The definition is simple:
1: of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : classic
2: dating from the past : old
Used in connection with baseball cards, the word vintage conjures up images of great old cards.
1954 Topps Jackie Robinson
1963 Topps Carl Yastrzemski
What is the vintage cutoff for you? How old does a card have to be to be vintage in your book? Depending on your age, a 1988 Donruss card from the junk wax era could seem "old".
For me, vintage is any pre-1981 card. I started collecting in 1981. I bought Topps, Fleer and Donruss cards. Fleer and Donruss were breaking in on the Topps monopoly that year, so we had plenty to choose from and bought whichever brand we could find. We weren't choosy. So for those in my little circle, anything from 1980 and earlier was mysterious and much desired.
Even now, 29 years later, I still consider anything from 1980 and earlier to be vintage. They still hold the same attraction for me that they did all those years ago. I love the feel of the old cardboard in my hand. It just feels right.
1980 Ozzie SmithUnfortunately, I don't own the Robinson or Yaz cards pictured above. I do own the Smith card. One of these days, I'll be able to say that about the Yaz too.
Great question, it'll be interesting to see what folks say.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you: I dig anything from 80 on down as vintage but have it sort of organized into tiers. '77-'80 is pre-boom vintage because I read somewhere that production began trending upward with '77; '76-'68 are hippy vintage; '67-'61 I don't have a name for; '60-'50 are classic vintage; anything before that is straight up badass.
I consider anything '81 and older vintage... I like CCC's breakdown and I love getting cards that are straight up badass!
ReplyDeleteAnything 1973 and older is Vintage to me. '73 is the last year of releasing cards in series (and having to find the scarce high series cards) so a '73 card feels a bit different to me and a '74. from '74 to '80 is a sort of weird zone to me because they're not exactly vintage but I never opened any packs from those years so they're dirt common but kind of exotic, like the freaky hipsters that loiter at the independently owned coffee shop downtown. '81 to '91 are the Golden Age of Junkwax where it's all crap, but we love it anyway. '92 to '97 are the Lost Years where Topps was trying to figure out the new hobby landscape and '98 is where they got their bearings and started to figure out their current formula.
ReplyDeleteI also rank the vintage cards in tiers. 1966-1973 is the Boring vintage. You can find it pretty easily and unless it's a design I really enjoy like 1972 I can overlook it pretty easily. 1957-1965 is the Silver Age of cards where pretty much all the designs are extremely distinctive and interesting and the cards themselves can be tricky to find. 1952-1956 is the Golden Age, the most perfect era of carddom. Anything older than that is like delving into Serious History for me. Old tiny Bowmans and Red Backs and oddball Post-war regionals is like looking at Civil War artifacts. Pre-war Gum cards such as Goudey and Play Ball are like Revolutionary war era relics. T206 Tobacco cards and their ilk are Renaissance paintings. Allen & Ginters and Old Judges may as well be ancient Greek and Roman marbles.
(I should probably just do a post on this)
I began collecting in 1979, so there's a sentiment that anything from before that is "older" simply because it was material I never had the chance to see in wax packs.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as a matter of dividing the eras, I consider "vintage" as 1980 and before, and the introduction of Fleer and Donruss (and the overproduction that resulted from the competition)is the catalyst for that decision.
Of course, the term is relative...as one could just as easily consider 1989 (the introduction of Upper Deck) or 1974 (the end of Topps' series sets) as well.
I always think of vintage as up to 1970.Guess it's a sign of getting old.
ReplyDeleteI don't like it when I hear anything from the '80s called "vintage."
ReplyDeleteI suppose pre-1980 is "vintage," but if I'm going by my "that's really OLD" criteria from when I was a kid, it would be 1972 or earlier.
1980 and earlier is vintage to me.
ReplyDeleteI had a shoebox of cards when I was little (like kindergarten age) that were all from 1981 to 1984. They got played with like toys. I also took every card in the box and put it in numerical order. The set made dayf's Ginter mini Frankenset look positively vanilla in comparison. I can still remember that a George Brett 1984 Topps Nestle was on top, #3.
I guess that makes anything made before then "vintage."
I draw the line in 1974, when Topps stopped issuing their set in series that caused large numbers of cards to by short-printed every year.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I'm mainly a team collector and don't pay much attention to anything produced before 1962.
I used to think before 1980 but then a got a influx of late 70s stuff so I changed it to 73 and under.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the line is 1979. Anything 79 and older is vintage. In reality, "vintage" is generally assigned to anything older than 25 years. It just seems ridiculous to label anything *in* the 80's as "vintage" to me. I'm sure that has to do more with my own age (40's) than anything. It is akin to hearing Motley Crue and Bon Jovi on "classic rock" stations. Puh-leaze.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I think this would make a great "Blog Bat-Around" topic!
ReplyDelete70 and earlier for me. i ain't older than vintage!
ReplyDeleteFor me its anything pre-1976. Collecting was still about building sets and trading cards instead of hunting of #/#.
ReplyDeleteI was born in the 80s, so the 70s seem "vintage" to me. Plus my cards from the late 70s back are definitely getting that vintage (ie worn out) look to them.
ReplyDeleteI would say 1975 and before is my feeling of vintage. 75 is my favorite of that era so I make that my line.
ReplyDeleteWell, now that there's a contest on the line, I better get crackin' on the comments. Well, it seems the majority of people consider 1980 and earlier to be vintage. But much like Night Owl, I take offense at someone calling something "old" that is NOT before my time, much in the same way that I get upset over hearing songs on the classic rock station when I remember where I was when they came out. So I consider anything older than me to be vintage. That makes anything from '69 or earlier vintage in my book.
ReplyDeleteI swore I threw in my two cents on this one... ah well... for me, I consider any hockey before 1980 vintage. Baseball is different. Gotta go back to before 1970 for that.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about 1975 Topps that seems to revel in the term vintage. '75 Topps is like your dad's vintage white disco suit--perhaps just as gaudy. So, to me, it's 1975 and before. But I do love 1950s Bowman, which epitomizes vintage and incites drool to the hardcore collector in me.
ReplyDeleteI hav e to go with anything before the "mass produce" era. Say 1979 and earlier. When I hear that somebody has cards for the 80's all I can think is good luck getting rid of them.
ReplyDeleteIMO vintage is anything before 1981. I use 81 as the cutoff because that is when Fleer & Donruss entered the market.
ReplyDeleteI guess I consider anything before 1975 "Vintage". Before now, I never put a lot of thought into it.
ReplyDeleteI agree the cutoff for vintage is 1980 and earlier. 1981 brought the hobby three companies and overproduction.
ReplyDeleteI agree that vintage is pre 1981. The industry expanding to three companies in 1981 ushered in overproduction and the modern era.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say 1980 and earlier is vintage, though '71-80 is like soft vintage. you can occasionally find some of those in repack packs and boxes, so I don't consider those to be full vintage. So by my definition, I don't actually own anything fully vintage. That sucks.
ReplyDeletePre-1973. There just seems to be more cards available after that. Plus those high numbers demand a vintagy premium.
ReplyDeleteFor me there are two tiers of vintage. 1. 1965-1975, the years I collected as a kid. 2. 1964 and back, the cards I like to buy now since I never had them as a kid.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say 1974 and earlier, but I can be persuaded to adjust that by a year and say pre-'74 as well.
ReplyDeleteContest entries closed...but feel free to answer the question.
ReplyDeleteIt's a relief to see no one considered anything post 1981 as vintage. I hope that's always the case.
ReplyDelete