I started collecting seriously in 1987. Like most people, I began buying baseball cards, with my hobby later transforming to vintage memorabilia. In 1988, I started collecting Bo Jackson cards. The hype for the Royals and Raiders two-star athlete was bigger than MJ, Tiger, Lebron, Kobe or even American Idol, for crump sakes! It seemed like with every “Bo Knows” Nike commercial, Jackson cards became tougher and tougher to find.

My goal, when in my young teens, was to obtain one of each Jackson card that was ever made. That meant every Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Classic and even every “Broder” card that was ever produced. For those of you who don’t know what a Broder card is, they were unlicensed cards that were every bit as popular amongst youngsters as cards issued by the big companies.

Keep in mind, there was no eBay at this time. That made my Bo Jackson goal almost impossible to achieve. That said, I pounded the pavement. I would order as many singles as I could from Tuff Stuff and SCD ads, went to as many shows as my dad would take me to, go to as many card shops as I could discover in the Yellow Pages and traded with as many friends as I could.

My good friend Troy Kinunen (now of MEARS) used to promote shows in my hometown, which I set up at when I was in middle school. The majority of my friends when I was 13 years old were 18 years or older, all because of collecting cards. The night before a Saturday morning show, in Marinette, Wisconsin, would be spent going through cards and price guides and counting the minutes til the 9am opening bell. It was awesome!

If there was eBay back then, there would have been little reason to go to as many shows as I went to. In addition, I wouldn’t have gone to nearly as many card shops or trade with as many friends.
From time to time I will field a call at the SCD office with the typical question, “why is your magazine so much smaller than it was ten years ago?”

Anyone who asks that question has forgotten these special pre-eBay days.
The funny thing is these people never ask me what happened to card shops or local card shows. Ask yourself one question. How many card shops that you visited 15 years ago are still in business.

Very few, if any, will be your answer.

Also, I haven’t been to too many local card shows in the last few years, but the ones I go to seem to have transformed into displays of Beanie Babies and die-cast racecars.

Alright, now everyone is going to think I am anti-eBay, and also probably think I am an angry dude. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I enjoy eBay, but how can you not be a little sad when you think of how great collecting was in the pre-Internet days.

I gotta go now… gotta go see if I won my eBay auction I was sniping.