Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Cox and Balls

It's Hump Day... which means it's time to show off my junk.

Jerry Coleman
TriStar Authenticated

Bay Area born.  World War II and Korean War veteran.  All-star second baseman.  4x World Series champion.  Legendary San Diego Padres radio announcer.  2005 Ford C. Frick Award winner.  

Mark McGwire
Steiner Authenticated

1984 Olympic silver medalist.  1987 American League Rookie of the Year winner.  1990 Gold Glove Award winner.  1992 home run derby winner.  1999 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award winner.  2x World Series champion.  3x Silver Slugger Award winner.  12x MLB all-star.  MLB All-Century Team member.

Bobby Cox

2010 Topps Tribute Autographed Relics #TAR-BC2

Member of Baseball Hall of Fame.  1985 American League Manager of the Year.  1995 World Series champion.  3x National League Manager of the Year.  5x National League all-star game manager.  15 first place finishes.  4th winningest manager in MLB history.  Most managerial ejections in MLB history.

And if by chance that didn't impress you... then maybe you should check out my Williams:


1999 Greats of the Game #NNO

Happy Hump Day!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Flea Market Finds #81: Cheap Vintage and Some Bobbles

When:  Sunday, April 19th
Where:  Capitol Flea Market
What:  Sports Cards, Bobbles, and Nesting Dolls
How Much?:  $25

It's getting harder and harder to find guys with vintage sports cards at the flea market.  But yesterday, I just so happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Purchase #1:  Baseball and Football Cards $8

1958 Topps #88

I was flipping through this guy's crate of Kenner SLU's when he asked me if I collected baseball cards.

1960 Topps #1

He turned around and pulled out a small box of cards he had found in a storage locker.  There were a lot of cool cards ranging from late 50's vintage to mid 90's inserts.

1960 Topps #28

He told me that he didn't really know much about cards, so I told him that sites like eBay and COMC were good places to start.

1960 Topps #420

After a few minutes, he thanked me... but told me that he wasn't really comfortable with technology and encouraged me to buy them and flip them myself.  He offered me any card in the box for $2... but if I bought more, he'd give me a better deal.


1960 Topps #445

I started sifting through the box and ended up pulling out eight cards.  There were a few more cards that I was interested in, but by this time another guy was breathing down my neck... waiting for his turn to look through the box.

1964 Philadelphia #1

I'm one of those people who feels uncomfortable when my personal bubble is breached, so I grabbed the eight cards, slid over for the guy, and handed the singles to the vendor.

1971 Topps #5

I figured he'd knock off a dollar and sell me the stack for $15... which I would have gladly paid.

1986 Topps #275

But he ended up selling them to me for a buck a piece.  I thanked him for the awesome deal.

It's not very often I stumble across vintage hall of famers at that price.


Purchase #2: 2014 San Jose Earthquakes Russian Nesting Dolls SGA $1


These were given away at last year's California Clasico which featured the San Jose Earthquakes and the Los Angeles Galaxy.


The rivalry between these two teams continues to grow with each passing year.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend last year's game.  But I went to the 2013 game and it was probably the greatest sporting event I have ever attended.

Whether or not you're a soccer fan... if you have a few minutes to spare, I encourage you to check out the highlights from this game:


Truly an epic soccer game.


Purchase #3:  Oakland Athletics Bobbles $14


I actually own both of these bobble heads already, but the price was right and I figure they'll look nice in my classroom.


The one on the left looks like one of those old school bobbles, but it's actually one of the remakes produced in the early 2000's.


The Stomper bobble is hand painted and looks amazing.  Last month, there was an eBay auction for these two bobbles that sold for $61 (+ $8.50 shipping).


Purchase #4:  1993-94 Donruss Elite Series #10 $2


It seems absurd to pay two bucks for an insert serial numbered to 10,000, but if you collected hockey cards in the early to mid 90's... then you know why I couldn't pass up this card.  Back in the day, this was one of the nicest insert sets around and this Gretzky is a huge addition to my hockey card collection.

Overall... this is one of my most memorable trips to the flea market in the past year or so.  I wouldn't exactly say that the drought is over... but adding those vintage cards and the cool Gretzky insert is a nice place to start.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Feeling Like Veruca


Yesterday at the 19th Annual San Francisco Tristar Collector's Show... I pretty much had everything I could have hoped for... friends, dime boxes, dealers with vintage cards, unopened wax, plenty of vendors, free admission... and yet, I somehow didn't leave satisfied.



I thought about it on the drive home and couldn't exactly pinpoint the issue... which bothers me even more.  However... waking up on a beautiful Sunday morning and listening to me whine isn't what you came here for.  So let's get to my purchases...

Purchase #1:  2002 Press Pass Jersey Edition #AL  $1



It's been awhile since there's been an addition to my Hawaii PC, so things looked good right out of the gate when I found this Lelie game used jersey card in a dollar bin.


Purchase #2:  Dime Box Mania $13

The same dealer also had one of the largest dime box displays I've ever seen...



Have you ever heard of Dime Box Heaven?  Well if such a thing exists, you're looking at it.  Inserts, rookies, and vintage... oh my!

I hung out at these boxes for about an hour and grabbed 131 cards:



Here are a few of my personal faves:





Purchase #3:  1987 Fleer Update Glossy Set $5



This was a total impulse buy, because I've always wanted one of these limited edition sets.  Ah... the good old days.  Remember when 75,000 factory sets was considered limited?


Purchase #4:  Prime Numbers PC Additions $15




Two new serial numbered #1's.  Paid a little more than I wanted... but at least the money went to a friend.


Purchase #5:  2000 Prism Dial-A-Stats $5



Overpriced?  Debatable.  Totally awesome?  Undeniable.

