So here goes nothing...
Three weekends ago, I attended my first card show in more than six months and it was pretty awesome. The show takes place three times a year and there's around twelve to fifteen card dealers scattered throughout the mall. Most of the remaining vendors sell toys, comic books, or video games, which is why it's considered more of a collectibles show, than a card show.
But that's okay, because I find all of those kinds of things entertaining when I'm finished digging through dime boxes. The rest of the time I just enjoy hanging out with my friends and talking shop.
One of the first guys I ran into was Brady who runs St. Louis Cardinals' Cardboard. After chatting for a few minutes, we headed over to one of the regular venders who is known for having a huge selection of cards. The first we dove into were the $3 "hits" bin.
Purchase #1: Three Dollar Box $9
I pulled out a small stack of stuff, while keeping an eye out for Cardinals cards for Brady. When it came down to pulling out my wallet, I ended up putting most of the cards back and grabbed these three:
I'm a sucker for these late 90's/early 2000's Fleer Greats of the Game autographs. They're on-card and feature some of the franchise fan favorites you don't see too often. I came close to throwing them back into the bin, but figured I might not see these again at this price.
Purchase #2: Craig's Bargain Bin (Part 1) $2
Afterwards, I immediately walked over to Craig's other tables, which must had been a collection he recently purchased. There were ten to fifteen super monster boxes filled with stuff he was trying to dump. To help speed up the process he was selling everything 90% off the sticker price. Plus he was willing to round down, so if a card was marked $15, he'd sell it to you for a buck.
Unfortunately most of the stuff was outrageously priced, but I did manage to find these bargains:
These eight cards weren't marked, so he sold them to me for a quarter each. How often do you find a vintage Frank Robinson for 25¢?
1962 Post #122
I was also happy to grab this serial numbered card (#'d 01/15) of Greg Maddux for a shiny quarter:
2004 Diamond Kings Hawaii Trade Conference Parallel #156
Technically I purchased all thirteen cards from Craig at the same time, but I figured it was easier to explain the prices by separating it into two purchases. These five cards were all in top loaders with prices ranging from $10 to $17, which essentially meant they were a buck each.
1995 Leaf Gold Leaf Stars #9 (#'d 00370/10000)
1996 Select Certified Interleague Preview #2
2003 Topps Gallery Currency Connection #KS
1997 Topps Team Timber #TT5
And finally the biggie...
1974 Topps #456
Have we really gotten to the point where Dave Winfield rookie cards sell for a buck?
Obviously I was pretty pumped to obtain this card for 100 pennies. But seriously... even in this poor condition, I kinda feel like it's a sad day in our hobby's history.
By the way... if you're thinking that this might be a fluke... wait until you see my Flea Market Find post on Thursday.
Purchase #4: Dollar Bin $9
I don't really follow basketball anymore, but it's hard for me to walk away from dollar relic cards of guys who may one day find their way into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Well there you have it. I feel like I'm a new and improved collector. It's not often I'm able to walk into a card show and leave with most of my cash still in my pocket. But that's what happens when you have a plan and stick to it. I'm a little disappointed to not find a 1984 Fleer Update Clemens or a 1973 Topps baseball set, but I think there's a good chance I'll be able to find at least one of them at the TriStar Collectors Show in April.
Until then...
Happy Tuesday and sayonara!
21 comments:
Man, you always come home with the best loot. If I'm ever out that way I'm gonna have to go to a show with you. Those SI/Greats autos are beautiful, the 90s inserts are awesome as usual, and the Winfield was a steal!
When I saw the Greats of the Game autos for $3 each i was like, dang that's a great deal. Then I saw the 25 cent cards and was like 1/15 Maddux for a quarter, that's a great deal! Then When I saw the Winfield RC for a dollar I feel out of my chair! Great deals!
That seems like a great day, not a sad one! I would have dropped $9 on those NBA cards and probably more if they had more!
Oh damn that's a good haul. I need to get to a card show so badly. You say this one takes place three times a year? Is one of them in the summer perhaps?
I think you did pretty well for not that many tables. I won't tell you how much I paid for my '74 Winfield after reading that (although mine admittedly is in much better condition).
I don't have any of those Maddux cards, great deals especially on Mr. Winfield.
