A Good Day

 I went to a card show today!  My first in over a year! It was held at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds and was the biggest show I have attended here in Oklahoma.  It was huge, but it included Pokémon and TCG and I expect it was dominated by those sellers. To be honest, I barely got inside the doors. Two of the sellers I buy from at every show were set up next to each other right by the entrance. I never got past their tables.  

Overall, there was nothing I would consider a noteworthy pickup. It was all set needs.  Mostly commons, but with a few minor stars and a couple of HOFers that aren't particularly popular in the hobby.  I did manage to find a few 1967 high numbers, which was a pleasant surprise.  Overall, it felt good to attend a show again.  

However, this post is about something different: mail deliveries!

As long as it has been since I went to a show, it has been even longer since I added something to my Johnny Antonelli player collection. And I added two this week.

I found this 2009 Heritage buyback on Ebay for less than $20 and I grabbed it immediately. I have a complicated relationship with buybacks.  I don't consider that the foil stamp conveys any transformative effect to the card.  This is, and will always be, a 1960 Topps card. But the online resources consider this different, so I will continue to add them provided the price is reasonable. I've seen other Antonelli buybacks, but prices in excess of $50 are not reasonable.  So, this is my first buyback card in this player collection.  

This is the real star of the two. It is a 1971 House of Jazz card.  These were issued by the House of Jazz record store in Glenside, PA as a store promotion. There are 35 cards in the set and it boasts an impressive checklist for an unlicensed set.  There isn't a lot of information on the store, though a quick Google Maps search shows that the address is now home to a counseling service and a community development organization. The checklist itself is dominated by East Coast teams but seems to lack any thematic organization. It includes all-time greats, stars, and utility players (Peanut Lowery!)  

The set itself would be fun to build, but the rarity of the set makes that a non-starter. I have only seen the Antonelli a few times, certainly less than 4, over the year and it normally sells in excess of $300. I can only imagine what the Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson would sell for. When I saw this as a buy-it-now on eBay for $99, I mashed that button immediately.   This is probably the second most rare Antonelli issue behind the 1958 Packard Bell (of which I have only seen once) To say I am stoked is underselling it.

What I am listening to: Life During Wartime by The Talking Heads