Hero, Role Model, & Friend

Happy Father's Day to all of the card collecting fathers out there!  This post has been in the works for several weeks now as I finally get a chance to show off some eBay purchases related to my personal hero: Papa Fuji.

However before we get to them, let's show off my Sunday Sort:

This morning I opened up over fifteen packages ranging from PWE's to bubble mailers.

Some of these were eBay purchases, but the majority are care packages from fellow bloggers.  I've sorted them by date.  The oldest is a padded envelope from Dennis (over at Too Many Verlanders) that back to last December.  Not included in this photo are three packages from Rod (over at Padrographs).  The plan is to blog about these care packages over the next few weeks.

Okay... let's get back to Pops.  Back in 2022, my father and I spent a few hours hanging out over the hill on the Pacific Coast Highway.  One of our stops was at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse:

2025 Topps A&G Light The Night Mini #LTN-6

Last year, Topps included it in their Light The Night insert set and I've been targeting a copy ever since.  I honestly was hoping to find one in a card show quarter or dollar bin, but I eventually gave in and paid $2.50 (+ 25¢ tax) for this mini on eBay.

Here are two more photos from our trip:

Another card I purchased with my father in mind was this card commemorating Super Bowl I:

1977 Fleer Teams in Action #57

On Sunday, January 15th, 1967... the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in front of 61,946 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  My parents were two of those fans.

They had recently moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Southern California and were big Green Bay Packers fans.  As you might have guessed, they're the reason I'm a Packers fan.

They eventually became San Francisco 49ers fans when they moved to the Bay Area a few years later.  They were season ticket holders during the 70's, when this guy was still running the offense:

1997 Upper Deck Legends Auto #AL-81

John Brodie was one of the guys my father enjoyed reminiscing about.  So when he passed away earlier in the year, I wanted to add an autographed card featuring him with the 49ers to my collection.

Two weeks ago, this card was featured in an eBay auction and I was the highest bidder at $16.32 (+ $6.62 tax & shipping).

Love ya Pops!  Thank you for being such an amazing father, role model, and friend.  I hope you're enjoying your special day with Mama.  Miss you both.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #182b: Saving the Best for Last

One flea market vendor has single handedly made 2025 my greatest year in regards to flea market finds.  Here's a breakdown of my purchases from him earlier in the year:

March:  1982 Sports Illustrated mini posters

April:  1976 Laughlin Diamond Jubilee set & 1984-85 Star Court Kings basketball set

June:  1974 Laughlin Old Time Black Stars set, 1984 Slurpee cups, & 1978 Olde Cards Halsey Hall Recalls set

July:  1982 Donruss baseball set, 1983 Donruss baseball set, 1983 Fleer baseball set, & 1983 Topps baseball set

After July, he didn't set up anymore.  Another flea market vendor bought out the remainder of his inventory and the deals disappeared.

Fast forward to last Saturday.  I stumbled across the vendor who bought the collection.  He had some really cool stuff including vintage hall of famers, 80's oddballs, and even a 1983 O-Pee-Chee baseball set.  Unfortunately his prices were high, so I continued on my merry way.

After I purchased the vintage hockey binder and walking down the final row of the flea market, I made a beeline towards my car passing through a couple of rows.  I was probably only 100ft. from my car when I saw Bill, the guy who had sold me all of those cool oddballs and sets.

He was hanging out with his buddy and only had one item on his friend's table:

I couldn't believe my eyes.  After saying hello and exchanging pleasantries... I asked how much he wanted for the box of sets.

Purchase #4:  Collection of 80's Traded & Update Sets  $120

He asked if I'd give him $120 and I told him if they were complete, we had a deal.  I immediately opened up the 1984 Fleer Update set:

I quickly flipped through it while we talked about his upcoming move to Arkansas and the two big cards were in there:

1984 Fleer Update #U-93

1984 Fleer Update #U-27

I carefully put everything back into the box and moved on to the 1982 Topps Traded.  But before we check that out, here's a look at the entire set laid out on my office floor:

I ended up sleeving every card, put the key rookies and hall of famers in Card Saver II's, and stored all of it in a 400ct. box:

I never, ever, ever imagined a situation where I would own this set, but now I do.

Next up was the 1982 Topps Traded:

1982 Topps Traded Set

The box was slightly damaged, but the key card isn't too bad:

1982 Topps Traded #98T

The Ripken has a printing dot near his elbow and if you look close enough there's some edge issues.  But thankfully this wasn't one of the cards with a damaged corner.

As soon as I saw the Ripken, I slid everything back into the box.  Here's a photo of the complete set:

If you look carefully, you'll notice that six or seven cards have damaged corners.  For $120... that's something I could live with.

As I began to pull out the six twenty dollar bills out of my wallet, he asked me if I would be willing to pay $150 instead.  I knew in my heart that this was a great price too.  But I was down to around $140, so I asked if he'd be willing to accept the price based on a coin flip.  If he won, I'd have to go down to 7-11, pull out some cash, and give him $150.  I he lost, he'd accept the original offer.