Overall... the show was pretty solid.  There were tons of vendors and people walking around.  And according to my buddy, people were actually spending money this year.

It was also nice to see some friendly faces from our blogosphere:  Brady and Mr. Haverkamp.  The latter helped me track down a 1956 Topps Ted Williams.  Unfortunately the dealer wanted $250... which was a wee bit out of my price range.

And Brady hooked me up with a pair of cards:


I always enjoy seeing cards with Maddux and Peavy featured as a Padres.  And the Matsui was one of those cards that Topps encapsulated.  Don't worry... I freed him from his plastic holding cell as soon as I got home.

Thank you Brady for the cards!  It was nice having the opportunity to hang out and catch up with you and Mr. Haverkamp.

Okay... it's time to work out my issues, because there's no way I can live my life feeling like a spoiled, little brat who doesn't get his way.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Flea Market Finds #80: Some Swell Cardboard

When:  Thursday, April 9th
Where:  Capitol Flea Market
What:  Variety of Sports Memorabilia and a View Master
How Much?: $12

The best day to attend the Capitol Flea Market is Thursday.  Not Friday.  Not Saturday.  Not even on Sunday.  It's Thursday.

Don't ask me to explain it, because I can't.  But for some reason, there are tons of vendors and plenty of shoppers too.  That's why I had last Thursday marked on my calendar for over a month.  Spring Break had arrived and there was no chance I'd miss walking around and tracking down some hidden treasures.

Unfortunately... I didn't strike gold, but I didn't walk away empty-handed either.

Purchase #1:  1990 Swell Baseball Greats Wax Box $5


There were several guys with unopened wax and factory sets.  Of course all of it ranged from 1988 Donruss to 1992 Score.  This was the only box that caught my attention.  I've seen Swell baseball cards before, but I've never actually opened a box of this stuff.

I'll save it for a rainy day, which in California might not be until next year.


Purchase #2:  Jaromir Jagr Autographed 8x10 $1


I started collecting and following hockey in the early 90's when the Sharks arrived in San Jose.  Back then Jagr was just starting his bright career.  Twenty-something years later he's done everything from win Stanley Cup Championships to lead the league in scoring.

That's why I was pretty excited to find this autographed photo in a stack of magazines.  I was even happier when the lady said I could have anything in the stack for a dollar.  Is it real?  Well since I wasn't there when the photo was signed, I can't say for sure.  But when I compared it to certified autographs of his, they look the same.  Either way... it set me back a buck.


Purchase #3:  Vintage View-Master $4


This is one of those items I plan to flip the next time I set up at the flea market.  When I saw it, I noticed the Fantasyland discs alone go for $4, so I figured I could at least double... possibly triple my money on this purchase.


Purchase #4:  Klay Thompson Bobblehead $2


This is another flea market flip item.  The Warriors are the hottest item since sliced bread in the Bay Area and these easily fetch $40 if they are new in the box.  Sadly... I don't have the box and the left leg is broken.  But a little glue will resolve that issue and I'm confident I'll still be able to get $10 to $20 for it.

Well that's it for now.  Saturday is the 19th Annual Tristar San Francisco Collectors Show at the Cow Palace.  I'll be looking for a '56 Williams or a '63 Uecker, but I'm not holding my breathe.  At the end of the day, I'll be happy if there are some quality dime boxes and quarter bins to flip through.  Either way... if I find anything, you guys will be the first to know.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Buh-bye Spring Break!  I'm going to miss you.  Thankfully... we'll always have the memories we built together over the past ten days.

One of which involves meeting and shaking the hands of famous Blues Brother... Mr. Dan Aykroyd:


Last Thursday, Mr. Aykroyd was promoting his Crystal Head Vodka at a local BevMo!.  He arrived at 2:00pm and line was at least two to three hundred people long.  Luckily my buddy and I arrived early enough to avoid the long line.  Normally... I wouldn't have been able to make it down there until at least 3 o'clock, which happened to be around the time I finally met Elwood J. Blues.

When I left... the line had probably doubled.  I can't say for sure, because I couldn't see the end of the line.  But when my buddy and I drove by two hours later, there was still a huge line outside.

Since everyone was standing in line, I was finally able to get a clear shot of The Bluesmobile:


In addition to the photo and the handshake, I also walked away with some autographs:


It's hard to see, but I had him sign a cheap harmonica I picked up earlier in the day for $7.


He also signed my Lego Ecto-1 box.  Ghostbusters is my favorite Dan Aykroyd film with Spies Like Us a very close second.  So it was a no-brainer to have him sign my Lego set.


In order to get two autographs, you had to purchase or pre-purchase a bottle of his vodka, which comes in a very cool skull bottle.  My buddy found some of the smaller bottles at another BevMo store and gave me one:


Unfortunately... the bottle is pretty tiny, so Mr. Aykroyd was only able to initial it:


Overall it was a really cool experience to be able to shake hands with a guy I grew up watching on Saturday Night Live and in movie theaters.  And to think... all of this was possible because I had the day off.

Okay... it's your turn:

Are you a fan of Dan Aykroyd?  Do you have a favorite Aykroyd film?

I look forward to reading your responses.  If I were to make a prediction... based on the people I talked to last Thursday... The Blues Brothers will probably receive the most votes.

Have a great week!  Happy Monday and sayonara!

Extra Edition!

I almost forgot to include this:



When I found out about the autograph signing, I went over to Amazon and picked up this:

1993 Playmates Coneheads
Beldar Suburban Uniform

Unfortunately the bubble was cracked and had some discoloration, so I wasn't able to get this signed  On a positive note, the seller gave me a full refund and told me to keep the figure for my troubles.  If any of you are looking for toys, you might want to check out his Amazon store:



It's nice to know customer service is still important among a lot of vendors in our world.