Nice haul Fuji! I really dig the Fleer autos but finding those vintage cards for mere couch change was an absolute steal!
It's amazing to think that you were able to get those autos for that price! Although, my favorite is the Post Frank Robinson for a quarter.
Quite a haul there! I don't think I've ever seen a Winfield rookie priced lower than about five or ten bucks. And that Bouton autograph is a real beauty!
Way to stick with your plan. I’m jealous you got to go! Looking forward to the next post for sure!!
Nice haul. Great deal on the Winfield.. I pulled mine from a pack in 74. Packs were 10 cents for t0 cards. So I guess I got mine for a penny .
So great to see ya. I am way behind in posting from the show-the Maddox DK HI card is fantastic as is the Sasaki. I have a Renteria one which is cool as heck. $3 for the SI and Fleer autos is a very good price. Looks like you did alright by Craig
You did well! Love the Winfield for a buck. Well done.
Diamond Kings must have about 30,000 parallels. I swear I see a new one every week. Congrats on some nice deals. GOTG autos for $3 is a must buy.
Greats!!! Passing those up would have been sad! I miss mall cards shows. Heck, I miss malls in general, when they had shows and bookstores!
You really got a lot of great cards here for some reasonable prices. I have to learn to have card show success like this!
For a second there, I thought I was reading Nick's blog.
Those Basketball relics @ $1 a piece are a sight to behold, my wife collects rectangular cardboard Basket Makers and I would be delighted to trade in your favor for the Dirk or Wade if you're so inclined? I think it's safe to say that you have achieved the rank of Master Collector.
Dang...I need to go card show shopping with you! Awesome bargains.
I found a dealer with a whole box of the regular SI Greats set one time at Chantilly. I picked out my PC guys, but should have pulled a whole set. Boxes of that stuff are three crooked numbers.
If we trade later and you're short, you can throw in the Wall relic. I don't do much hoops, but may sometime put a swatch team set together of my local Wiz.
Dennis - Yes sir. Serramonte takes place 3x a year... and remember there's at least one flea market each weekend.
Daniel W. - Brady picked up a few too. Pretty sure he got a Ron Cey autograph for that price.
Billy K. - Sad in the sense that an iconic vintage rookie card of a hall of famer can now be found for a buck. They did. I only grabbed guys I think have a chance to make the hall of fame.
Nick V. - Yup. June 23-24 and September 22-23. Let me know if you end up going.
night owl - If you think this one was bad... the one I grabbed a week later was worse.
John M. - The two $1 inserts weren't that great of a bargain, but I needed them. I was really stoked to grab the Hawaii Trade card though.
Adam S. - Me too. I really didn't want to spend money, but when it came time to putting them back in the box... I just couldn't do it.
Jon - Yeah. That Frank was a key find. It's not in great shape, but it's hard to complain for the price.
Nick - Thanks. That means a lot... since you're the king of the bargain bins. If you can believe it, I actually found another one for the same price the following week.
SumoMenkoMan - Thanks. I'm glad I was able to stick to my plan as well. Although, I wasn't exactly able to stick to my monthly budget.
Mark H. - Jackpot! Plus I'm sure yours is in much better condition and the fact that you pulled it makes it priceless.
B Man - Do you need the Sasaki? I think I discovered it was a duplicate. Let me know and I'll bring it to TriStar for you.
TLC - Thank you kind sir.
Matthew Scott - I know. I actually had to do some detective work on the Maris and Maddux. They're both numbered to 10, but Beckett list the Hawaii Trade Conference parallels as numbered to 15. Honestly... I don't know what I have, but it's a new card for the Maddux PC.
Julie - I miss the mall bookstore as well. There's one near my work, but I hate going to that mall, because I run into students. All the others in my area have closed down.
Peter K. - Not sure there's much to learn. I've gone a few years without finding really good deals. It just happened that Craig was liquidating a collection. Right place, right time.
Adam K. - Lol. I know, right?
xavier higgins - I secretly collect Dirk, but the Wade is yours. Email me your address and I'll ship it your way in a PWE.
Commish - Come out to the Bay Area. You, Nick V., Brady, Mr. Havenkamp, and I can hang out and talk cards.
GCA - Email me your address and I'll ship out the Wall.
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