He laughed and said it was a deal.  I flipped the coin, he called "tails", and I handed over the $120.

When I got home, I took a closer look at the remaining six sets...

1981 Topps Traded Set

This set's biggest issues were centering and some printing defects, but luckily I already have a copy for my Topps Traded binder.  It'll be paired with my 1981 Topps set.

Here's a look at the two key rookie cards:

1981 Topps Traded #816

1981 Topps Traded #850

1983 Topps Traded Set

This set is probably best known for having one of Darryl Strawberry's first cards:

1983 Topps Traded #108T

It might not be a super valuable set, but like the 1982 Topps Traded set, I needed it for my binder project.

1984 Topps Traded Set

This set was sealed and I already had a copy for the binder, so I didn't bother opening it up.  Like the 1981 Traded set, I will pair this one with the flagship set.

1985 Topps Traded Set

I was surprised to see that I needed this set, because I used to own it when I was a kid.  This is probably the cheapest set in the lot.  Here are the two cards I deemed scan worthy:

1985 Topps Traded #24T

1985 Topps Traded #49T

And rounding out the lot were the 1985 and 1986 Fleer Update sets...

1985 Fleer Update Set

Like the Topps Traded, the two cards I thought were the coolest were the Vince Coleman rookie card and Rickey with his new team:

1985 Fleer Update #U-28

1985 Fleer Update #U-51

1986 Fleer Update Set

This set contains Barry's first Fleer card, but Canseco had a card in the flagship set.  Only this time around he didn't have to share his card with Eric Plunk:

1986 Fleer Update #U-14

1986 Fleer Update #U-20

Both of these sets were new additions to my collection.  I owned 1986 Fleer Update set when I was a kid, but I must have broken it up when I sold my collection in the early aughts.  At this point, I don't have any plans to create an 80's Fleer Update binder, but if I ever do... I only need the 1988 and 1989 sets.

As for my Topps Traded binder project, this purchase got me three steps closer to completing my run.  The only set I need is the 1987 Topps Traded which is readily available.  I actually thought I had it sitting in my collection, but when I inventoried everything a few years ago I couldn't find it.

Anyways... this wraps up my big flea market find from last weekend.  It cost me most of the money I brought, but it was well worth it.

The down side is the gentleman who has sold me all of the cool sets is moving to Arkansas, so I won't be buying anymore stuff off of him.  But the stuff he sold me this year has definitely made a huge impact on my collection.

Thank you Bill!  Enjoy your retirement.

As for everyone else, thanks for taking the time to read this post.  There's no flea market this weekend, but I'm planning to go to De Anza in two weeks.

Until then...

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Big Day, Big Sign

It's officially here.  The first day of the school year with warm bodies filling up seats.  That means going over the class syllabus, the school rules, and introducing my seventh graders to middle school.

It's been four weeks since I've had to talk to a classroom full of kids, so if things went as planned... I picked up a Strawberry Acai Refresher from Starbucks on my way to school.  I'm not one of those people who go on a daily basis (more like once a week), but I go enough where a few peeps working the morning crew know me.

Two of them are former students and one them happens to be a huge A's fan.  Last week, he left a special note on my cup and I figured it was a good opportunity to bust out my wallet card.  The drink sorta dwarfs the card, but I never finish all thirty ounces in one day.  It provides me with two days worth of refreshment.

Speaking of big, last week I purchased this big sign for my Oakland A's collection:

1973-74 Fleer Big Signs #NNO

According to the Beckett, these measure 12"x16" and were distributed in 1973.  However The Fleer Sticker Project, says there are two versions of the California Angels signs... so he thinks they could have been released in 1974 as well.

By the way... the sign is a tad bit smaller than what Beckett states.  I busted out my ruler and it measures 7.75"x11.5".  Anyways... this is an item I've been eyeing for awhile now and a vendor on eBay sent me a reasonable offer ($12.80 + $3.37 tax & shipping), so I accepted.

Well that's it for today.  When this post is published, I'll be in front of my first period class.  Hopefully things go smoothly.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #177: Stuff from the 70's, 80's, and 90's

It's official.  I'm finally caught up on writing flea market posts.  Perfect timing too, because in a few days I'll be heading out to the De Anza Flea Market in hopes of finding some hidden treasures.

In the meantime, here's what I picked up two Saturdays ago at the Branham Flea Market.

Purchase #1:  80's Baseball Sets  $100

Remember the guy with the Laughlin sets?  Well... he was back again.  Sadly he didn't have any 70's oddball issues this time around.  But he did bring a few 80's sets.  I picked out these four:

First up is a 1983 Donruss factory set:

1983 Donruss Factory Set

This was the first set I noticed (he had these sets spread out over a few tables).  Although they aren't rare by any means... it's not really something I come across at the flea market on a regular basis.

