1963 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 29

This is the 29th card from the 1963 Fleer baseball set that I have gotten autographed.  I have another one out to a Chris Potter signing in February . Additionally, AJ, from over at The Lost Collector, found about 10 addresses for TTM.  I have been super busy at work and haven't had any opportunity to start going after more through the mail, but hopefully will get started soon.

Over there.....

......you will find a new want list:  1991 The Sporting News Conlon Collection.  I managed to win an auction for a box of these cards for $10.  After sorting through, I find myself 6 cards short of completing the 330 card set. 

I finished the 1992 Conlon Collection a while back when I got the last two cards I needed for that set from COMC.  Now, I guess I am going to have to chase the 1993 and 1994 sets also.

While I am on the subject:  Does anyone want my duplicates from 1991 and 1992?  I have around 500, give or take, that I would like to be rid of, and I have a hard time just throwing them out.  Lemme know and they are yours!

Say Hey!

I have widened my card habit to include on line auction sites not named EBay.  My modus operandi is to place low ball bids in the hopes of snagging cards at a bargain price.  The vast majority of the time, I get outbid. No worries, right? Can win if you don't play.

But, every once in a while, I sneak in with one of my low bids.  This is one of those times:

So, I knocked off another of the pricey cards from the 1956 set for a fraction of what it would have cost me pretty much anywhere else. 

Package from Night Owl

I am not exactly sure why Night Owl sent a package to me. I may be one up on him, although he was just the beneficiary of a productive search of a discount box a month or so ago. This was entirely unecessary, but totally appreciated.

So, what did he send?

Like NO, I am not much for Bowman. The modern variant, at least. This 2007 Bowman's Best, however, is a nice card. Thicker than normal and shiny, it has a classic design that I like. Somewhat reminiscent of 2003 Topps Tribute.

This card is special as it is likely the last Topps card issued during Mo's career. I am quite sure that he will be all over 2014 products (mark my word, especially that final scene where Andy Pettite and Derek Jeter come out to pull him from his last game), but this is the last one issued while he was still playing.  I'm not much for modern cards anymore, but this one is dear to me for that reason. It will be a long time before MLB sees another man like Mo.

Night Owl, knowing I have been focusing on vintage, sent along a couple cards of that variety:

Not one, but two cards from 1956, a set we are both slowly working on.  I am pleased beyond measure with these. Not only did I need both, but they are in far better condition than the rest of my 1956 cards.

Thanks, Night Owl.

1963 Fleer Autograph Project - Parts 27 and 28

Astute observers (and let's face it, that is all of you) will note that on my Thursday post I talked about having 26 1963 Fleer cards autographed. Yet, on my Friday post, I said 28.  What gives, you probably think?  Is that doofus innumerate?  Nope.

This is what gives:

Yup, I got two more cards with my Christmas loot.  These are both cards of deceased players.  Glen Hobbie passed away in August of 2013. Smoky Burgess died in 1991, so this card was a rare find. And it means that I now have 4 out of the 5 Pirates in the set (missing only Clemente.) I've got two more cards going out for signature in the next few days and I have identified addresses for about 6 TTMs.

What I am listening to:  Thanks A Lot by Neko Case

2014 Goals

No frills here. Pretty much the same format as last year.

Sets I would like to finish:

1. 1960 Fleer
2. 1973 Topps
3. 1975 Topps
4. 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game - Basically, I only have 4 cards from the Forever insert set to complete this set.  Granted I haven't completed the blue serialized parallels or the autograph subset, but I never considered that as necessary to be considered complete.

Sets to start working on, or continue to work on, seriously:

1. 1961 Fleer
2. 1972 Topps
3. 2009 Obak

Other projects and distractions:

1. 1963 Fleer Autograph Project - I'd like to get to the halfway point (33 cards) on this project. I stand at 28 now (yes, I know I said 26 yesterday), with two more heading out in the mail for signings in late January/early February.  That means I have line of sight to 30.
2. 1955 and 1956 Topps - These will be many years in completing, so I am feeling no pressure to elevate them on the priority list.

