Historical Figures Come To Life (in 2008)

Bo from BB Cards Come To Life! saw my post about the starter for 2008 Allen & Ginter that I picked up at the beach and had some to fill holes.  One of the cool things that I like about A&G is the "other" people that are featured in the set besides the ballplayers.  Here are the non-player cards from the batch Bo sent.

Ben, Al, and Annie.  Masters of Electricity, Relativity, and Weaponry.

James, Mary, and Bram.  Wrote about Frontiersmen, Frankenstein, and fellows with fangs.

Marie, Pablo, and Claude.  Brought Radium, Cubism, and Impressionism to the public.

Harriet, Pyotr, and Friedrich.  On the forefront of Abolition, Composition, and Existentialism.

Charles, Frederick, and Davy.  Leaders of Characterization, Anti-Discrimination, and back woods Oration.

Pluto and Oscar.  For a while they stood tall, but were destined for a fall.

 

Not that Pluto and Oscar....

The one United States (flags) insert to home town face of the franchise Ryan Zimmerman.

And the rest are the (Just Short Of) Short Prints.  These are the every-other pack cards from #301 to 350. 

That's the way you do "short prints". 

Thanks again to Bo for a great selection of singles for this set!

2019 NBA Oops Bob Myers Platinum Relic

Here's another ridiculous virtual offering from another company in the tradition of the Manny Machado tablecloth relic.  We're starting 10-hour days, so I can't stay up late (I'm writing this Sunday night) and put the website page together with the four digit sale price (at least not yet).  But here's the card itself.  Platinum edition, one of one.  Offered at $7499.99

Not a knock on ol' Bob for getting choked up about putting KD in and seeing him reinjure himself.  But rather a ludicrous object to be put in a relic card.  He would never sell them the suit to begin with.

Of course, you can tell it's the Platinum version by the silver striping. 

One of these days I'll have to invest in a graphics program newer than 1996 to be able to do layering and transitions better.

Goals For The 2019 National

Got my tickets to the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, IL starting July 31.  (The 31st is the Wednesday night VIP preview.)

I've missed the last couple Nationals, mostly by choice.  Didn't have enough motivation that I really needed to go.  I've been doing so well with trades, shops and local shows, ramping it up at a National would have just been overkill.  But we (including my usual teammate Stuart) have planned to go this time.  (The show returns to Rosemont every other year.)

We get the VIP packages because we usually attend three or four days of the show.  You can't see it all (or at least shop it effectively) in a single day.  Plus, the perks of the lounge area, and the early preview night and admission each day is nice.

The free autograph tickets are good trade fodder sometimes, but I don't usually go for many autographs.  Looking over the guests who are signing this time, I really don't have any prospects that excite me.  There are a couple of my player collection guys who will be there, but I've got their signatures in some form already, and the cost (auto + inscription) - Bruce Sutter ($39+20), Carlton Fisk ($89+25), Lou Piniella ($49+20) - is a bit much.  Piniella is about as high as I'll go, but he doesn't mean enough to me to seek him out.   The VIP freebies don't really have anyone to keep me around after the sales floor opens either.

It is nice to get the promo cards from each company, especially the Fisk for my PC.  I'll end up with two sets this time.  Skipping a couple shows leaves a hole in my Nat card collection, and I have extras that I'd like to trade for some of the missing ones from the last few shows and before.

But my main goal will be cards, of course.  And most likely largely vintage.

If I can find a T205 Mathewson withing a certain range, that'll be the biggest white whale purchase I've ever made, at a National or any show.

I'll probably put a dent in my remaining 1964 Topps wants, but I don't think I'll be able to kill the set.  Still need a whole lot of big names and high numbers.

Would love to find the last two variations of my 1959 set.  Need the ones WITHOUT the "Optioned" or "Traded" lines on the back.

Other than that, my vintage needs are mostly oddball stuff like '77 Cloth Stickers (2), '75 minis, '74 Kellogg's, some upgrades to '77 Topps, and the oddball Baseball Immortals.

I can really kill it in football this time, since I've fallen into completing three consecutive sets at once.  These will be my main targets to slay at the tables.

Plus a few hockey sets too.  Any bulk vintage hockey find would be absolutely epic.  Not that I need a bulk purchase at the moment.

