfect step with its time, with color sets having made their consumer debut the year before. I love TV, being an introverted only child of a single parent, and I think that has something to do with the appeal for me. But it is also just simply clever. Some people don't like the design, I know, but I'll just leave those people be. I had always wanted to collect the set but finances and availability were always a factor. A year out of college and working for $6.25 an hour or whatever I made didn't exactly enable me to chase the whole set down at once, but it was now a possibility. I couldn't have made a better purchase with my $18 at that show, because now I was on the road to something real.
The next step on this 320-card road I think was Willie Mays. At the monthly show I attended religiously, I found a Mays for an affordable price. The Frank Thomas market must have been slow that month, because I think I forked over $60 for a solid if somewhat faded Mays. Funny memory with that card. I went from the show to work that afternoon. A girl I barely knew, Monica, saw me admiring it when I thought I had it obscured from view, and asked to see it. She asked me how much it cost and I told her. She then turned to our coworkers and said,"Hey, look what Joel just gave me!" and started showing everyone. I wasn't sure what was going on, or if I'd get it back easily. But she was just ****ing with me. Monica and I have since been great friends for over 20 years.
From then on, I'd look for 55s at every shop and show. Surprisingly few people had any, especially in the early years. They'd have 51s or 54s, but people with any stock of 55s were sparse. But I acquired a Ford, and a Berra, and probably a few commons here and there. Then I got a Mantle. I've written about it several times here over the years. It's creased in 2 spots, one either side of his body. The corners are all crumpled, and it's got chipping on all edges. But I don't think I'll ever want to upgrade it. The registration, depth of color, and ultra sharp focus are perfect. It is so well-printed with the body so clear and the background of the outfield slightly out of focus, it looks three dimensional, like you could stick your finger into the card and wrap it around Mickey. I saw it at the monthly show, and the guy wouldn't budge off $60. But he took my name and number to help me find me more 55s. A week later, on a Wednesday or something, I got a call from him. He would sell me the Mantle for $50. I suppose he needed quick cash, but I agreed and luckily had the $50 available in the bank. So a major cornerstone was acquired there, and I still love it. And I knew someday I would complete the set.
Over the years, I made a few additions to my growing collection. In addition to the monthly show, there was a quarterly "Collectors Expo" that was lots of fun. There would be about 100 dealers, just a few who had cards, but there was all kinds of stuff. Movie posters new and old, with bootleg VHS tapes and DVDs, breweriana, postcards, toys, vintage clothes, art, just all kinds of stuff. One card dealer who was always there always had a small but really nice selection of vintage cards, and over the years I got a lot of my commons from him. I remember he had this great 49 Bowman Satchel Paige that I always coveted. Perfectly centered and solid looking, it was way more than I could afford, but when he finally did sell it felt like I really missed out.
Eventually the monthly show stopped running, and the Collectors Expo disappeared, and the Internet took over. I honestly could have completed my set over a decade ago if I really wanted to, but I enjoyed searching out the cards in person. My set is, as you might imagine, not setting any records on the PSA registry, but it was important that I keep it consistent in condition, about a VG-EX, and at that level you just go by eye appeal more than strict grading. If you've ever collected a vintage set, you know what I mean. In addition to creases and corner dings, you've got wax stains, kids would write things on the backs, and the centering is all over the place. Plus, as an oversized set, you see cards trimmed a lot. Not all the time, and usually done decades ago by a kid who wants his old cards to line up with all his post-1956 cards, but you have to be vigilant for that. Buying online, if you're lucky, nets you a justly graded card, but it's often hard to see what you're really getting and if you want it to be part of your set.
A few years ago, I started making the trip to Houston for the Tristar shows, pretty much the last big shows in Texas. They always bring a contingent of vintage guys, and my salary was commensurate with an adult of my seniority, so I was able to take significant chunks out of my want list with each trip. I also noted that it would have been easier to complete my set in NM than my middling roughness, because that's what dealers brought. They sell for more, and sell easier, so of course they'd leave the junky stuff behind on long trips to multi-day shows. Around 2013, in preparation for one of these shows, I updated my want list again, and found I was within striking distance, less than 40 cards. I prioritized their acquisition over almost everything else at that show. Sadly, I all but struck out. I only added a couple cards as I recall, although if I had been willing to pay $12 each for NM commons I would have made much more progress.
But still, I kept chipping away, and relented in staying away from ebay. I added a half-dozen here and there, and crossed more and more off my list.
For Valentine's Day this year, my girlfriend and I were going to Houston, and a big draw was the Tristar show with Jim Kelly signing. I covered our adventures there in another post. But I was down to about 21 cards needed for the set, and I was aiming to find them. Uncle Dick, a dealer I don't think I'd encountered before, had a binder of 55s that might have been my own collection. Almost every card I needed, most in off-grade condition for off-grade prices. After picking through his binder thoroughly, surreptitiously consulting ebay for guidance (Don Mossi's rookie card really is a good deal at $17), I scratched all but three cards off my want list, for just over $100. Thanks, Dick.
At a table in the next aisle I found card #318 (really #283 ), an umpire named Nestor Chylak. Two men stood between me and my goal, Billy Loes and Charlie Grimm. I still had yet to see Roger.
Roger Neufeldt is one of my favorite dealers at these shows. He has a wonderful and continually replenished selection, fair pricing, and a nice demeanor. I know nothing about him, really, and I doubt he'd be able to pick me out of a lineup, but over the years I've bought quite a few cards from him, although nothing more than $100 or so. But there he was at the table right in front of the entrance with all sorts of sweet cards available in exchange for mere money. I knew he'd have my Loes and my Grimm.
I was wrong. He had neither. The quest was forestalled.
Upon returning home that Sunday, a thankfully uneventful drive, I got on eBay and decided that I couldn't wait any longer to compete my set organically, and ordered both cards online. The Loes came from Bill Henderson, King of the Commons. I've bought a couple cards from him over the years, and was pleased when it arrived, in all its common glory. The Grimm came from Levi Bleam and 707 Sportcards. I met Levi at a show in Dallas once. Seemed like a good guy in a good mood at the time. Who wouldn't be with four 1952 Topps Mantles in your display case? So it felt pretty good to be able to complete my set with a card from one of the most well-known vintage guys in the hobby. I placed both orders at the same time, but the Grimm took a few extra days to arrive, the clear last-place finisher.
I have to admit it's weird to not be collecting the 1955 Bowman set any longer. I might upgrade a few cards here and there, but I think I am actually done. I'm 44 years and 4 months old, and for about 21 years and 7 months of that time, almost exactly half, I've been a "1955 Bowman baseball set collector." Now, I am a 1955 Bowman baseball set owner. And it feels pretty damn good.
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