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 years 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 on eBay for $99, I mashed that But-It-Now 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
So, it has been 5 months since we last talked. My last day on my job was Thursday, so I am officially unemployed. I only half-heartedly looked for a new job over the last few months. I've decided I want to shift from in-house roles to doing contract consulting and I have already aligned myself with one consulting firm and am starting the process to sign up with a second. Additionally, I have an introductory interview this week for in-house roles with a third consulting/business intelligence firm. So, while I am a bit unbalanced about not having a job, I am moving forward and, hopefully, something will pop up soon.
My hobby activity has been curtailed significantly over the last year, once I knew I would be moving on. While it hasn't stopped, it has become more focused and I've gotten a few things accomplished that I might not have otherwise.
For example, I finally finished my 1968 Topps set in December.
The last card was, unsurprisingly the Nolan Ryan rookie card. I had made no progress on this set for over 2 years because of how expensive that card was. I could never find a card that was both within my budget and condition requirements. However, I finally found one in an auction that met both criteria. I ended up paying a bit over $330 for it. While it was the third most I have ever paid for a card, it was a steal at this price. The main issue was fading on the left side of the card due to exposure to sunlight. But, it has great eye appeal, so I am tickled to death to have it.
In January, I finished my 1960 Topps set. The last card was the Chicago Cubs team card.
Since then, I went the OKC show in February, the Dallas show in March, then nothing until this weekends OKC show. In those shows, I've worked on the Topps sets from 1958, 1969, and 1973 Football. I chose 1958 since I bought the Mantle card years ago before prices went nuts, 1965 because I am down to 6 cards to complete, and 1969 as it is the most affordable of the remaining 1960s sets.
Anway, I had a good haul at this weekend's show:
My wife collects mid-century modern barware and asked me to stop at a local flea market to check out something and I found that big box of junk wax for $10. What can I say? I would bet the main value of the box is as kindling, but I am pretty sure I can get more than a sawbucks worth of fun out of it.
What I am listening to: One More Night by Micahel Kiwanuka
It was a year. When I last left you, I was still waiting on the acquisition of my employer by a larger company to close. The transaction finally closed in early December and because, when given the option of moving to Houston or moving on, I chose the latter, a 180 day clock started ticking. When that clock runs to zero sometime around June 3, I am officially unemployed. I haven't started looking for a new gig yet, but will be starting shortly.
As it stands, I have had plenty of time to prepare, so the change doesn't represent an existential issue. I'm blessed to have that flexibility and to be able to keep somewhat active in the hobby.
So, enough about that. Shall we talk hobby? My hobby activity was a bit odd. I scaled back my level of activity as I prepared but, at the same time, also completed my three most expensive purchases. So, let's review the year. First, though, I do want to acknowledge a recent kindness.
1. Cards from Night Owl
To get cards from Night Owl is always an opportunity to experience joy and guilt in equal measures. Joy because he seems to have access to really great cards that I don't see very often, if at all. Guilt because he does so much for the hobby already at his blog that receiving cards from him always seems to overweight one side of the ledger. I get that our little corner of this hobby isn't about making sure the debits and credits balance, but my collecting is so inwardly focused that I do occasionally need reminders of the obligation to be a good member of the community.
My early collecting included a mix of modern and vintage. While I left the annual Topps releases behind quickly, there were several modern series of sets I really liked. The Fleer Greats of the Game sets issued between 2000 and 2004 are the prime example. I was mostly done with 2002, except I only had half of the Dueling Duos insert set. I had mostly forgotten about it when a package arrived from Greg that included three of my needs for that subset. I have acknowledge that one of the three was the card above that featured Duke Snider, a legendary Dodger. Getting such a card from a Dodger collector is a great treat. And it provided the necessary incentive to get this over with. I managed to piece together the remaining subset needs from COMC and Burbank.
I am almost exclusively a vintage collector, but I do occasionally pick up modern cards that catch my eye. If I came across this card in a discount box at a show, it would buy it. No questions asked.That I received it as a gift makes it all that much more special.
I still remember where I was when I learned that Thurman Munson had died in a plane crash. I grew up in western New York and my family's annual vacation was to rent a cottage in the Thousand Islands near Alexandria Bay. Why mention this at all? Well, Alex Bay is a short drive from where Night Owl lives.
Finally,
An interesting card from this year's Stadium Club offering: a Superstar Duos card with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on opposite sides. The background graphics, particularly on the Judge side, remind me of the colorful backgrounds on the 2009 through 2011 Tristar Obak sets I love so well.
2. 1960-1963 Signed Fleer
I'm not going to show any cards here, as I still intend to have a series based on them at some point soon. But, for something I started on a lark nearly 10 years ago, I am amazed at how much progress I've made. See for yourself:
3. Set building
Set building has always been a slow process for me. I see folks on Twitter who finish multiple vintage sets per year. It is hard for me to fathom that. Once I got past the late 1970s sets, it usually takes me a minimum of two years to complete a set and sometimes more.
