As best as I can remember I started around age 6-7, (1957/58) and collected cards until around 1968. I had several shoe boxes of from that 10+ year period, and probably a few thousand cards. I still have about 500 cards circa 1967-68 that escaped my mom's (RIP mom) need to spring-clean. Long ago she insisted a cleaning lady snagged my collection. My best/most valuable card is a 1941 "Play Ball" Ted Williams card that was given to me by my now an ex-brother-in-law.
While renovating an old home he found a lot of old cards and newspapers used as insolation. He kept the TW card as he remembered I was a Sox fan,
He threw away the others.
Dolt.
heh