The book, a very low-budget, approximately 100-page stapled publication, was titled Who's Who In Card Collecting. It featured short biographies and collecting interests of collectors all across the country.  This book was a few years old when I first got it and for a long time was my greatest tool for finding and speaking with advanced collectors as a youngster. In 1972 there was no Internet, no Net54...heck, there were practically no conventions (a few gatherings of advanced collectors but nothing like what the future would soon hold). And, as a 12-year-old who could not travel more than a few blocks from home, the idea of visiting with collectors was not even a consideration. The post office and the telephone were my only links to the outside collecting world. Eventually I got my Mom and/or my Dad to drive me a few places if it wasn't too far. 

What a lot of people don't realize today is that long-distance phone calls were rare and REALLY expensive in the 1970s. When I would call someone, it was almost incredible to them that I was calling at all. It was nothing like today. It was a big deal. I was just so impatient and anxious to speak to people about cards and hopefully make deals (this was how I learned about cards) that I didn't care what it cost. My parents sure did, and this was a problem at times. Pretty much the deal was I could make whatever calls I wanted as long as I paid the bill for my calls. The only way I could make money was to buy and sell cards. This meant...MORE CALLS. The phone bill was my only business expense but it was hundreds of dollars a month. That may sound like a lot of money for a phone bill now, but remember: This was in the early 1970s. There were a few times when my phone privileges were cut off until I could catch up. I was so stupid/unknowledgeable of the ways of the world (hey, what kid isn't at times) that when I was "cut off" from making long distance calls, I actually called collectors to make deals collect. (That was even more expensive!) And they actually accepted. But when they learned why I was calling collect, well, naturally they weren't all that thrilled with my call. (In retrospect, most probably thought I was in some dangerous life-threatening emergency situation needing help...not just calling to chat about cards and to see if they had anything to sell or trade...Finally I understood when an advanced collector (on his dime...) explained to me (just a little exasperated) that this was not acceptable and to not do it anymore...We are all born knowing nothing...This is how we learn! Tom W, I know you are out there somewhere...thank you for taking the time as an adult to talk to me, a young enthusiastic kid who did not know the ways of the world!

OK kids…you’ve been keeping me REALLY busy…Hundreds of packets of free cards have been mailed out! But I have a concern: please remember that these cards I am sending out are meant for kids who don’t have the ability to buy cards due to access or expense. 
 
In the old days, before cards became so expensive that pretty much only well-to-do adults could collect, everything was a penny (or close). Cards had little value. Kids could even enjoy playing with cards by flipping them and carrying them around. Sometimes even in our pockets! They weren’t an “investment”. It is my great pleasure to send these packages of free old cards out. My concern is that there are some large groups of kids from certain schools and areas that are requesting all during the same week (in some cases the same day!) and while, as you know, I have honored ALL requests, at some point I am going to run out of free cards to distribute. I don't have an unlimited supply! If you don’t have a sincere interest, or are requesting cards just because they are free and to sell them, please know that when I run out there will be youngsters that will not being able to receive a package.

So my message is simply... Let’s be considerate of the youngsters for whom this offer is intended: kids who are interested but don’t have money to spend on old baseball cards. If all 82 kids that wrote from one zip code fall into this category, then by all means, all 82 of you should request free cards. That is what the offer is there for! But if you fall into the well-to-do category and have lots of money and lots of old cards already, then please, leave the balance of the limited supplies for the less fortunate youngsters. We are on the honor system! Thank you!
 
Sincerely,
 
Robert Lifson 

[email protected]