The Oldest Cards in My Collection

I am not a super vintage collector.  I'm not a really a super anything collector.  I'm a dabbler.  I dabble in set collecting and team collecting and autos collecting and dust collecting, but there's not one thing that distinguishes my collection.  I may have an unhealthy obsession for completing whatever I start, and this has led to an accumulation of untold Phillies and Bowman from the 2011 calendar year.  And maybe this is why the hobby has such a hold on me; I must get the next thing, even if the next thing is unattainable and out of reach.

There are a few things on my list that I have not been able to obtain and this bothers me to no end.  If I had unlimited funds, I would just go out and get them.  One such object of desire is a 1993 Finest Refractor, another is the complete 1995 Score Platinum Set (please don't ask me why), and another for a long time, was a card issued before WWII.

Since I had stopped going to shows sometime in the '90s, tracking down one of these guys without any references or sight unseen proved to be difficult.  (I also got sidetracked by all my other crazy collecting pursuits).  Beyond the tobacco cards and 1933 Goudey, I didn't have much idea what was out there.  Why? Because anything before 1948 was not listed in Beckett for a long time.

Then, along comes Matt of the Number 5 Type Collection, who sends me two cards of the '30s from two different sets out of the blue (I think it was for a contest).  These are the two oldest cards in my collection by 15 years.

1935 Diamond Stars Jimmy Wilson: I had never heard of Jimmy Wilson except in the most tangential sense.  I knew he was a catcher for the Phillies in the '30s.  That is until I read this article at Sully Baseball.  It really put into perspective that not all catchers are what they seem.  Of course, his name everywhere else is Jimmie Wilson.

1934? Goudey "Sad" Sam Jones:At the time of this card, Sad Sam was already at the 40 years mark, having played in the big leagues for 20 years.  He was a two time World Series ring holder (1918 with the Red Sox and 1923 with the Yankees, joining Everett Scott, Babe Ruth, Carl Mays, and Bullet Joe Bush to be on both the last Red Sox champ of the 20th century and the first Yankees champ of the 20th century). He also was good enough to pitch a no-hitter during that unforgettable 1923 season.  He was called Sad Sam by the sportswriters simply because he kept the brim of his hat down all the time while walking on the field, giving him a downcast look.

Hopefully, this won't be the first look I have at pre-WWII cards.  They're way more vintage than vintage.