Card Show = Free Counseling

The GTSM Bay Area Show rolled into town again. I had been planning on going for awhile now, but after a hard week... wasn't sure if I was up to it. Well... at about 5:30 last night, I decided to get out and focus on something that brings a smile to my face: pieces of cardboard with pictures of athletes on it.

Here's a recap of what I bought...

Purchase #1: Max's 10¢ Singles - $5

I picked up a bunch of cards for my students, as well as a few cool vintage cards and 90's inserts for my PC. It's hard to complain when they're 10 pennies a piece.

Purchase #2: Max's 2 for $1 Singles - $3

These days, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are rounding out their careers... but there's no doubt that both of them will one day be enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And when they do, I'll remember to share the time I picked up a Duncan rookie year insert and a Garnett rookie card for 50¢ each.

I honestly don't have it in me to pass up 50¢ inserts of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. I just don't.

As for the other two cards, they were jersey cards of Marc Jackson & Shareef Abdur-Rahim... which you could probably care less about.

Purchase #3: Five for Five - $4

This guy had a box of cards marked 5 cards for $5, but these were the only four that caught my eye. On the left is a 1997 Stadium Club "Co-Signers" autographed card of Bobby Engram & Mickey Washington. Back in the 90's, I was a huge fan of this particular set and for a buck... I couldn't resist.

I don't exactly know what the next item is. It's some sort of silk with a soldier named George Wilson on it. Any ideas? The third card is an autograph of Rudy Gay, who is one of those guys that are "good", but not quite "good" enough.

Last, but not least is a 2010 Limited Gold Spotlight card of Adrian Peterson #'d to 25. I picked this card up strictly as trade bait for a few people I know who collect AP.

Purchase #4: $1 Bin Bonanza - $2

Okay... so David Wright had an off year and relic cards sort have lost their luster... but I'm a fan of both the player and the card set. As for the "Boomer" autograph... it was too good of a deal to pass up. The card's edges are a little rough, but it's an autograph of a 3x All-Star & an 8x Gold Glove Award Winner.

Purchase #5: A Different 10¢ Bin - $2

Last and least... I found a bunch of newer base cards of Jorge Posada, Nate Schierholtz, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Jonathan Sanchez, and other cards I thought my students might enjoy. Sorry... but there isn't much worth showing.

Overall... I consider the show a success. After sifting through various bargain bins, I left with a stack of cards which set me back a total of $17. I didn't find any key PC additions and I'm not even sure I received my money's worth.

But at least the card show motivated me to get off of my butt... & for a few hours, it helped me take my mind off of things... which is better than spending $100 to talk to a therapist ;-)

I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend. Sayonara!