I'm sure I'll find tons for my player collections in all three sports.  Hope I can knock off some of my top wants as well.  Can't wait to dive in!

Are you planning to attend the National?  Would love to meet you there.

Bethany Beach Bargain

Spent the weekend visiting my best friend William in Delaware.  We tried to go fishing on his pontoon boat in the bay, but the wind and choppy seas cut that short.  Nice day for boat rides, but not for catching fish.  His crab pots did yield just over a dozen.

So Sunday, we ventured down to Bethany Beach to walk around the shops, especially Bethany Sports Cards and Collectibles.

The first two times I was in there, they had some boxes of mixed baseball, Yankees etc. that were largely late 80's & early 90's. At one point there was a huge stack of starters or sets of 90's basketball.  Didn't find much either time.

This time, though, the boxes of mixed singles were still there, but there was a good deal more.  On top of a double stack of shoeboxes that I didn't examine real closely, there were two binders.

Inside one, there was a starter set of 2008 Allen & Ginter baseball.  '08 is one of the rare years that I don't have going of A&G.

And it's not just base cards.  Starts off with a box topper and three N43's....

There are mini inserts - a couple from most all the sets, as well as the full size ones.  The majority of the "United States" state flag inserts are present.

A better look at the minis.  These I'll be building.

Flipping through the base set, it's the better part of the base, and plenty of short prints, though there are a few big ones missing, but some of the name players are there.  No Kershaw, so he's the key fugitive.

The unnumbered Fukudome was up with the couple code cards and the inserts, though!  Sweet.

Then in the back, my favorite trade fodder - the minis.  In no particular order, they're just kinda stuck in there.

A mixture of low, middle, and high numbers (beyond 300), and a mixture of backs....

With a few black borders as well.  Ol' Kaz Fukumori (???) is unnumbered too.  All the minis are available for trade.  There are two and a half pages of the regular/A&G back ones that I can list for you.

I asked the gentleman behind the counter what the pricetag would be for the binder.  He deferred me to the owner, whose number was listed on their business card.  We left the shop as I called him since William wanted to see something elsewhere.  I called and left a message with Tom the owner.

He got back to me shortly thereafter, and apparently had spoken to the guy in the shop with the price, but I had stepped away already.

He told me "There are two binders there.  Ten bucks for both."

SOLD!

The binders themselves are basically worth that!  The second binder was really just a throw in and the contents are available to anyone who is interested.

It's a 210 card set of 1991 Impel Disney cards with about double that many extras as well.  No holograms, but plenty of minty fresh cards.

The set has three sections.  The first is Favorite Stories, which appears to chronicle a lot of well-known cartoons.

The second is Family Portraits which highlights all the major characters....

And the third is World Tour, that shows the Disney favorites showcased around the globe.

Like I said, these (and the A&G minis) are available.  I'll even send the Disney cards in the sheets if you want the whole set or entire lot.  Or if you just need a few, I can split those out too.

Nice beach bargain buy, I think!  '08 A&G is now on my want list.

Collector's Log: Special Edition

Jon from Penny Sleeve wanted to know what I logged on the day he was actually born - July 17, 1982.  (Before we continue, I just have to say "Dang kids!".)

All this takes place in our townhouse development.  To get an idea of the landscape, I whipped together this primitive diagram to show where everyone lived.

They are all townhouses.  Mine was the end unit by the RV lot at the end of the street.  Just beyond that was the open field with what could be called a backstop, though I just remember it as a couple tall fence panels in the corner.  The field was just rough grass, there were no basepaths, fences, grandstands or anything.  I should go back over there and snap a photo of the ball field (if the backstop is still there) since it's close to where I work.

So at this moment in '82 we were painting and assembling model kits.  It's one of the few times Billy joined Mike and I in this endeavour.  We all traded cards and played video games and ball, but Mike and I usually did models ourselves.

But let me back up a minute.  We started at Billy Coruns' house (next to Billy Hawk's, while Billy Sohm's was at the far end.  This is why I use last names.)  I guess they tried to set up games of some kind for people in the neighborhood to come and play, but nobody showed up.  Lack of marketing will do that to you.

Then it says Mom took away my card privileges until I paid my debts!  No idea what that was about, but I don't think it lasted long.  She always did teach me how to manage money very well.

