Friday, June 17, 2016

Another Cornerstone Card

Fifty-six years ago... Ted Williams became the fourth member of the 500 Home Run Club.


One hundred sixty days ago... I crossed another card off of my cardboard wish list when I purchased this 1956 Topps Ted Williams off of eBay for $100 (+ $6 shipping).


I'm not really in the financial position to drop triple digits on a piece of cardboard, but I'd definitely classify this card as one of my "dream" cards... and it's important to treat yourself to something special every now and then.


With that being said... it's easily one of my favorite cards in the collection... right up there with my Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.

Why did I target Teddy over Willie, Hank, or Mickey?  Well... there's no way I'll be able to afford the Mantle anytime soon.  And when comparing this card to the Willie and Hank's cards... I preferred Teddy's sweet swing.  But if it makes you feel any better... I'm currently saving up my money for Hammerin' Hank and The Say Hey Kid.

Happy Friday and sayonara!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Friendship and Flea Market Freebies


Elle Macpherson

Two weekends ago, I hung out with my buddy Mike at the De Anza Flea Market and helped him sell his sports memorabilia.


Now I'm not sure if this is going to sound weird or not... but I have always sorted my friends into groups... much like I sort my trading cards.


Sterling Marlin

When I was younger... I had my neighborhood friends, my school friends, my Little League friends, and my family friends.


Byron Dafoe, Adam Deadmarsh, and Rob Niedermayer

These days... I have my childhood friends, my work friends, my family friends, and my hobby related friends.  Mike obviously falls into the latter category.


Bonnie Blair, Nadia Comaneci, and Michael Johnson

I met him back in the late 90's when we worked together at Fun Stuff Cards, Comics, and Collectibles.  It was back when I first started teaching and needed the extra money to help make ends meet.  Eventually... I sold off my collection and was able to quit that job.  That's right around the same time that he started a family and moved to Stockton.


Joonas Donskoi and Kyle McLaren

In 2008, I reentered the hobby and was walking around the (non defunct) Great Mall Card Show.  That's when I noticed a familiar face.  These days I consider him one of my closest friends and the person I go to when I have any questions about autographs.


Mike Modano, Jim Craig, and Joe Pavelski

He's been obtaining in-person autographs since he was a kid attending Giants and A's games at Candlestick Park and the Oakland Coliseum.  Over the years he's expanded his business to include other sports and even celebrity signatures.  He's living proof that you can make an honest living obtaining and selling in-person autographs.


Brian McBride

That weekend, he was clearing out some old inventory of stuff that he either didn't want or couldn't sell, so I swooped in and grabbed this stack of signatures.


Antonio McDyess

They don't have any letters of authenticity.  They don't have any PSA/DNA stickers attached to them.  And I didn't see any of these getting signed.

Eddie George

But I know they're authentic, because I trust my buddy.  Thanks Mike!


Rachel Hunter

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Stuck in My Childhood

When I was in elementary school, stickers were the reward of choice from my teachers.  I remember girls would have photo albums filled with different kinds of stickers.  Incentive stickers.  Smelly stickers.  Puffy stickers.  Foil star stickers.

I had a different kind of album.  My album was specifically made for those Topps/Panini baseball stickers.  I'm pretty sure I started collecting them in 1982, because I remember owning the album with Gary Carter on the front.

However... I don't remember having this album:


It's the one Topps created for their inaugural baseball sticker set produced in 1981... and it features George Brett who won the American League MVP Award the year before, so it's probably safe to say that I didn't collect these back when they were released.


Fast forward three decades and I somehow came across either a bunch of these packs... or possibly an unopened box of stickers and decided to build the set.  I was down to only needing five stickers when I read Jon's post on A Pack To Be Named Later which featured him ripping a pack.

I left a comment on the post and after a few emails these arrived last week:



Thank you Jon for helping me complete this set.  I'm in the process of buying that George Brett album, so I can relive some of my childhood memories.

