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.
One of the first vintage cards I ever bought was a 1911 T205 card so I've only had a couple of those evolution moments myself.
ReplyDeleteKeep an eye on Ebay. I got my Rube Waddell and Addie Joss tobacco cards for around $20 each. Great prices for 100-year old cardboard. Love the Martin, by the way. Very nice Goudey.
ReplyDeleteAwesome card. And pretty cool to have a Goudey of Pepper and not just some randon dude.
ReplyDeleteYes, the post you're thinking of was on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of those "oldest card" evolutions, I think, because I've never set out to acquire really old cards. It's never been a big interest. But when one lands in my lap, I think it's cool.
I slowly picking off Red Sox tobacco cards when I see them go cheap on ebay. I have 2 T206s and 4 T205s. I've given between 5 and 25 for them. At some point I'll have to break down and spend a bunch of money if I want to have the whole team set though cause Tris Speaker is expensive.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing your collection evolve on the blog.