On a final note, I want to comment on something serious.  Earlier yesterday (I am writing this postscript on the evening of January 2) a post popped up in my feed from the 1973 Topps Photography blog.  As many of you probably know, that blog was written by Chris Stufflestreet, who passed away in September of 2012. It appears that he had this post planned well ahead of time.  It is a bittersweet reminder of what we had, and lost, in Chris.  I never met Chris, but he was generous to me as I was re-entering the hobby a few years ago. That left an indelible impact on me about my place in the collecting world.

In my experience with online communities, the sportscard blog community is unique in that the members are so willing to help each other out and there seems to be almost no conflict. Chris was my introduction to that giving spirit, but many of you have contributed to it as well. I want to thank each and every one of you for making this experience special.  I want to honor his memory by committing in 2014 to take opportunities to help other collectors in paring down their want lists.

What I am listening to: One Good Year by Slaid Cleaves

2013 Goals Revisited

So, with the start of the new year, it is time to see how I did, hobby wise, in 2013.  So, let's take a look:

Sets I intended to finish:

1. All the Insert sets to 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game, except the Announcing Greats - Well, I didn't finish the Forever insert set, but I did actually finish the Announcing Greats inserts.  So, I consider this one achieved even though I have a different incomplete insert set than I had figured.
2. 1971 - Done!
3. 1973 - I did not finish this set. 
4. 1963 Fleer - Done!

Sets to continue working on:

1. 1960 and 1961 Fleer -  I am now only 9 cards away from completing 1960.
2. 2009 through 2011 Obak - I actually completed 2010 and 2011 Obak.
3. Continue to work on my Paul Blair and Johnny Antonelli player collections -  I had wanted to add more OPC Blair's and a 1950 Bowman Antonelli to my player collections. I didn't do either. But I did add a few cards to both player collections in 2013.
4. 1963 Fleer autograph project - I started 2013 with 16 of these cards autographed.  I am entering 2014 at 26.  I'd call that a success.

Sets that I'd like to start of the opportunity presents itself:

1. 1975 Topps - I added a few 75s here and there, but no serious activity
2. 1959 Fleer Ted Williams - I did start this set with a splurge purchase during the fall. I have 33 of the 80 cards and am working a trade for some more.
3. 1959 Fleer Three Stooges - did not start.

Overall, it was a pretty good year. 

What I am listening to: "The Road to Ensenada" by Lyle Lovett

Favorite Surprise Pickup of 2013

Being in this hobby, we all know the joy of finding something wonderful when you were least expecting it.  I had a fair number of serendipitous pickups in 2013.  But, this is my favorite:

You may recall someone dumped a dog out in the country near my home in early October and we took her in a couple weeks later and named her Abby.  She can be seen above playing with Buddy, the Great Pyrenees mix, who was, coincidentally, my favorite surprise pickup of 2011.  She is a great dog, although she is still a puppy and can get in a bit of trouble at times.

What I Am Listening To: I'll Drink to You by Duke Jupiter (it's a Rochester thing)

Favorite Cards of 2013 - Part 3

4. 1958 Topps Sandy Koufax

I have a informal goal to pick up playing-days cards of some of the greatest ballplayers ever.  This is the first and, so far, only Koufax card issued during his actual career that I own.

3. 1956 Topps Hank Aaron

I bought this at the same time I got the Koufax above, but this is more than just picking up a card of a all-time great. I already have several Aaron cards in the 1970s sets I am building.  This is more important as it represents one of the big dollar cards in 1956, which I am slowly working on.

2. 1952 Bowman Roy Campanella

This card is special because it was issued right after Campy won the 1951 MVP Award. It is part and parcel with the next card.

1. 1952 Bowman Yogi Berra

Like the Campanella above, this card was issued after Berra won the 1951 AL MVP.  Two have the cards for two great catchers from the year after they both won the MVP is pretty special.

Coming up next: A review of my 2013 goals and how I did against them.

What I am listening to: Close Your House Down by Cordero