The card wasn't with the rest of my collection... because it used to proudly display this card in a 1/2" lucite on my desk... next to pictures of my family.
I'm not 100% sure when the card was purchased. But it was sometime in the early 80's at a local sports memorabilia store, which sold mostly jackets, lamps, stickers, pennants, and other 49ers and Raiders novelties.
However if you browsed the shop long enough... you'd stroll across a display case that had one shelf dedicated to baseball cards (and maybe a few football cards).
At this point in my life, I had already purchased or received as gifts at least one card set (1981 Fleer) and probably had a binder or two worth of cards. Those were the days when I put every A's card in a binder with those thicker plastic pages (you know the ones that faded and cracked over the years). I would also put some of the stars of the game in that binder too... while the rest went into a shoebox.
Anyways... back to the shop. It must have been just after my birthday or maybe it was Christmas... but I had a few dollars to spend so the owner "coached" me on baseball cards... especially the 75 Topps Minis. He explained how they were rarer than the regular sized cards. Unfortunately... I don't really remember his story, but I've since learned that they were only available in certain parts of the country. So... after some nudging from my mom to hurry up... I made my final decision to grab the Robin Yount rookie card.
I have no clue what I paid for it... $5? Maybe $10? The card has a few creases and isn't in the best of shape... but it was definitely the centerpiece of my collection for at least a couple of years.
Over the years the card has gone up and down in value. These days even DACardworld has unopened boxes of this stuff... so it's debatable if this stuff is even rare. But I could care less... it remains in my collection as a memory and reminds me of my youth.
What about you...
Are there any cards you keep in your collection that bring you back to your childhood? If so... which ones?
Happy hump day everyone... have a great week and thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Sayonara!
10 comments:
Definitely, I remember first starting collecting and I gravitated to Frank Thomas and I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy his Score rookie for 3 bucks. I was so proud of that card. I owned a Frank Thomas rookie card and felt on top of the world. Also getting the 89 Pro Set Troy Aikman rookie out of a pack, being a huge Cowboy fan, it was so awesome, even though Troy is in his UCLA jersey on that card. And of course my Penny Hardaway Finest rookie card, that's why I love early to mid 90s stuff the most, brings back awesome childhood memories.
No question, the '92 SkyBox Dream Team Plastic card. My dad and I went to a flea market during a family trip to Sea World. It's my fav all time card.
Great Yount card. The card that brings back memories is my 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas card. I can't believe his cards have come so far down in value. I have so many of his cards.
My 73 Schmidt/Cey/Hilton since I bought it as a kid. My 89 Sheffield Topps RC. 1995 Topps #1 Frank Thomas since it was the first card I was very psyched to get when I was collecting that set.
Oh, my god, I would love to bust open that box of '75 minis. Anyone got a spare thousand?
If you're asking what cards took me back to my childhood, '75 minis are right at the top of the list. There is nothing even close. First year I started buying cards.
Chris - I love 90's cards too. I'll admit there was a time when I was dumping them left and right... but over the years I've learned to appreciate them more and more.
Charles - I'm still looking to pick another one of these up... I never should have sold my original in the first place.
Baseball Cards Rule - Thanks for the compliment... I'm in the same boat as you... I invested quite a lot in Thomas rookies. The 1990 Leaf set is one of my favorites. I built it from busting packs back in the day when these were at peak values.
SpastikMooss - One of these days I'm going to add the Schmidt/Cey rookie card to my PC. Btw... interesting call on the 1995 Topps Thomas.
night owl - I know right... how amazing would this be to bust a box of this stuff. If I livin' large like Justin Bieber... I'd be busting a box of this stuff... and trying to build a mint condition set of 75 Topps minis.
That card would be my Dwight Evans rookie card. It was really the first time that I had spent double digits on a card as a kid, but he was (and still is) my favorite player and so I had to have it. Since then, I've picked up other copies of the card in better condition, but that first one will always be my favorite.
Offy - That's an awesome card! I'm in the process of building a special trifecta set... one that features one of the greatest outfields I've had the opportunity to watch play: Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, and Dwight Evans. So far I have the autographs and memorabilia cards... but none of their rookie cards. I'll be hunting them down at the SF TriStar show in May.
That's a good one to chase. Great players, but none of their cards are ridiculously priced. One of the cards that I've been chasing for my collection is the Dewey O-Pee-Chee rookie, but that goes for a ton of money every time that I see it. I think that I need to make a trip up to a Canadian card shop or show to try and find it.
I've been lucky enough to chat with Evans a couple of times at card shows and he's a great guy. I have some really cool Dewey memorabilia to show off once I get things a little more organized in my collectibles room. I had a chance to purchase what might have been a game used bat for $75, but it looked terrible and there wasn't any paperwork. I would have been willing to pay more with paperwork.
Offy - I'm with ya when it comes to OPC. Growing up I preferred Topps, but I've noticed that OPC is much more difficult to find and I like the paper stock more. That's another project I'm working on... an 80's OPC rookie card PC.
A game-used bat would be an excellent addition to any collection, but you're right I'd want documentation... unless the player actually gave it to you himself. Best of luck on your hunt for the Dewey OPC rookie card.
I might be taking a trip to Canada next year... if I do, I'll be hunting down OPC rookies myself. I'll try to keep you in mind... but it's over 12 months away... and my memory isn't what it used to be.
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