My Holy Grail

I am a fan of vintage cards, when I say vintage cards I am talking pre-war. Sets like Play Ball, Goudey, Cracker Jacks and even going back in the 1800s with the Old Judge and the Allen & Ginter sets. This was when cards were simple and original. You had a picture or printed image on the front and either an advertisement or player/sport list on the back.

I am an opportunistic vintage card collector. I look for deals where I can and pick up what is available. I know that I will most likely never complete any of theses sets and the top players are well beyond my reach in price but I just love the idea of holding a piece of history in my hand. Over the years I have picked up some decent vintage cards ranging from an N28 1887 Allen & Ginters up through a couple of 1955 All-Americans (ok, not exactly pre-war but still classic cards in their own right).

Two years ago I was finally able to land my “Holy Grail”, the 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig card #92. My wife knew that I have always wanted to get one and she surprised me a couple of weeks before Christmas when she told me that she had been putting away money so she could buy one as a Christmas present for me. That made for a wonderful holiday and that will always be a great memory.

With that card I got that feeling that I finally was able to complete my collection. This is easily the highlight of my collection. The down side is that once you hit that highlight you want to continue. I will always treasure my ‘33 Gehrig, but I have now set my eyes on something new… the 1933 Goudey babe Ruth card #144. It will probably be a couple of years before I can even consider looking but until then I’ll keep collecting.