There are really two sided to the question about the inside of the card. Scored ones seem more authentic since they have the information for the exact game of the card. On the flip side, unscored cards are more pristine. There are merits to both sides of the argument, which is why I haven't been too concerned which way the card went.
I've got 64 years worth of scorecards. I went back through them to see just how many of each I had. The tally was scored 22, unscored 42.
It is interesting to note that starting with the 1995 card, every card in my collection is unscored. The reason....most people (including me) don't keep score at a ballgame anymore.
Of the 22 scored cards, eight were scored by me. They're all from games I went to starting with my second game at Wrigley in 1972 through games I attended in college.
An interesting thing with the scored cards is that no two are scored in the same way. Just like everyone has a personalized style of handwriting, it seems like most people have a personalized style of keeping score.
I've got a sampling of the different styles below. Most were scored in pencil and over time the cards have yellowed and the pencil has faded. I tried to use a little photoshop magic to make them readable.
Sunday, August 29, 1954...the Cubs beat the Pirates 7-4. A very basic scoring style...all outs were recorded with an O.
September 9, 1956...game 2 of a doubleheader saw the Braves top the Cubs 5-3. This person used a little more detail recording the outs, but the are all written as two numbers, 43, instead of 4-3.
Wednesday, June 19, 1957...game one of a doubleheader saw the Cubs smash the Phillies 9-0. This is probably the neatest of all the scored cards.
Saturday, June 14, 1958...the Reds edged the Cubs 4-3. This person used letters for hits..S for Single, D for Double, H for Home run. Outs were recorded as fractions...4/3. I've never seen either of those before.
I didn't realize scorecards could be such a good potential resource for players' uniform numbers. Cool post! I never learned to score games, probably why I rarely hang around the local minor league games after the 7th inning (that and the ballpark is horribly uncomfortable).
ReplyDeleteI much prefer neatly filled out scorecards to "pristine" ones. I don't actively collect them, but I have a hard time resisting inexpensive, completed scorecards if I run across them.
ReplyDeleteI did score a Mets vs. Nationals game in the "scorecard" sold at Citi Field in 2009. It was not very easy - the magazine format they use now is really more of a program. I don't think I'll be trying that again unless I end up going to another game at the last minute & don't have my own scorecard pages with me.
Those a beautiful. Give me a card that is filled out any day of the week - sooooooooooo much better to see the scoring than all the blank boxes.
ReplyDeleteOn that 1969 card, the Cubs had 4 catchers on the roster......wild.
ReplyDelete...and only 10 pitchers. Definitely a different era.
DeleteI used to be more intent on collecting Mets yearbooks and scorecards than I used to be, but I always had a preference for scorecards which had been scored... but that's probably because I always keep score, and I like to know what went on in the game, even if it's not a game I went to.
ReplyDeleteMy scoring system is an amalgam of other systems; I started off learning one particular system, but as I ran across other methods I incorporated things I liked into my own method.