So we made our usual arcade stop and then gathered some models to work on at Mike's.  Billy was always into soldiers (he later became one and fought in Desert Storm).  I can't recall what the Italian paratroopers kit looked like, but it was probably something like this:

We probably slapped some brown and green on them and called 'em done.

Have no idea what Lancia car it was either, but I'd guess it was something similar to this:

I do remember the Sneaky Pete truck.  That was mine.  A pickup with 18-wheeler features.  Don't think I put the stripe decals on it, though.  It's probably still in the bottom of my box of models in Mom's basement.  Maybe I'll dig it out and take pictures.  Though it's not one of my best or favorite models.  I have others that are much nicer.

Guess we could kinda call this Jon's truck, since they were born on the same day!

The next day was more painting etc. on models that Mike had.  Then we went out and played in the field and up at the front of the development where the courts were with Jay, who visited Hawk from time to time.

More card activities next time!

...And The Raptors Too!

Two first time champions in two days!  Very cool.

I don't follow baskeball at all, so I don't have much else to say about their win, except that it's nice that someone besides the same few teams wins it all this time.  And they did it against one of the most dominant (albeit injury-ridden) teams of the past few years.

Congratulations Raptors!

Welcome To The First Time Champions Club, St. Louis Blues!

The Blues just joined a growing group of franchises that have finally reached the pinnacle in their sport.  They followed my Capitals who did it just last year.

St. Louis Blues (NHL) 2018-19
Washington Capitals (NHL) 2017-18
Houston Astros (MLB) 2017
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) 2015-16
etc.

With a 4 - 1 victory over the Boston Bruins, the Blues get the cup.  They have been waiting as a franchise to win it all for as many years as I've been alive.  Both of us were born in 1967.

A few years ago, as I was watching hockey quite often, I developed a sense about the St. Louis team that if I didn't follow the Capitals, I could become a fan of theirs.  They aren't one of those teams that the networks favor, or who lead the league in revenue streams.  They're a (pardon the pun) blue-collar team even though they're in a more major market.  There are some decent stars in their lineup, but the Penguins, Sharks, Bruins, Flyers, Blackhawks, and even the Capitals tend to overshadow St. Louis in the headlines and highlights.

Part of my inspiration came back then from a game I saw when they played the Red Wings and were wearing their cool third jerseys.  Unfortunately, they stopped using them in 2016 according to my research when finding the above photo.  The game was unforgettable in that the whole time, both teams just fluidly passed and handled the puck.  Back and forth from end to end, it was the most graceful and highly skilled game I'd ever seen.  There weren't many stoppages, just free flowing possessions by both teams.  I don't even remember who won.

Anyway, I'm so happy that the Blues hoisted the Cup tonight.  I don't intensely hate the Bruins, but it's nice to see someone else besides the Boston or New York teams win for a change.  And like I said, I'm kind of a fan....of good hockey, and this team in particular.

Collector's Log: Stardate 198207.13

I'm a month or so ahead in the collecting chronicle of 1982.  But this entry is timely to the present day.

My grand total of 8679 back then yields a net gain of six digits compared to my current subtotal, and that's not quite half way there.  Only 73 football cards in five months is a really slow period the way I roll now.  Of course, the available product and my personal resources are vastly increased as well.

Another historical note - I put this up on my wall to enjoy for many years....

This isn't mine, but it's the best image I could find of the original on the interwebs.  I still have my copy rolled up around here somewhere.

Here's a rare trade with the Johnson brothers who lived a couple houses over from my dad's house.  I don't really remember them being into cards, but I got some nice ones.

 

And I'm pretty sure that this one....

....turned into this a few years down the line.

The "case" I got should be one of the first ones of these that I still use for bulk Redskins.

And while the National league was winning the All-Star game, I sorted all my baseball by teams and put them in the cases starting with the Orioles.  I imagine I kept factory sets of Donruss and Fleer separate, so just the Topps cards were broken down this way.

So, space permitting, each team would occupy slots in the case like this:

'82 Topps Orioles
'81 Topps Orioles
'80 Topps Orioles
older Orioles
'82 Topps Dodgers
etc.

You can watch the whole game here, or click below for the highlights (on a rebroadcast by MLB network).   Something cool to sort your stuff by.  I had five PC guys in the game, how about you?