I finally finished my 1968 Topps set in 2021. As near as I can tell, I started this set in 2017, but made absolutely no progress after 2019. I sat at two cards to go for two years waiting for the cost of the Nolan Ryan rookie card to come down. It never did and I finally resolved to just bite the bullet and get it over with. I broke down and got the Lou Brock card earlier in the year, only leaving #177 to go. I managed to pick this up in an auction for $325 delivered:
This was the third most I have ever spent on a card, but was well below what all but the poorest of Ryans usually go for.
If you look at the comps on this card, the price I paid was a steal. It went so low because of color fading on the left hand side of the card. But, it is in great condition otherwise, and it has great eye appeal despite the fading. So, I am very happy to have it and to have this set finally in the books.
I also have finished 1960 Topps. Sort of, anyways. The final card I needed for that set is still in transit to me and should be here Tuesday. It isn't this card though:
I got this earlier in the year in a Robert Edwards auction. This set me back over $400 and is the most I have ever spent on a card. Evern more than the 1956 Mantle I got at the National several years ago. Barring a postal catastrophe, I'm glad to have finished 1960.
I have not, however, finished 1965.
I started working on 1965 four years ago, in the late winter of 2017, and I am still needing 21 cards to finish. While I picked up the Mantle in 2020, I still need a fair number of the high value cards, like Aaron, Mays, Banks, Uecker, plus the Carlton and Niekro rookie cards.
Wait. Back up a second. Uecker? It's a high number, but a common nonetheless. Yeah, I don't get it either. Beckett assigns it a book value of $25, but even rough copies of the card sell for more than that. It is just odd.
Anyways, I am skeptical of my ability to finish this in 2022. I looked back. In September of 2020, nearly a year and a half ago, I needed 38 cards to finish, I've added a total of 17 cards in 16 months. I may just have to bite the bullet and start resetting my cost expectations on this set, because it really shouldn't be this hard.
4. Player Collections
I have two player collections, Johnny Antonelli and Paul Blair. This year, I undertook an effort to try and catalog the cards that are available for each. I mainly used TCDB, but found it incomplete andsupplemented it with what I already have. If you look at TCDB, you will see me as having the largest collection for both players. But, in summary, I still have a way to go.
This is the latest addition to my Antonelli collection, a James Elder postcard. At the moment, I have catalogued 98 unique Johnny Antonelli cards and postcards and, also at the moment, I have 66 of them. 67% is pretty good, but not good enough if I am going to be serious here. Unfortunately, the 32 I don't have are all pretty obscure. How obscure? Well, the only one of the 32 I have actually seen is a 1960 Topps Venezuelan card. When a Venezuelan is the least obscure of the remaining needs, you know the rest are rarer than hen's teeth.
My entry back into the hobby was trying to collect Paul Blair cards, since I had a Paul Blair model glove as a kid. Little did I know what I was getting myself in for. I have catalogued 209 different Paul Blair cards and photocards. There are two sub-categories that I am ambivalent about: Topps buyback cards (which are basically vintage cards that are stamped with foil, like this one) and cut auto cards mainly produced by Tristar. Alas,. if I am going to continue to advance my Blair colleciton, I am going to have to overcome that ambivalence. As of today, I have 154 of those 209 items, for a respectable 74%.
So, that was a summary of where I am to date. I'm going to try and blog more in 2022. There are a couple of series I started and let die that I'd like to pick up again. In my next post, I'll lay out how I see my hobby '22 shaping up.
What I am listening to: Texas Sun by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
On this continent and in the psyche of its people the plains have always been a staggering presence, a place of myth and cliche, a place for transformation, bafflement, or heartbreak. From the east they are a release from the clawing of swamp and tangle and human density. From the west they are a drop and a straightening after the kinks and strains of mountains. Entered from any direction they are a new air, a joy to behold, a combination of large-scale intimidations and primordial inner acoustics.
The news is full of stories as to how, with huge volumes due to pandemic online ordering and administrative neglect (if not sabotage) the Post Office is way behind on package delivery. The local post office operations are really good. The Oklahoma City sort facility generally turns packages around to locl offices in a matter of hours. And if they arrive at my local office by 5:30 AM, they are out for delivery by 7:00. But, I know the situation and have been patient while two card packages have taken two weeks to work their way into my zip code.
They finally arrived at the main office Saturday afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised to see the carriers were out delivering packages on Sunday.
I was out clearing (still) downed limbs from the late October ice storm. I saw the mail carrier stop at my box and drop the mail off. I finished the tree I was working on and, about a half hour later, walked to the box to get my cards.
