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02-20-2014  Brian (right) - Todd (left) - I promise you that's not me in the middle! Let's try something different today. I often use this space to write about things I like (or dislike... yeah, mostly dislike, for sure). But I thought it would be fun to use this forum to illuminate those of you that keep my business not only rolling along, but also keep it enjoyable. While I throw in Thank Yous to the customers now and then in my writings, I'd like emphasis that those are sincere. I've met a lot of interesting people over the years - dealers and customers. Many of you are passionate about sports, collecting, and entertainment just like I am, and the relationships I've cultivated also serve to keep me motivated in this business. Thus, today I debut the uncreatively named "Collector Spotlight" column. When I decided to give a column like this a try, I thought Brian was a great candidate for a few reasons. 1) He's a super-nice guy. 2) His taste in collecting defies his youth. While only in his mid-20s, he has always purchased Goudeys and other pre-war issues from me. I also noticed that he likes and knows these players. These cards aren't simply an investment; he has the knowledge and passion about the cards and their subjects. 3) He often attends the St Louis shows with his dad, Todd. If you see them at a show, they'll either be helping each other remember what's on their wantlists, busting each other's chops, or sneaking behind the other's back to buy them cards for an upcoming birthday or Christmas present. As I've mentioned even recently, I enjoy seeing people share this hobby with each other, whether you find a buddy to attend a show with, or if the collecting bug is passed down from generation to generation. Personally, my dad and grandfather introduced me to cards. My dad passed down the 40-50 of his cards (Cardinals, if you can believe it) that his mom hadn't thrown away. He also bought me my first Ernie Banks cards - 58 All-Star, 60, and 61 regular Topps issues. My grandfather also bought me all those wonderful sets from 87-90, and plenty of packs from that era to bust open too. I still have the cards from my dad. Can't say the same about all the 90 Donruss... Anyway, Brian was kind enough to sit down and grant me an interview via e-mail. Here is a look into his collecting past, present, and future! Me: Tell me about your beginning into collecting. How old were you when you started? And was it your dad who got you into collecting, or vice-versa? Brian: I was probably about 10 years old when I started collecting baseball cards. It was my dad who got me interested in baseball cards, and baseball in general. We enjoyed playing Strat-O-Matic baseball and collecting cards for players we had in various years/teams. So that's how it all started for me. I've always been impressed with your collecting taste. You're one of my younger customers - probably my youngest regular customer - and you've bought exclusively pre-war from me. Have pre-war cards always been the focus of your collection? As a whole, you are correct in thinking that the overall focus of my collection is now pre-war, but it wasn't always that way. When I was kid and first starting to collect baseball cards, I couldn't really afford many pre-war cards, so I bought a lot of 1960s Post Cereal cards as well as tons of Exhibit cards. They were neat cards that I could afford, so both Exhibits and Post Cereal cards have a special place in my collection. As I have gotten older, I have really focused on the 1933, 1934, and 1935 Goudey sets as well as the 1934 Batter-Ups. I have over half the 1933 set myself, and between Dad and I we have 170 or more cards from the 1933 Goudey set. What are you working on now, and what do you hope to collect or complete next? I still have four cards to go before I finish off the 1935 Goudey set, so those are high on my priority list. After that, I will probably keep plugging away on the 1933 and 1934 Goudey sets, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish those. I am always on the look-out for Batter-Ups too. Beyond that, I will buy some 1920s strip cards and American Caramel cards if I see them, but they are a little harder to find. And throw in a few Play Balls and Bowmans for good measure too! While your collecting interests are firmly rooted in the 1920s and 1930s, what are some of your all-time favorite players and teams? I'm assuming you have a favorite Cardinals team as well. A couple of my favorite players from the past would have to be George Sisler and Earl Averill. They were great players that not a lot of people know about anymore because they played for such bad teams. Some of the old teams I like are the 1922 Browns, 1948 Indians, 1920 Indians, and the 1941 Dodgers. Those were all great teams that had a lot of personality to them. You are right about the Cardinals being my team. My favorite Cards squad would probably be the 2004 team because they were such offensive juggernauts who just ran cold at the wrong time in the World Series. Other teams now that I like are the Orioles, Royals, and Rays. I guess because they've been so bad throughout most of my lifetime, I like to see the underdogs finally catch a break. I'm sorry to say though, I can't cut the Cubs any slack. I guess that is my Cardinals love getting the better of me! (Editor's note: This is the point where I would have stabbed Brian in the kidney with a pencil, but I since this interview was done over the internet, I had to settle for sending a near-lethal bolt of electricity to his keyboard and mouse. Though frazzled, he was a good sport and continued with the discussion!) Back to cards - what are some of the highlights of your collection? As far as prized possessions in my collection, I have several for sure. I would have to say one of them is my 1935 Goudey Babe Ruth. It took me quite a while to save up enough to be able to afford one, so in a lot of ways that is my crown jewel of my collection. Some of my other favorite cards are a 1933 Goudey Sam Rice, 1933 Goudey Waite Hoyt, 1935 Goudey Dizzy Dean, W551 George Sisler, and a W515 Walter Johnson card. These have some good stories behind them. The Rice card was my very first '33 Goudey. Dad gave that card to me years and years ago. The '33 Hoyt was the first '33 Goudey Hall of Famer I purchased myself. I really like the Dizzy Dean '35 Goudey because Dean cards are not always the easiest to find around here in my price range. George Sisler doesn't have that many baseball cards since he missed some of the classic sets that are more readily available. Finding that strip card of him was pretty neat because I stumbled across it at a show here in St. Louis. As far as Walter Johnson goes, he is one of the all time greats, so I never thought I would be able to afford one. I found that strip card of The Big Train a couple of years ago at a show. "Go crazy, folks!" Let's say you win the lottery. What cards do you hunt down first if money is no object? I would certainly start by finishing off the 1935 Goudey set. After that, I would probably go after some of the Hall of Famers I am missing from the 1933 Goudey set - like Ruth, Ott, Foxx, and Hornsby. Maybe I'd throw in some Batter-Ups for fun too. If there was any left over after that, I might be interested in picking up some of the Black Sox players. My sole T206 is of Eddie Cicotte, which I forgot to mention as one of my favorite cards. I'd like to thank Brian again for chatting with me. If you see him and his dad (a tobacco card enthusiast) walking around a show, say Hi and see if you have any of the cards they need to fill holes in their collections! Have fun! -T |
Inside My Brain