Flea Market Finds #163: 70's Wax, Set Help, & a Starter Set

My best friend describes me as a delicate flower that wilts with the heat.  Although I don't appreciate her choice of words, she's not wrong.  I hate hot weather and right now we're in the midst of an extended heat wave.

Luckily... it cools off at night and the temperatures are within my comfort zone until around 8am.  So on Saturday, I hopped in my car and walked around the De Anza Flea Market.

I wasn't expecting large crowds due to the holiday weekend and the heat, but I was wrong.  There were tons of people and vendors.  The more the merrier, I guess.  Right off the bat, I found people with cards.

Purchase #1:  Three's Company Packs $10

Most of it was the usual overpriced Junk Wax Era stuff, but then I came across a guy with this small bag of packs:

He wanted $2 per pack, so I offered him $10 for the lot and he accepted.  Unfortunately when I got home, I discovered the Jaws 2 and Mork & Mindy packs were already opened.

The three Three's Company packs appeared to be sealed... but they could have been opened and resealed.  The good news is my buddy is building the 1978 Topps Mork & Mindy set, so hopefully I'll be able to help him out.

Purchase #2:  Vintage Comic Books $2

Blondie #198 (May 1972)

Beetle Bailey #106 (July 1974)

Like dime boxes at card shows, I have a hard time walking away from dollar comic boxes at flea markets.  This guy had three short boxes filled with stuff from the 90's, but there was a small section of older issues.  These two were in really nice condition, so I grabbed them.

Purchase #3:  1982 Kellogg's Lot $6

About halfway into the flea market, I came across a vendor with this display case:

The best way to describe this photo is eye candy.   I was super excited to see singles for my 1982 Kellogg's set build.

I found these nine cards in his dollar stack:

I'm too much of a bargain hunter to spend a buck on commons from this set, but he told me beforehand that he'd work with me on the price.

Now I'm down to only needing seven hall of famers and the MLB Hit King:

The vendor actually had a few of these hall of famers, but not ready to dish out $3 each for guys like Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, and Jim Palmer.

Purchase #4:  Very Cool Jersey Card $10

Jersey cards are one of those things in the hobby where you either are into them or you're not.  I used to love them, but over the years they've started to lose their luster.

1997 Press Pass Game-Used Jersey #JC-1

However... this one isn't your average memorabilia card.  It's one of those old school ones.  1996 was the first year companies started slicing up jerseys and embedding the swatches into cards.  So the concept was still fresh.

This was also from an era where memorabilia cards were still tough to pull.  Beckett lists the odds of pulling one of these jersey cards at 1:612 packs.  That's why I couldn't reach for my money any faster when the vendor told me it was ten bucks.

Purchase #5:  Star Wars Stuff $17

The next purchase came from a vendor with bunch of Star Wars and Star Trek collectibles.  She had a table with a 50% off sign.  I was tempted to buy a bunch of things, but I settled on these two items.

First up was this opened box of 1993 Topps Star Wars Galaxy with a $15 price tag:

There weren't any inserts, but the box did contain a complete set... along with a solid starter set.

Next up was this box set of trade paper backs of the original trilogy:

1996 Dark Horse Classic Star Wars TPB Box Set

This was a brand new box set, but the cellophane was starting to tear, so I ripped it off.  Here's a look at the covers of each of the comics inside of the box:

I've been wanting to read the Star Wars Marvel comics from the 70's and 80's.  This doesn't contain every issue, but they do cover the stuff from the movies.

The box set had a $20 price tag, which meant she was only charging $10. She told me I could have the cards and the comics for $17, because she didn't want to deal with change.

Purchase #6:  The Trader Speaks Lot $2

I came across a guy in the second row with a small stack of The Trader Speaks issues.  If you're not familiar with them, they were a hobby publication printed from the late 60's to the early 80's.

The bulk of each issue are want ads, advertisements, and auction listings.  Honestly, they don't pack the same level of high interest reading fodder as past issues of Beckett or Tuff Stuff.  That's why I passed on them the first time around.

But later, I went back and pulled these two:

The Trader Speaks (December 1974)

The Trader Speaks (July 1978)

At a buck a piece, they're nice additions to my Oakland A's and San Diego Padres PC's.

