Sunday, May 12, 2019

Cardboard Memories and my Mom

This will be one of those short and sweet posts.  It's dedicated to my wonderful mother who played a significant role in shaping me into the person I am today.  Here are a few cards that remind me of her...

Card #1: 1977 Topps Star Wars #260


1977 Topps Star Wars were the first packs of trading cards I remember opening.  It's been over forty years, but I can still remember going to the Dobashi Market in San Jose's Japantown and bugging my parents to buy me packs whenever we shopped there.


Card #21981 Fleer #574


A few years later, my parents took me to Seattle to visit my cousin who was attending UW.  It was on that trip that my parents purchased my very first complete set of baseball cards.  I'd sit down, sort, and resort that 1981 Fleer baseball set over and over.  


Card #31987 Topps #320


Last, but certainly not least is the 1987 Topps set.  If I had to guess, I opened at least 10, maybe 15 boxes of this product back in the day.  My mom would take me to Costco/Price Club a few times each month and each time we'd buy a few boxes of this stuff.

I feel truly blessed that my mom supported me and my passion for collecting cards, but that's just the tip of the icebergMy mom was always there for me, my siblings, and my father.  I will forever be grateful for all of the sacrifices she made for us.  Thank you Mom!  I love you and miss you so much.

Happy Mother's Day and sayonara!

11 comments:

Jeremya1um said...

Glad you have good memories of your mom that you can associate with cards, Fuji. Sending you good thoughts today.

Chris P said...

Mother's Day is never easy when you've lost your mom. This is our 3rd Mother's Day without my Grandma (my mom's mom) and it's definitely a hard day to go through, especially for my mom. Remembering the good times though definitely helps. Hope you're doing ok Fuji! Thoughts and prayers with you and your family always!

The Lost Collector said...

Very nice tribute, Fuji.

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

I miss my mom too (always will- she was my rock). This is my 4th year without her. My first one was really tough as she had just passed weeks before, so I feel you Mark. My mom and I loved yard sales and when I was younger Bingo. Prayers are with you.

acrackedbat said...

Your Mom was a special lady, Fuj. Thanks for sharing her with us.

SumoMenkoMan said...

So awesome that she supported you and your hobby. A great Mom!

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

40 years... Time flies, right? Very cool memories!

Jon said...

Japantown? I've heard of, and been to, Chinatown's, but I've never of a Japantown before! Is that one in San Jose still there? And if so, has it changed since you were a kid (I'm guessing that it has)?

Matt said...

Great read!

Henry Blanchette said...

I love the stories behind each of these cards. The Henderson from '81 Fleer, in particular, is a true standout. Great post.

Fuji said...

jeremya1um - thanks. doubt i'd be collecting if it wasn't for her.

chris p - overall i've been pretty good, but mother's day was rough. like you said... mother's day from here on out will probably be tough for at least a few years

the lost collector - thanks aj. i wanna believe she read this post, so she knows how important both her and cards are to me.

johnnys trading spot - thanks john. that's really cool that you guys would go to yard sales together. i never got her to go with me to one of my flea markets, but we did hit the casinos a lot together

acrackedbat - thanks for reading and supporting the blog :)

sumomenkoman - couldn't have asked for a more caring and supporting mom. not gonna lie... i was very lucky.

steve at 1975baseballcards.com - seriously. can't slow down time ;)

jon - yeah, we still have the same japantown my parents would take me when i was a kid. the restaurants have changed here and there and dobashi market is now nijiya market. and there's been construction where they've built townhomes and condos. but the general layout of japantown has stayed the same

parts of my past - thank you sir

henry blanchette - thanks henry. 81f is pretty special to me. i bought 4+ boxes of that stuff and built it the old fashioned way.