And...it was empty. A quick post on the city ward Facebook page confirmed that mail theft is rampant right now and other people have either had packages stolen or found empty boxes in the bar ditch. For the most part, the cards were mostly commons for my 1960 and 1965 set. I'm not happy they were stolen, but we aren't talking a huge sum of money. Maybe $40 at best. I'll get over it eventually. But, my winnings from a recent group break were also to be delivered and that included the card above: 1960 Topps All Star Rivals (Mantle/Boyer.) It is one of three Mick cards in the 1960 set and I was happy to get it out of the way. So much for that, eh?
As I said, the mail service is pretty darn good around here and this is the one thing that has gone wrong in the 18 years I've lived out here. So, I am fortunate overall.
So, with my wife out of town it is easy to fall into old habits. Like leaving dirty laundry on the floor and procrastinating on chores. Now compound that when it turns out last Sunday was my birthday. Am I really going to buckle down and attend to my adult obligations? Heck no! I masked up and headed to the OKC card show. I mean, who really attends a Sunday card show during football season? Not many, it turns out. I got there around noon, four hours before the show was scheduled to end, and a number of sellers were already loading out to head home.
I found the sole vintage vendor and sat down and started pawing through boxes.
Almost immediately I found one of the three remaining cards I need to finish 1968 Topps. Just the Ryan rookie card and Lou Brock left to go.
I managed to pick up a fair number of commons for my 1960 set, along with the three star cards above. I am sitting at jsut short of 75% complete on that set, with "only" 145 cards to go, with many of the most expensive cards to go: Koufax, Mays, Maris, and (of course) all three Mantle's in the set.
I mainly went to the show to see if I could knock of some of the few remaining cards I needed for my 1955 set. I found one in my price range, this Kaline second year card. Just 21 more to finish the set including Banks, Robinson, Killebrew RC, Clemente, and Snider.
Finally, I found only two cards for my 1965 set, but they were good ones.
The Mantle isn't in great shape, maybe VG at best, but the price was right. The book is $800 on the card, but I got it for $125. Still a fair chunk of change, but it was my birthday. Anyways, down to 86 cards to finish that set. Biggest remaining cards are Aaron, Clemente, Mays, Rose, and the Carlton and Perez rookie cards.
So, that is probably about it for the year. Now that the days are short and the weather uncooperative, i need to pick my 1970 card back project back up.
What I am listening to: Down to the River by The War and Treaty
Normally, when I do a brag post about a card show haul, I present the cards in reverse chronological orders. Today, I am not going to do that, as it seems more appropriate, in order to build suspense (I know you aren't exactly sitting on pins and needles reading this post, but work with me here.)
I picked up a total of 7 cards for the 1960 set I am slowly working on. These were actually the last cards I picked up at the show as I sought to spend what little cash I had left. These few cards moved me up to having 260 of the cards in the 572 card set.
I just noticed that top edge on the Joe Morgan rookie card. Hoo boy, that is ugly. The experts over at net54 seem to be in agreement that it is a factory defect. I guess I know now why it was so cheap. I may need to upgrade that some day when I am more concerned with set value. But, that isn't any time soon. I found a total of 38 cards for my 1965 set. There was a lot more, but not at a price I wanted to pay.
So, now I am sitting at 468 cards; needing only 130 to complete the set. Of those 130, 20 are actually upgrades of cards I already have but are in poor condition. However, even this close to completion, it will probably be a few years before I finish. The biggest cards I have left include Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Willie Mays, and the Steve Carlton RC.
Also, since this post has been composed in several sessions, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Lou Brock on Sunday. I never got to see him play and only know him by reputation and baseball cards. But, like Ernie Banks, he always seemed to be smiling. As a person prone to melancholy, I have an affinity for people like Brock and Banks who radiate joy so easily. Hopefully, the once teammates are playing together again. RIP Lou.
Speaking of which....
I found two of the remaining five cards I needed to complete my 1968 set. The final cards I need at the Hank Aaron All-Star (370), Lou Brock (520), and the Nolan Ryan RC (177). My guess is it will be a while before I finish this set. The first two cards are obtainable, but the prices on the Ryan have been outrageous and way more than I am willing to pay. Even low grade versions, from reputable sellers, are going for $300 or more. So, I am going to sit tight and hope the bubble bursts.
There it is. The final card I needed to finish my 1970 set. My blogging has been intermittent for a number of years now, so I can't determine exactly when I started working on 1970, but as near as I can tell, it was sometime in 2016. So, it took around 4 years to complete.