In the meantime, I figured I'd show off a few of my favorite stickers from the set.  Now before I begin... I should let everyone know that Topps mainly used portrait shots like the Nolan Ryan and Rick Wise you see pictured above.  However there are a handful of action shots in the set and some of them actually contain fully intact bodies:


Back in 1981, I hadn't become a San Diego Padres fan yet... but it's still cool to see The Wizard smiling while wearing Brown and Gold:


Another sticker that stood out was the Alan Trammell, which features him in this staged action shot that reminds me of the one used on Robin Yount's rookie card:


And last but not least are the pair of combo stickers that features the 1980 American League Champions and the 1980 National League Champions:


These are the only combo stickers featured in the 1981 set, which is a shame because I've always thought this was a cool concept.  Thankfully Topps made sure collectors had plenty of others to build in future sets.

Rounded out the sticker portion of this post is this new addition to my Tony Gwynn collection:

1988 Panini Sticker #410

When I saw this in Jon's package, I could have sworn I had this already.  But a quick look into my Gwynn binder revealed that I still needed it for my collection.

Thanks again Jon for helping me finish my sticker set... as well as adding a new item to my favorite player's PC.  Let me know when you have your wish list up on your site and I'll try to return the favor.

In addition to Jon's PWE... I received two more from Tiny over at CCW.  The first one included this amazing reprint of Ichiro's Bowman Chrome rookie card:

2011 Bowman Chrome Throwbacks #351B

I scanned the back... but somehow misplaced it... which is really unfortunate because the back features a bunch of Japanese writing.  I actually already had this card in my Ichiro binder, but I plan on taking this copy, throwing it in a screw down, and putting it on a shelf in my classroom.

The second PWE that Tiny sent featured these three random... but much appreciated pieces of Americana:


I have always wanted to bust a few boxes of Pro Set's Yo! MTV Raps.  Maybe this is the sign that I need to get off my butt and find some affordable boxes.  As for the Hogan, I love this card.  Great design of the most iconic wrestler from my childhood.

Thanks Tiny!  I'll make sure to give these four cards a good home.

2007-08 Sweet Shot Signature Shots Puck Signings #SSP-SC
2010-11 Crown Royale Scratching the Surface #34 (#'d 04/25)

And rounding out this post... a huge congratulations goes out to Mr. Scott over at Bob Walk The Plank... and his Pittsburgh Penguins for winning their fourth Stanley Cup Championship.

Martin Jones In Person Signed Puck

The Penguins thoroughly outplayed the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals... but thankfully Martin Jones at least made things interesting.  Overall... I was really impressed with the San Jose Sharks this postseason.  I don't think many of us thought they'd make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals... so as a fan of the past twenty-five seasons... I'm thankful that they came within two wins of bringing San Jose a title.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Friday, June 10, 2016

The Once-in-a-Lifetime Card Show!


Twenty years ago... I attended the Once-in-a-Lifetime Card Show at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds which was about five miles from where I grew up.

I don't really remember the details of the actual card show or whether or not I even purchased cards that day... but there was one memory from the show that stood out.  That was the day I met Gordie Howe and had the opportunity to shake his hand.


A few days before, I drove all around looking for his Kenner Starting Lineup Timeless Legends figure.  I'm sure I paid way too much for it.  However... the good news is that Mr. Howe was only charging $5 for the first autograph.


Five flippin' bucks for an autograph of one of the greatest hockey players to ever play the game!



This SLU is one of the most cherished items in my collection.  Back in 2001 when I sold off the majority of my collection, the guy who purchased it begged me to throw this in.  I think he offered me an extra hundred bucks... but I refused.

It's one of those items that I plan on keeping until either I leave the hobby... or it's my time to leave this place.

Another Gordie Howe item in my collection that will never leave my collection is his 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee card:


This card was given to me by Chris over at Diamond Cuts and Wax Stains back in 2014.  I consider it to be hockey's version of the 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson.  In other words... the most beautiful hockey card ever created.

And rounding out my Gordie Howe collection is this beautiful on-card signature from the 2000 Upper Deck Kit Young Hawaii Conference set:


Mr. Howe...

I never actually had the pleasure of watching you play, but your legacy will be remembered through the cards and memorabilia that I will always treasure.

Sayonara and may you forever rest in peace.