Normally, I'd go and walk around one more time in case I missed something.  However by the time I was done with the final purchase, it was already starting to heat up.

There's another flea market in two weeks.  Hopefully the heat wave will have ended by then.

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

My buddy in Atlanta says he's dealing with high temperatures and high humidity.  That is not a good combination.  My other friend in Oregon says it's been insanely hot up in the Pacific Northwest too.

Hope things are cooler wherever you are reading this post.  Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

The Celebrity Crush Collection

For years, I was thinking that MaryAnn from Gilligan's Island was my first celebrity crush and the odds are she was.  Then a few weeks ago, I watched this:

I'm not sure if it popped up on my suggested videos or if I looked her up because one of you wrote about her... but within ten seconds of watching the opening to The Mary Tyler Moore Show... I started having flashbacks from my childhood.

2012 Press Pass Essential Elvis Signatures Gold #ES-MTM (#'d 19/90)

Most of the lyrics had slipped my mind, but I remember the tune like I remember my mother's voice.  There was also the twirl she does at the very end and her trademark smile that reminded me of just how pretty she was to this four year old boy.

Budget cutbacks or not, I went over to eBay and found this autographed card.  I utilized the best offer feature and the seller accepted my $35 (+ $5.75 shipping + $3.24 tax) offer.  I realize this isn't a cheap autograph... but Mary passed away a few years ago and she only has a few signed cards available.

A few days earlier, I added the autograph of another celebrity crush to my collection:

2013 Topps 75th Anniversary Autographs #NNO

If this looks familiar, it's because two other bloggers have added this card to their collections recently as well:  Matt and Night Owl.

When I was growing up, Three's Company was one of my favorite shows and it still ranks up there after forty years.  And while most of my friends were gawking at Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), I was into Janet.

Before we get start moving forward on the celebrity crush timeline... I don't want to forget the 70's television version of Wonder Woman...

Signed 8x10 Photo

The pattern of brunette celebrity crushes had be established and would continue through the 80's and into the 90's:

2010 Rittenhouse Heroes Archives Autographs #NNO

Don't recognize Tamlyn?  She played Daniel-san's girlfriend in Karate Kid II.  The lines are a little blurry, but she might have been my first adolescent celebrity crush.

A few years later another Japanese celebrity came along...

2009 UD Goodwin Champions Autograph #A-YA

Can athletes be celebrity crushes?  If not... luckily Kristi had a role in D2: The Mighty Ducks.

As we head into the 2000's... my attention transferred to this beautiful Cylon...

A Baseball Card Breakdown Custom

Grace Park is one of the most attractive actresses on the planet.  That's why when I won a contest over on Gavin's blog a few years ago... I chose to have him make this custom card of her.

Looks like I've established another pattern.  Let's see if it continues...

2015 Rittenhouse Agents of SHIELD Costume Cards #CC3

Can you believe Ming-Na Wen is approaching 60?  Me either.  She's recently starred in The Mandalorian... but before she was a bounty hunter in the Star Wars Universe, she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

And just in case you're wondering, I don't discriminate.  Here are a few other celebrity crushes I've had over the years:

And no, I'm not only attracted to Asians...

2016 Topps UFC Museum Collection Archival Autographs #AA-AC

Okay... so according to Wikipedia... Arianny is part Filipino.  But she's also Mexican.

2012 Topps A&G Framed Mini Relics #AGR-KU

I've seen this card pop up on several other blogs which isn't a surprise.  Who doesn't find Justin Verlander's wife attractive?

But ultimately... I'll wrap things up with the woman who is most likely the original celebrity crush...

2012 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures #DW

Well that's the collection for now.  I'm hoping one day someone will have Phoebe Cates or Constance Wu sign cards, because I'd love to add both of these women to the collection.

Until then.... 

Do you remember your first celebrity crush?

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Overtime

Cynical Buddha's annual Super Bowl contest is up and running.  It's practically the easiest contest on the web.  Just click here to see how easy it is for yourself.  You won't regret it, I promise.

Hard Work and Deception

Size matters not.  Well... at least according to Yoda and Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.