This card is significant in a second way as it is also the final card I needed to complete the run of Topps sets from the 1970s. I do need one card to finish the 1974 master set (599 - San Diego large print version,) but since I have two of the three versions of that card. I consider the set complete. While I don't expect to ever seriously build 1952 or 1953 sets, I do plan to work on the remaining Topps sets. My progress on that goal is as follows:
So, what does the future hold? Not sure. I'm sure I will still be dabbling a bit on eBay, but there is a big show coming up in November in Dallas that I am thinking of attending, if the COVID situation is under control. So, I will try to keep my powder dry and save up some funds if I do decide to go. Also, as the days get shorter and the lawn goes dormant, I am going to try to get back to some original content around here.
What I am listening to: God's Problem Child by Willie Nelson (and Tony Joe White, Leon Russell, and Jamey Johnson)
Yesterday. I went to a card show for the first time in I can't remember when. Since it has been a while, I had a little more money that I normally would. Plus, I took the 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle I won in a break a while back to trade up with. My main goal was to make progress on finishing my 1970 set (3 cards to go), 1968 set (6 cards to go), and 1965 set (167 cards to go.) By that measure I failed miserably. I managed to find one 1968 card I needed. It was a good one, though.
Still 5 to go, including the Nolan Ryan rookie card.
So, with that I recalibrated and decided to work on my 1960 set, where I was sitting at about 30% completion and my 1955 set, where I was about 75% complete. I did much better here. I managed to snag about 57 cards, mostly commons, from 1960.
This was about as close as I came to a star card with this show.
In a recent post, Night Owl lamented to disappearance of manager cards. I have to say that I agree. These manager cards from 1960 Topps are wonderful. I found four manager cards yesterday. Far and away, these are my favorites from the new cards I added to my set.
I also like these types of cards, which were common in the 1960s sets. While both Rocky Colavito and Tito Francona were good players, this card did not age nearly as well as that 1968 Super Stars card above.
Interestingly enough, this was one of only to Topps cards of Jim Baxes, the other being his rookie card in 1959. 1959 was Jim's only season in the majors. He performed poorly in AAA in 1960 and was out of organized baseball after only 21 games in 1961. Fun fact: Jim Baxes first major league home run was the first HR hit off of Bob Gibson. It was in Gibson's ML debut on April 15, 1959.
As far as 1955, I managed to find 18 cards I needed, which brought me down to only needing 32 more to finish the set. Most were commons from the second, high number series.
That Williams (along with '68 Super Stars above) were the major scores in exchange for the '56 Mantle. I could have gotten more money selling the Mantle on EBay. But, with all the Johnny-Come-Latelys in the hobby, all the reports of buyer fraud scared me off. This Ted is really nice. It is in way better condition than I would have acquired if I didn't have some high end trade material.
So, that is about it, other than this 1966 Curt Flood I found in a dollar box.
I haven't given up on my 1970 card back series of posts. I have just been fairly busy out in the real world and just haven't had the energy to sit down and work on the next installment. It is coming, I just don't know when.
What I am listening to: Follow You Like Smoke by Elizabeth Cook
I did end up going to the card show up at Al's Sportscards in Edmond. There was only 5 dealers there, which is only a slight decrease from the normal 6 to 7. One of my main connections for vintage goodness, Bill from Wichita, wasn't there today. So, I only spent about an hour at the show, spending about $50 on 8 cards. I was hoping to knock off some 1971s, but didn't find any. My backup plan for 1960s Fleer cards also failed. But, for the most part, I did stick close to my collecting wheelhouse.
I got two of the 1968 Topps game cards. I now have 19 of the 33 cards in that insert series.
There was also one guy there who had a box of vintage cards for $5 each. I pawed through for the best condition cards and got the 3 above. I probably overpaid for the Gilliam, but feel like I got a screaming deal on the Roberts. Pedro, is the 49th 1956 card in my collection. Coincidentally, the card number is also 49. Woooooo!!!!! Spooky!!!!!! He had another 6 1956 cards that were in decent shape except for some obvious water stains near the bottom. After some deliberation, I decided to put them back and reserve any leftover funds for the March OKC show.
I also picked up a couple of 1973s. I have already started on 1973, after a fashion, with a big trade with Ted of the now mothballed Crinkly Wrappers last year. So, even though I have vowed to not start 73 in earnest until I finish 71, I did get these two since they were being sold for a great price considering their condition.
And now we come to my one big purchase, which set me back 20 bones.
Granted I am not working on 1972 at the moment, even nominally. But, I
will probably get to it late this year or early in 2014, so I didn't
wander that far in the weeds with this pickup. But, I really have a hard time leaving a playing-days Willie Mays behind. I actually now 7 playing-days cards of the Say Hey Kid (1962, 1969, 1969 Deckle Edge, 1971, 1972, 1973 Topps, and 1963 Fleer.)
So, overall, I am happy with my short stay at the show. But, the day was to get better when I found a trade package in the mail. More on that tomorrow.
What I am listening to: Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning by Willie Nelson.
