I Am Re-Committing Myself To The Roots Of ’30-Year Old Cardboard’

I Am Re-Committing Myself To The Roots Of ’30-Year Old Cardboard’

On Sunday night, I eluded to the fact that I was really starting to miss my favorite players from my youth – the ones that shaped my love for the game that has carried me, my collection, and this blog for many years.

I specifically detailed how I wish that I paid a little more attention to the guys that have left us early – like Tony Gwynn, Gary Carter, and Kirby Puckett.

Well, I am now ready to do something about it.  And in a major way.  I am going back to the roots of ’30-Year Old Cardboard!

After publishing that post on Sunday, I spent a few hours organizing my cards even deeper than I had before.  And for a very small handful of players, I expanded on my detailed player collection Excel spreadsheets to include every single card of them I own, just like I have done with my Dawson, Jenkins, Palmer, etc. collections.

This process confirmed to me that I can go after quite a bit more.  So, that is my plan.

I am digging deeper on some of the original player collections I built when I got back into collecting in 2008.  And in many cases, I am going back after the guys I originally built player collections of when I first got back into the hobby.  Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder…

Have I added more cards of these guys since?  Sure, I have.  And they are now documented and accounted for.  But, in many cases, I limited my original collections of them to specific brands, years, and teams.  As an example, I restricted my collection of Dave Winfield to all major-brand baseball cards up to 1989.

Well, now I am opening the flood-gates.  I am going BIG!!

Get ready for a lot of vintage oddballs, limited edition cards, and super stuff from the 1980’s.

As for the player that I intend to highlight and showcase – the list is baseball royalty:  Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Wade Boggs, and Eddie Murray.

Here is a picture of my collection of these five HOF’ers as it stands tonight:

And in the very near future, I am hoping that each of these rows will look a lot more full.

Buckle up everybody, it is going to be a fun, fun ride!!

Thanks for reading.

 

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The Death Of Tony Gwynn Has Left Me Feeling A Bit Empty…

The Death Of Tony Gwynn Has Left Me Feeling A Bit Empty…

It has been two months since one of my baseball heroes, Tony Gwynn, died.

And since his passing, I have spent more time reading articles written about him, watching videos about him, and learning more about him.  I was sad the day that he passed.  And I am still sad about it today.  Lately it seems like more and more of the players I enjoyed as a kid are gone.  Gary Carter blew me away a few years ago, and then back in July, Tony Gwynn left us too.

As I watch modern-day baseball, I crave for the legends that shaped my love for the game.  I miss watching them play.  I miss cheering for them.  I miss impersonating their batting stance and swing with my buddies at the park.

Do I love the modern game?  Of course I do.

But my true passion is the baseball and the players that starred during my youth – Pete Rose and 4,192, Mookie Wilson’s error, Canseco’s 40/40, Bo Jackson breaking bats over his knee, Andre Dawson throwing out runners going to third, Rickey Henderson cruising around the base paths, Dwight Gooden striking out dozens during each appearance, Kirk Gibson’s World Series home run, and the list goes on.  These are the players and moments that made me fall in love with the game.

So, as I always tend to do, I am going to go back to enjoy the sport and hobby from my youth.

’30-Year Old Cardboard’ is heading back to the 1980’s!!!

Will I still follow modern players and teams?  Without a doubt.  Will I still collect modern cards?  Of course I will.  But, I will once again be paying more attention to the players and teams and cards that made me fall in love with this great sport and hobby during my childhood.  If I can learn more now, great.  And if I can conjure up more memories of those great times, I am all for it.

I think that this will be a lot of fun.  And I hope that you are ready to go back to the 1980’s with me.

Let’s Go!!

‘You Collect Players From The 80’s But Don’t Have Any….’

This is a true story.

I don’t share my blog with co-workers very often.  For whatever reason, I guess that they will all become addicted to ’30-YOC’ and somehow get in trouble for being on the site for hours and hours while our employer pays them.  I’m just trying to look out for their best interest.

But sometimes I cannot help myself, especially when someone expresses an interest in what I am doing.  With that being said, let me tell you now that I carry a notepad with me at all times.  At work it is stashed away at my desk but is convenient enough to me if I need to quickly jot something down that pops into my head.  During my lunch break, I am constantly scribbling down new ideas and thoughts as to what I can add to the blog and to my collection.

About a week ago, a fellow co-worker asked me what I was writing down every day and since I knew he was a sports fan he became the first one at my new workplace that I shared ’30-YOC’ with.  I told him the premise of the site, and since we’re the same in age he recalled several memories of the same era in baseball and players that he cared for during that time.  I quietly passed him a link to the site and quickly forgot about it.

Yesterday at 7:52 in the morning he shows up at my cube and says, ‘Dude, you collect players from the 80’s but don’t have any cards of Cal Ripken, Roger Clemens, George Brett, Don Mattingly, Gary Carter…’  He went on for what seemed like minutes.  In reality he probably mentioned 10-12 guys that were the stars of the sport during that glorious decade.  But you know what, he is 100% right.  For all of the Dawson, Henderson, and Winfield cards that I own, I have barely scratched the surface when it comes to obtaining cards of the players that I enjoyed watching and collecting during my youth.

So Thank you, employee ‘X’.  You have opened my eyes, and I am already working on a few new goals for my card collection that will continue to honor the players that have left a lasting image on me.

There are 2 things that I can assure you:  (1) I have shown my readers each and every card that I own through this blog – nothing has been skipped or passed over.  (2) I will continue to show you all of my purchases as long as interest remains there.  The players from the 80’s are special to a lot of us and I enjoy reliving many of those memories and sharing them with you.

Stay tuned as there is a lot more to come as the baseball card collection at ’30-Year Old Cardboard’ continues to take flight!!!