He also had a 1982 Donruss factory set: 

1982 Donruss Factory Set

Not sure if Donruss released the 1982 sets in cellophane packs (like the other 1983 set above), but this one didn't come with any.  The set was in order though, so it was easy to check for the Ripken:

1982 Donruss #405

The centering is terrible, but I'm happy to add this set to my collection of 80's sets.  Speaking of centering, the key rookie cards in the next set are really clean:

1983 Topps Set

This is one of my all-time favorite sets.  I love the design... and it contains the rookie card of my favorite player:

1983 Topps #83

1983 Topps #482

1983 Topps #498

And rounding out the trifecta of 1983 flagship sets is the Fleer set:

1983 Fleer Set

Unfortunately when I got home, I discovered this set was missing two cards.  Plus Joaquin Andujar (card #1) was sun damaged.  I already ordered all three cards on Sportlots, but it might take a few weeks for them to arrive.

In the meantime, check out the Big Three:

1983 Fleer #179

1983 Fleer #360

1983 Fleer #507

There was another guy who came along and showed an interest in these sets, but the vendor said he'd give me first dibs since I've bought a bunch of stuff from him this year.  He was looking to get $40 for the Topps set and $30 each for the others.  I asked him if he'd take $100 for the quartet and he accepted.

After I paid for these sets, I hung out at his booth.  We talked about him moving soon and him heading out to Arkansas.  We also talked about each of our hobby histories and why he was getting rid of his stuff.  I also found two more sets...

Purchase #2:  More Baseball Sets  $20

1986 Sportflics Decade Greats Factory Set

This is a set that I have been actively seeking for over a decade.  The box wasn't sealed and was in pretty rough shape, but I still wanted it.

I know Sportflics aren't super popular, but they hold a lot of nostalgic value for me.  I never owned this set, but I opened a lot of 1986 Sportflics packs and owned the Rookies factory set.

This set covers the best players from the 1940's to the 1980's.  Here's what the cards look like:

1986 Sportflics Decade Greats #28

These lenticular cards feature three images for the price of one:

It's the trademark characteristic of 80's Sportflics cards.  But the card backs were pretty cool too:

Check out how much information they packed onto the back of this card.  Plus it's so colorful!  They only downside is they sacrificed the athlete's career stats and focused on a specific decade (hence the name of the set).

In addition to the 75 player cards, they also included 51 trivia cards:

1986 Sportflics Decades Greats Trivia Card #32

Okay... enough Sportflics talk.  Here's the other set I grabbed:

1993 Gatorade Detroit Tigers Set

I've never seen this set before, but according to TCDB it sounds like these were handed out as a stadium giveaway.

I thought about opening this set up and pulling singles for my binders (player collections).  I'm going to keep it sealed for now though.

As for the purchase price, there wasn't any negotiation this time around.  Like I said... I really wanted this Sportflics set... and his twenty dollar asking price seemed fair.

Okay.  I've rambled on way too much and we're only through the first two purchases.  It's time to speed up the process...

Purchase #3:  Sega Genesis Game  $15

1993 EA Sports Tony LaRussa Baseball (Sega Genesis)

My streak of picking up new (in package) 90's media continues.  This time it comes in the form of a video game.

While most of my buddies were SNES fanboys in the early 90's... I was a Genesis guy.  Never owned this particular game, but figured it would look cool on my A's shelf.

Purchase #4:  Three for a Buck Singles  $4

Back in May, I bought some cards off of a guy with 3 for $1 boxes.  He was back.  Here's what I picked up: 

You know how much I enjoy Star Wars and shiny cards.  I also found a huge stack of Jackass cards, but only grabbed the Tony Hawk.

He also had two unopened packs of Sport Kings.  I'm still searching for the Richard Petty card for my set build.  How cool would it be to pull one from these packs?

Purchase #5:  80's Wax Pack  $2

1981 Topps Raiders of the Lost Ark

Found this pack sitting in a bin with a bunch of non-sport Junk Wax Era packs and figured I'd save it.

I'll have to see if I already have one for my unopened wax pack collection.  If I do, I'll crack it open on a rainy day when I need some blog fodder.

The guy who sold me this pack, also had some random 80's team sets...

Purchase #6:  Yankees Team Set  $5

1985 Topps & Topps Traded

There were a handful of singles I needed in my 80's base card binder, but the key to this purchase was this card:

1985 Topps Traded #49T

I needed this for my Topps flagship base card run of Rickey.  I was hoping to find this card in a dollar bin, but I got tired of waiting.

Purchase #7:  Vintage Football Stamps  $10

The last purchase of the day was off of the guy I usually start with.  However the past two times he's had a group of guys digging through his boxes.  Anyways... I ended the day by grabbing these two vintage packs of NFL stamps:

1972 Sunoco NFL Action Stamps

Each pack contains 9 stamps.  At the time, I figured this was a killer deal.  How often do you find unopened packs from 1972 for $5 each?  The answer is... anytime you want.  They're listed on eBay for this price or even cheaper.  Oh well... win some, lose some.

Hopefully I'll find some winners on Saturday at De Anza.  Either way... I'll show off my finds sometime next week.

Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!