2007 Press Pass Legends Saturday Signatures

Each year, I teach a unit on goal setting and perseverance to my students and use the movie Rudy.  For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Mr. Ruettiger was a twenty-seven year old, 5'6" guy who wanted to play for the Fighting Irish.  He worked really hard and overcame many obstacles to achieve this goal.

My students' assignment is to identify the main goal he sets for himself in addition to the steps he takes to achieve this goal.  They also break down his roadblocks and personal support system.

During the process of digging up facts for my fact vs. fiction post movie discussion, I discovered that today is the 40th anniversary of Ruettiger's big game.  On November 8th, 1975... in his only college football game appearance against Georgia Tech, he played a total of three plays... one of which ended in him sacking the quarterback.

In other sports news...

Bucky Harris is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  He played for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers in the first half of the 20th Century, but was better known for his managerial skills.

In 1924, while playing for the Senators, he also managed them to a World Series Championship.  There's a great story about he tried to outwit legendary manager John McGraw during the 7th game of the series.  You can read it here.  Harris won another title while managing the 1947 New York Yankees.

2003 Topps Gallery HOF #38

Anyways... there's a specific reason I'm featuring him in today's post.  Today is both his birthday and the anniversary of his passing.  I guess technically we all have a .27% chance of passing away on our birthday, but I thought it was interesting.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

You Gotta Have Faith

After Panini's recent debacle, I figured I'd voice my thoughts on one of my favorite things to collect: memorabilia cards.

The first time I crossed paths with a card embedded with a piece of a player's uniform was when I pulled this 1996 Press Pass Game-Used Jersey card of Ray Allen:

That year Upper Deck took the hobby by storm and inserted jersey cards in their football and hockey products.  The following year they gave baseball, basketball, and racing card collectors something to chase and included my all-time favorite player:

It took me fifteen years, but I finally added this card to my collection.  And over the years I have spent hundreds of dollars on a variety of memorabilia cards for my PC's.  Some include detailed certificates of authenticity on the backs:

While others have very vague descriptions, which leave collectors wondering what's exactly embedded in their cards:

But since most of us aren't privy to the manufacturing of these cards, it's impossible for us to truly know if the tiny swatches of fabric or pieces of equipment we collect were actually worn or used by athletes in games.  Even on the most descriptive COA's, there's still the possibility that the company is lying.  Which means that collectors are required to take a leap of faith when collecting game-used trading cards.

Up until a few years ago, I was confident that the majority of my memorabilia cards contained actual game-used swatches.  But with age, I've matured and grown wiser.

Now don't get the wrong idea.  I still enjoy pulling a relic card out of a pack.

However... outside of a few exceptions (like here or here), I refuse to spend more than a few dollars for a single memorabilia card.  I have established this rule for myself as a defense mechanism used to battle any future feelings of regret.

It's a shame that a handful of shady people have tarnished something that was once one of the coolest cardboard innovations.  I'm sure memorabilia cards will continue to be collected by many of us.

Unfortunately the doubt that has settled into many collectors' minds will never be erased.

And since I'm not the savior of memorabilia cards, I don't have the solution to this problem.  On the other hand, I have some personal things I'd like to see happen.

Let's call it my Memorabilia Card Christmas Wish List:

1.  I wish that representatives of MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, UFC, NASCAR, and other sports leagues would step up and actively participate in the production of memorabilia cards, since it puts money into their pockets and helps promote their sport.

2.  I wish each league designated a department dedicated to authenticating game-used memorabilia that would be directly handed to card manufacturers.  In other words the game-used items should go from the athlete to the league representative, then directly to the card manufacturer.  All middle men should be cut out of the loop.

3.  I wish card manufacturers stopped using event-worn memorabilia and only embedded the game-used swatches.  I understand that would probably reduce the number of memorabilia cards in each product, but personally I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

4.  I wish card manufacturers stated when and where each piece of memorabilia was used and back it up with a detailed certificate of authenticity with a money back guarantee.

But even if all of these wishes came true... the bottom line is this:  Memorabilia cards are like most religions... they require a leap of faith.

What are your thoughts on memorabilia cards?

Happy Monday and sayonara!