30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Fever, Chills, Loss of Smell, and a Mysterious Pin


Packages are piled up in my office.  Some of them are online purchases.  Others are care packages fellow bloggers and friends have sent my way.  Hopefully none of these people are offended that I haven't opened up their generous gifts.

As many of you know... lately... I've been a little distracted with the recent passing of my father.  My immune system must have been low, because a few days later I had my first run-in with Covid.  Holy cow... this virus completely knocked me out for four days.  Fever, chills, headaches, stuffy head, an earache, loss of smell and taste, body aches, and a really nasty cough pretty much summarizes my personal experience with the infectious disease.

Thankfully... every day since Saturday has been a little better.  As I laid in bed this morning, I decided to read all of the thoughtful comments people left on my previous post.  They brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.  Thank you for those very kind words.

Getting back to those packages... I'd love to sit down, rip open, and organize all of the cards awaiting me in those boxes, bubble mailers, and PWE's.  I have the time (that's something you probably won't read on this blog again anytime soon), but not the energy.  My district says I can't go back into my classroom until Thursday, but I might be out the whole week.  I'm still very fatigued and pretty sure my students and colleagues wouldn't appreciate my obnoxious cough.

I did open up one package before climbing back into bed.  It wasn't chosen by random.  It was something I purchased the morning my father passed awayPapa Fuji wasn't a huge baseball fan.  He didn't really watch the sport growing up on the pineapple fields and by the time he came to the mainland... it just wasn't his thing.

However after doing some research a while back, I discovered a hall of fame catcher for the Athletics hit a home run on the day he was born.  I immediately checked online to see if he had any cards issued from my father's birth year.  Outside of a single and seemingly rare Exhibit card, I came up empty-handed.  I did find a pin depicting him produced by a gum company and ironically... there was an auction ending the same morning he passed away.

Here's the latest addition to my A's PC and an item that will forever be linked to my father:

1932 Orbit Gum Pins #28

Sadly there isn't a lot of information out there on these pinsDoes anyone know the story behind these?  How they were distributed?

By the way... I'm gonna start working on another blog post to address the state of the blog.  Hopefully I'll publish it this week.  We'll see how things play out with my health, work, and family stuff.

Until then... thanks again for all of the considerate and kind comments everyone wrote on my last post.  Just one more reason I'm grateful for this card community, the hobby, and this blog.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Saturday, October 21, 2023

The Final Field Trip

The past few months have been quite the whirlwind... so much that I had to access my family's Google calendar to wrap my head around when and where things took place.

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Earlier in the year, my father started having some health issues and as much as he enjoyed his independence... he accepted the reality that living in Las Vegas by himself was no longer a viable option.  

As a family, we decided to move him to the Bay Area where he'd be surrounded by his three boys and his favorite daughter-in-law.

Hukilau in SJ Japantown

It was nice seeing him on a regular basis... and having the opportunity to help him after a lifetime of him always being there for us.  Each of his children are very different, so when he hung out with us individually, he experienced different things.

Marion Panaretos Rose Garden in San Mateo

My thing was getting him out of the house and taking him on short expeditions.  We'd often walk around San Jose's Japantown and grab lunch or check out a local park, take a stroll, and smell the flowers.  He also enjoyed sitting down at Barnes and Noble with a copy of Calder Walden's Spies in front of him.

Marvel Cake in Campbell

About a month ago, his health started to decline... and the field trips evolved into short drivesTwo weekends ago... we hopped in my car and drove over to my best friend's house.  She has been taking care of her mom and hadn't had the chance to see my father in a few weeks, so we visited her.  Sadly, it was his final field trip.

Papa Fuji passed away last Sunday.  Although my siblings and I are sad to see him go, we are happy that he's finally reunited with Mama FujiRest in peace Dad.  You deserve it.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Flea Market Finds #159: Vintage, Junk Wax, and a Cool Mug

Hello there.  Sorry I haven't been very present in the card blogosphere the past few weeks.  Life happens.

I'll spare the explanations and excuses.  Most of you who check out this blog know the deal.  Let's get to the collectible stuff.

This past weekend, I hit up the De Anza Flea Market.  I planned this trip out earlier in the week and set aside a few hours in my schedule.

In recent trips, this flea market hasn't been that good.   Although it reopened after the lockdown over a year ago... it has struggled to lure both vendors and visitors... and seemed to be clinging to life.  I'm happy to report aisles were filled with collectibles and people treasure hunting.

Made a purchase within a few minutes into the walk and it involved one of my favorite things to collect...


Purchase #1Vintage Cards $5

An older gentleman I hadn't seen before had a bunch of unopened wax boxes from the early 90's.  The only thing I was remotely interested in was a box of 1990 Pro Set PGA Tour cards.  Next to them were three monster boxes with dollar packs.  One of these boxes had a bunch of cheap, pre-priced vintage in top loaders.  I ended up pulling out two cards

1964 Topps #246

I've always pictured Mota as a Dodger.  This card will be a healthy reminder that he was a Pirate too.

1956 Topps #7

I bought this card thinking #15 in the front row was Bart Starr.  It's not.  It's Paul HeldStarr was drafted in 1956, but didn't show up on a Topps card until the following season.  There are at least two hall of famers featured on this card though:  Jim Ringo and Bobby Dillon.  Possibly more.


The back features two more hall of famers names:  Don Hutson and Tony Canadeo.


