Collector Q&A: Sammy Thunder

I met Sammy Thunder briefly at last year’s National and he ended up introducing me to some other collectors with YouTube channels, demonstrating a kindness that this community is known for. He also happens to be a member of the 2025 Hall of Fame class for the YouTube sports card community. He’s uploaded card videos since early in 2021 with more than 500 videos on his channel, so let’s get to know him a little better with the Drawn to Cards Q&A.

What’s your card collecting story (when and why did you start, which sport(s)/card era(s), and do you consider yourself a collecting generalist or specialist)?

My collecting story started at a fairly young age. I was about nine or ten when I first got started. This would be the early to mid nineties for me. A lot of kids my age at that time were showing off their Donruss 87 Rated Rookie Mark McGwire, Greg Maddux and Bo Jackson cards. If you were lucky and had extra money, you would be showing off your 1985 Topps Olympic Mark McGwire. At that time, he was the biggest name. Him and Barry Bonds. The 86 Topps Traded Barry Bonds was up there in the same realm as that Olympic card. Generally, a lot of kids were able to acquire the Donruss 87 Bonds because it was less expensive, but for a nine or ten year old, less expensive was still expensive. I mainly focused my collection at that time on dollar cards of McGwire, Maddux, Gooden and Bonds. From time to time, my dad would be with me at the Gloria Rothstein Card Shows at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. He purchased a 73 Topps Willie Mays and a 69 Topps Tom Seaver for me (Both of which I still have).

Like many others, I got out of the hobby as a teenager, but I found myself back in it again during the pandemic. That thrill of the hunt aspect to the hobby was what got me back in. Found a bunch of loose cards at what I called a nostalgia shop. Got me hooked back in since. These days, I focus my collection on four players (Willie Mays, Christy Mathewson, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan). It narrows down the cards that are out there and helps me zero in on a select number of cards.

Who/what do you personally collect?

As mentioned in the prior question, I am what collectors would call a player or type collector. I focus my collection on Christy Mathewson, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. With those players, I’m able to explore cards from various eras of the game.

What’s your favorite card you own and/or what’s your grail card? Tell us why.

That’s tough. I really love all my cards. My collection is small compared to other collectors out there. I think if I had to choose one card, it would probably be my 1952 Coca Cola Test Tips of Willie Mays. I have grown to really appreciate oversized collectibles and the Coca Cola Test Tips are diecut collectibles. They’re extremely colorful and the artistry is nothing like you’ve ever seen. It’s a regional set so they were only distributed in the Greater New York Metropolitan region. Those don’t come up too often, so I’m so pleased to have one in my collection.

Who/what motivated you to start a YouTube channel?

I’ve always been a performer. I was a musician for many years and the idea of performing in front of an audience has come naturally for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nerve-wracking at times, but I really enjoy it. I believe that part of what makes collecting fun is sharing it with others. Collectors are proud of what they’ve been able to find and there is a feeling of satisfaction when you can share it with other like-minded collectors. Obviously it’s not the only reason why I collect, but it’s a part of it. That’s generally why I wanted to create a YouTube channel.

What’s been the best part of your YouTube experience so far?

Coming together with other collectors at meetups. It’s great to catch up with some of the collectors I’ve gotten to know very well.

If you could talk to/interview any person on your channel (creator, person in sports, person in the hobby, etc.), who would it be and why?

I would’ve loved to have interviewed Christy Mathewson. He actually was able to initially recover from his illness and could have likely lived a longer life, but he went against his doctor’s wishes by getting back into baseball as an executive for the Boston Braves. I would’ve liked to sit down with him and go through his career. He was beloved and admired by his teammates, his opponents and the fans. Most days, I drive by where the Polo Grounds once sat. I would hear the stories my grandfather shared of his experiences going to games in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Through my grandfather, I would hear the stories of my great-grandfather going to games in the 1910s despite living all the way in Brooklyn.

Which three YouTube sports card channels do you think more people should watch?

• Vintage Oddball Cards - Rick shows off his cards and collection. We’re similar in the players we collect. Although Rick has been doing this for far longer and has an incredible and widespread collection of different players. Truly remarkable.

• Value Vintage Cards - Like Rick, Aaron has a vast collection and he’ll surprise you with a card you’ve never seen or heard of. He’s also incredibly humble and I really appreciate that in a collector.

