I'm not sure many collectors can say they have... but Ryan also known as SumoMenkoMan crossed that off of his hobby bucketlist when he flew into the Bay Area last Saturday. Now that's some serious dedication... and I'm glad he did, because his visit was like a mini-vacation from the real world.
And just like Santa Claus, he came bearing gifts...
1977 Topps Cloth #4
1977 Topps Cloth #50
I've said it before... and I'll say it again. I love vintage oddball issues and these two Topps Cloth stickers are no exception. Both of these cards are in excellent condition... and although they feature the same photos as their standard 1977 Topps base cards, Topps decided to zoom in on Washington for this test issue.
He also hooked me up with a bunch of 1974 Yamakatsu Bruce Lee cards:
I look forward to adding these to my Japanese card binder. In the meantime, they remain housed in the little folder he included:
These weren't the only Japanese cards in the care package. He also gave me some 1991 BBM baseball cards and a box filled with Initial D gaming cards:
Initial D is a Japanese anime about street racing. Ryan told me about it a few months ago. I've only watched a couple of episodes on Hulu, but maybe I'll try binge watching it over one of my breaks.
Last... but certainly not least... is this box of 2017 BBM True Heart:
I've started to rekindle my interest in wrestling after seeing Asuka and Kairi Sane team up earlier in the year. I'm not sure if either of them are in this product, but Ryan did mention that there should be a few autographs hidden inside of these packs. I'm excited to tear into this box, because these ladies have fantastic looking signatures. Please stay tuned. I'll be doing a box break in the very near future.
In the meantime, I'll share a pack of cards that he bought me when we went to Teammates, which is a card shop in Carmichael (near Sacramento):
This is my first and probably the only pack of 2019 Topps Update that I'll open... unless I get lucky and find some at my local Target. It seemed like half of the pack were ASG cards, but I did pull a cool Ted Williams insert and a Mike Yastrzemski rookie card:
Thank you so much for all of this stuff Ryan! You are one dedicated collector... and I'm glad we had the chance to hang out and bond. It's just a shame that there aren't any big card shows here in California anymore. Maybe we'll luck out and the National will come back to Southern California in a few years.
Well that's it for today. I'll try to post my small card show haul on Monday. Until then...
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
10 comments:
That is a righteous sounding trip! I don't know that I'd do it. Huge respect; and great that you got some cardboard gifts!!
That is def. one for the books. (Ryan's trip)
That's a lot of traveling for such a small show! I certainly wouldn't do it, but I'm rarely motivated to go anywhere in general, so...
That's impressive! There's a great show out in the deeper suburbs an hour away from where I live -- and that's the furthest I've ever traveled for anything card related.
Wow, I thought my 5-hour round trip to a regional show was a sign of dedication, but Ryan puts me to shame!
Even though I don't watch wrestling and wouldn't know anybody in the box, I'm looking forward to your True Heart break... It just looks like it'll be fun.
They should absolutely host the National in So Cal again some day. I get that there are lots of big dealers on the East Coast, but collectors are everywhere!
I've purchased cards in NYC, Springfield, OH, Cooperstown, Chattanooga, Peoria, IL and Chicago but buying the cards wasn't the sole purpose for those trips. The farthest I've gone just for cards is probably an outer ring suburb of the Twin Cities - maybe 45 minutes away in a car.
The '77 Topps Cloth cards are nice enough as is, but combined with the Athletics' uniforms? That's an unbeatbale duo.
Wow! That's a long way to go for a card show!
peter k steinberg - ryan doesn't mess around. he's definitely in the minority.
johnnys trading spot - no doubt. glad i have it documented on my blog
jon - i lack motivation too. honestly if it weren't for ryan, i never would have gone out to that show
nick - an hour is a pretty solid trip. i go to a show that's about 50 minutes from my doorstep three times a year. and every five or six years, my buddy mike and i make the trek down to southern california. but that usually involves more than cards.
the shlabotnik report - 5 hour round trip is definitely a sign of dedication! i'm excited to bust into it too. i doubt i'll recognize anyone in the box, except for the few wrestlers i've seen on the raz blog
brian - my other buddy and i were talking about the whole dealer issue. he said a lot of it has to do with bringing all of the inventory from the east coast. i guess it's just not financially feasible.
henry blanchette - yeah... they're beautiful. i was blown away by the condition
the snorting bull - it was a pretty long trip, but i've got zero regrets. hopefully ryan doesn't either.
Great adds!
Post a Comment