The oldest card

I wish I was a kid in the 1930's.

Well, maybe not, as the Great Depression was hitting families pretty hard then. But nevertheless, I could've ran down to the local candy store and picked up a pack of Goudey gum which included a beautiful baseball card with it, all for a single penny.

I remember reading a post (on Night Owl's blog, I believe) that talked about the "evolution" of the oldest card at certain points in his collecting career. Ever since I began collecting solely baseball cards in around 2006, my collection has only gone through two such "evolutions".

Since I was having trouble thinking of a post for tonight, I figured I'd show off my current oldest card, as I've wanted to blog about it for a while now.

For the first year or so after my resurgence into the baseball collecting universe, the 1934 Goudey Joe Vosmik shown in this post was my oldest card. 

I picked up the above 1933 Goudey "Pepper" Martin at a card show a few years back. I remember that my dad was the one that first spotted it, and it was mine a few minutes later. At twelve dollars, it's one of the more expensive cards I've ever purchased.

But it was worth every penny.

Next to Dizzy Dean, Martin is my favorite member of the famous Cardinals "Gashouse Gang" of the 1930's. Anyone with the nickname "Wild Horse of the Osage" kind of has to be. 

It would be hard to pick out my single favorite card, but the Martin would definitely be a candidate if I had to. It represents everything that made 1930's cardboard so great. The fantastic artwork. The simple, yet elegant background. It's a "museum" piece in my collection.

I've been on the lookout for a tobacco card for a while now, but I haven't been able to find one within my price range as of yet. I'm sure one will turn up sooner or later.

For now, though, I'm certainly satisfied with Pepper Martin.