I turned 51 earlier this year, and I have been collecting since I was about 4 in 1974. The first book I recall owning that was my very own was the one in my avatar, Marvel Two In One #1, which my mother bought for me at the local grocery store. I read it hundreds of times and still own it, beaten up a bit, well read, with about 10 staples up and down the spine. One of my prized possessions for sure.
I started collecting GA when I was in my 30's, and the first "big" GA book I bought was Batman #28. I bought what I loved for years, which was DC and Fiction House, and then I discovered the boards somehow and started getting a real GA education from Jimjum, Skypinkblu, and so many others, and then lurking in all these threads. What a joy collecting has been. Like some others, the current pricing has forced me to buy much less these days, but oh how I love the GA books!