Purchase #2San Francisco Postcards $5

Two rows over, there was a family with a bunch of garage sale stuff.  The father had a box of old stereoscope photos and postcards.  There were hundreds of them related to San Francisco, but I narrowed my stack down to these five:









I couldn't find any dates on these, but the guy said they were likely from the 50's or 60's... maybe even a little earlier.  His asking price was a little steep ($3 each), but thankfully he accepted my $5 counteroffer.


Purchase #3One Lone Curry Card $1

The postcard guy's son had a few stacks of cards (wrapped in rubber bands).  I found two... but this is the only one he'd let me have for a buck:

2021-22 Panini Hoops Slam #193

Like father, like son... his asking prices were a bit extreme.  Both cards I pulled were Steph cards.  He wanted $5 for one of them and $3 for this one.  After I was about to leave empty-handed, he told me he'd take my dollar for this one.


Purchase #4Pac-Man Beer Mug $3


I have way too many mugs sitting around.  Probably because I just can't say "no" to cool mugs with affordable price tags at the flea market.


Purchase #5One Lone Junk Wax Pack $5

1989 Donruss Value Pack

As I was walking down the last two rows... there was a guy with some clothes, books, and cd's laid out in rows on the ground.  I strolled down the cd aisle and saw a box with some late 80's rack packs.  All of them had at least one star showing.  There were three that stood out.  One was a 1990 Fleer with Gwynn on top.  Another was a 1989 Topps with a Nolan Ryan showing.  However the guy wouldn't budge off from his $5 per pack asking price, so I put both of those back and took home The Kid.

That'll wrap up my recent trip to the flea market.  There were actually two more purchases (a succulent and a pot) made on this trip, but I gave them to my friend's mom before writing this post.  Sorry about that succulent fans.

Thank you for those who have stuck around and continue to support the blog... even though posts are few and far between.  I actually have plenty to write about... including a pair of recent care packages... it's just a matter of finding time in my hectic schedule.  In fact... if it weren't for the extra day off this week... this post would have been written and published much, much later.

Okay... no more moaning and groaning.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

They're Just Babies, Man


When I'm working in the office... sorting and scanning cards... I like to have something playing in the background.  Sometimes it's Bob's Burgers reruns.  Other times it's music.  Just depends on my mood.

One day back in January or February... I was listening to videos on YouTube discussing Kobe Bryant's legacy.  I honestly never get tired of watching his highlights and listening people talk about his determination and passion for the sport of basketball.


On one of these videos, a 1978-79 Philadelphia 76ers Pictorial Yearbook was mentioned... that pictured Joseph "Jellybean" Bryant and his family:


Sitting in his father's lap is a very young Kobe "Bean" Bryant.  Since he was born in August of 1978, he can't be more than a few months old.

Now I'm not normally into collecting images of babies, but I thought this was a pretty cool collectible for my Kobe Bryant PC.

I immediately headed over to eBay and added it to my daily searches.  Fast forward to this summer and a BIN listing popped up for $10 (+ $5 shipping & 94¢ tax).  A few clicks of the mouse and a week of waiting to see if the picture actually existed... and voila it arrived.

In addition to the Bryant family photo, there was another future NBA player pictured as a baby:


Anyone recognize the infant sitting in his mom's lap?

Brownie points if you guessed this guy:

1998-99 Topps #196

Mike's father, Henry Bibby was Joe Bryant's teammate in Philadelphia for three seasons from 1976-77 to 1978-79.  They played together again in San Diego during the 1980-81 season.

And for those who care... here's the back cover of the yearbook:


Bibby and Bryant's 76ers reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals that season... which isn't too surprising considering they had guys like Julius Erving, Doug Collins, Maurice Cheeks, and Darryl Dawkins on the court with them.

Since basketball posts don't garner a lot of attention, I figured I'd show off a really cool card I pulled from a pack right around the time I purchased the yearbook:

2022-23 Prizm Monopoly Black Gold #73 (#'d 4/5)

I can't remember the last time I received a box of trading cards as an "end of the year" present, but one of my 7th graders hooked me up with this:


It's a box of basketball cards that doubles as playing cards for the Monopoly Prizm board game.  Normally this isn't something I'd go gaga over, but my buddy offered me a stack of singles for $5... which led me to this set build:


After placing a Sportlots order to fill in most of the blanks, I'm down to needing only these two cards to complete the base and Prizm Skills insert set.

Now I should clarify things for anyone new to this blog.  I was a big Los Angeles Lakers fan for most of my life, but after they joined other franchises in building "super teams" back in the late 2000's, my interest in them and the sport has waned.

That being said... I still love collecting Lakers and Golden State Warriors cardsReader X is my primary source of their cards these days.

Here are some basketball card highlights from his two most recent care packages:

1997-98 Collector's Choice #64

Holy moly... this card is awesome.  I wonder if Kobe made this shot... or if Marcus Camby ended up blocking it.  In the spirit of Kobe's birthday, I'm gonna choose to believe he made it.

Next up are a pair of shiny Prizms:

2022-23 Prizm Silver #276
2021-22 Prizm Red, White, & Blue #154

I will gladly inherit any unwanted Prizm and Mosaic parallels from any sport.  They are absolutely gorgeous.

And I'll wrap things ups with some 9-pocket pages of Lebron James, Steph Curry, and other big named Lakers and Warriors:



And I'll round things out with the musical inspiration for the title of this post...


Thank you TN for the box of Prizm cards.  And thank you Reader X for the stacks of Warriors and Lakers cards.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!