• THA Card Story - Matt, like myself, focus our collections on particular players. Matt focuses his collection on the Braves. In particular, he’ll pick up unique and rare Hank Aaron, Ed Mathews, Warren Spahn and many others from the historic Braves teams. He goes deep into it finding those really tough cards.

What do you think the future holds for your channel and for the hobby in general?

The hobby continues to grow. More and more collectors are either entering the hobby or returning back. More channels are being started. I just take my contributions day by day and live in the moment.

1980 Topps Football Player Profile: Harold Jackson

I started this series with the first baseball player in the 1980 Topps set (after the record-breaker cards), and since I happen to have the same card for that year’s football set, I present to you, Harold Jackson.

Jackson was born in 1946 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (where he was named an inaugural member of the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame in 2018), and went to Rowan High, graduating in 1964. He went on to attend Jackson State University in nearby Jackson, Mississippi, a well-known HBCU and a football program that has produced Hall of Famers like Walter Payton, Lem Barney, Robert Brazile and Jackie Slater. Jackson played two years for the Tigers and was named first team all-SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) both years. Along with playing football, he also ran track and was a champion sprinter. He once clocked 9.3 seconds in the 100-yard dash (for reference, the current world record is 9.07 seconds) - and according to Jackson in this 2024 interview, he ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash (at last year’s NFL Combine, Xavier Worthy set the record when he ran it in 4.21 seconds). When he was drafted in the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft in the 12th round (out of 17 total rounds) by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, Jackson was one of 11 players taken from Jackson State.

If you’ve heard about Jackson’s career with the Rams, it likely wasn’t courtesy of the 1968 season. That’s because he only appeared in two games and then, prior to the 1969 season, was traded along with defensive end John Zook to the Philadelphia Eagles for running back Izzy Lang. The Eagles got the better end of that deal, as Lang ended up with one touch from scrimmage in the 1969 season and then retired. While Zook ended up getting traded again to the Atlanta Falcons, Jackson took quickly to Philadelphia, leading the NFL in receiving yards that year and being named to the Pro Bowl, the first of two times with the Eagles (the other season being 1972, when he was also named second-team All Pro).

Prior to the 1973 season, Jackson was traded again, but this time back to the Rams (with running back Tony Baker and three draft picks) in exchange for quarterback Roman Gabriel, who went on to be named Comeback Player of the Year. Jackson, meanwhile, only tallied 40 receptions in 14 games, but made them count. He scored 13 touchdowns and gained 874 yards, being named to the Pro Bowl again, earning first-team All Pro and finishing second in the MVP vote to 2,000-yard rusher O.J. Simpson. Jackson had an especially memorable game against the eventual NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys in week 5, as he grabbed seven balls for 238 yards and found the end zone four times - scoring all four touchdowns in the first half.

Jackson continued to play with the Rams for the next four seasons, totaling more than 2,700 yards on a run-heavy team and being named to two more Pro Bowls. While the Rams won the NFC West every year from 1973-77, they didn’t reach the Super Bowl because they had the misfortune of playing in the same conference as the Purple People Eaters (the Minnesota Vikings) and America’s Team (the Dallas Cowboys).

Following the 1977 season, Jackson was again traded, this time to the New England Patriots, where for four years he would pair with wideout Stanley Morgan to wreak havoc on opposing secondaries. Morgan averaged more than 20 yards per catch each season, with Jackson doing so the first three seasons, including his third and final 1,000-yard season in 1979. The Patriots had winning records each of the first three seasons Jackson was there but only managed one (losing) playoff game, then the bottom fell out, as they finished 2-14 in 1981.

Jackson, who impressively accomplished a 1970s NFL receiving triple crown (the most receptions with 432, the most receiving yards with 7,724, and the most receiving touchdowns with 61), was now at the tail-end of his career. In 1982, he played (in only one game) with the Vikings, then finished his career in 1983 with the Seattle Seahawks. Upon his retirement, he had 10,372 receiving yards, which at that point placed him second to Don Maynard in pro football history, and even though he’s a member of both the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Black College Football Hall of Fame, he has yet to hear from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his playing days ended, Jackson stayed connected to the game, coaching receivers with the Patriots (‘85-’89), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (‘92-’93) and New Orleans Saints (‘97-’99). He also coached in the Arena Football League, the United Football League, and for various college football teams, including as head coach with his alma mater for a season and a half from 2014-15. As of 2021, he was retired and living in Los Angeles with his wife.