One Final Insult

 I have been working diligently on my 1967 Topps set recently. When I last checked in with y'all two months ago, I had 26 cards to go for completion and figured that Norm Cash would be the last one I needed to complete the set.  I managed to find a not outrageously priced Cash card and have been picking up a few cards here and there over the ensuing weeks.  As of a few days ago, I was down to 8 cards to finish the set off.  Over the last several days, I found 3 reasonably priced cards online and 2 more at the large card show in OKC that is held every other month, including high number Don Demeter.

So, I am down to 3 cards to complete my set . Two of the three (526 and 592) are rookie star cards which collect a premium even though neither features noteworthy players.  526 features Pat Dobson and George Korince and 592 features Jim Shellenback and Ron Willis. And both of them will likely set me back in excess of $50 each.  I never have been fond of 1967 Topps. I find the design boring and I have dubbed it the Cloudy Day set as that is the vibe I get from it. I know that others love the set and that is fine.  Viva la difference.

I only built it because back in 2023 I bought a 700 count box of 1966 and 1967 cards.  My intent was to build 1966, but I found that I had only 1/5 of the 1966 set and 1/3 of 1967.  A few months later I found a cache of '67s at a show and guess what set I was building?  Yup, 1967.  My ambivalence for the design and the outrageous prices that the 6th and 7th series commands made this a hard slog. I am pleased to be close to the end. But having to pay up for two otherwise nondescript cards to finish it is the final insult that '67 has sent my way.

What am I listening to:  Experience by Ludovico Einaudi

Doppleganger?

 I've been plugging away at my 1967 Topps set adding a few cards here and there.  I am down to 26 cards to complete the set. I need only one from Series 4, 17 from Series 6, and 8 from the high number seventh series. I think it is possible that I'll finish this year, though those semi-highs and highs often sell for considerably more than my willingness to pay.  Anyways, I was looking through my set binder and did a double take.

For a moment, I thought I had sleeved duplicate cards. Obviously, team names are different enough that I caught on soon enough. I may not be observant, but I make up for it by being slow.

That's it.  Just an odd moment.  I do have another entry in the Fleer Autograph Project in the works and hopefully I'll find time to work on it soon.

What I am listening to: Keep the Wolves Away by Uncle Lucius

2026 Goal Missed

 I still haven't been to a card show this year. I ended up skipping the March show as it was the same weekend I was leaving for the CONEXPO-CONAGG trade show in Las Vegas and I needed to get some things done at home before I left.  

I didn't take a lot of pictures this year as the trade show was huge and I had specific things I wanted to achieve. But, I couldn't pass up the opportunity take a picture of this Komatsu WA700 loader staged as if it was dumping a load into an (also Komatsu) HD605 70-ton haul truck.   The company I work for predominately uses Caterpillar products in our operations, but we do have similar Komatsu equipment in our fleet.  Anyways, on to the main topic.

It is only a quarter of the way through the year and I've already completely messed up one of my goals for the year, though not necessarily in a bad way. One of my goals for the year was to almost finish the 1967 Topps baseball set.  Almost in that I wanted to get the set complete except for the high number Tom Seaver rookie card. However, in a turn of good fortune the company I work for gave out bonuses and, for once, I didn't have any adult obligations laying claim to the windfall. So....

I won't deny that I was a bit sick after placing my bid as it was for a price that makes the third most I have ever spent on a card.  The centering is off, but I've never been a centering absolutist.  As long as there is border all the way around, I am fine.  It isn't obvious from the image, but there is border along the bottom.  I put it at 80-20 centering top to bottom.  I probably won't change my goal from almost completing the set.  I need 53 more cards and 51 are from the sixth semi-high series and seventh high number series.  Lately, they have been getting really strong prices, and I am not confident that I can pick up more than one or two at a time.  But, I am pleased to have this one out of the way.

What I am listening to: Blind by Korn (Believe it or not, I had this teed up before it went viral as Mason Miller's entrance song)

How Did That Work Out For You?

  Do you ever just feel like the hobby gods are trying to send you a message? 

I have mentioned a couple things here recently.  First, I am not particularly fond of 1967 Topps.  It is just a bland, uninspired set both front and back.  Second, a while back I bought a lot of collector grade 1966 and 1967 cards with the intent of getting a jump start on my '66 set build. But, I ended up with only 20% of the '66 set and over a third of '67.

Moving on to yesterday, the local OKC show was actually held at the county fairgrounds here in Norman.  A 10 minute drive instead of 45 minutes.  I was a little skeptical as it was held in the same building that hosts livestock shows, which means there is a dirt arena right smack in the middle.  But, it ended up okay.  The show was well attended by sellers and the aisles were nice and wide.  Other than it being a little cold in the building I couldn't ask for more.

My intent was to look for 1966 commons, find the last 3 cards I need for my 1973 football set and some of the last 5 cards I need for my 1958 baseball set.  I failed on all three counts. However, my normal go-to vintage dealer had a 5000 count box of...you guessed it... 1967 Topps.  So, I started going through and found a significant number of cards I needed.  The seller cut me a good deal and I was on my way home. 

In the end, I found nearly 160 cards and I am now sitting at 62% complete on the set.  So, am I working the set?  I guess so.  But, there are challenges ahead.  I have none of the major star cards outside Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and well-loved Whitey Ford and Roger Maris cards.  I also have exactly zero high number cards and only 26 of the 76 semi-high numbers.  

Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to look a bit at statistics for the set and where I am in terms of completion.  There are 609 cards in the set and when I looked it last their total Beckett high book value added up to $8,477.00.  That works out to $13.92 per card.  My progress is 379 cards with book value of $1,856 or $4.90 per card.  Math tells me I have 230 cards to go with a average book value of $28.78.  Ugh. So, while I guess I am working the set, my level of ambivalence hasn't changed any.

Anyways, whining isn't the sole reason for this post.  When I am at a show, I generally look for card numbers on my want list, check condition, and either set aside or put back.  For some reason, I took a look at the back of the Ed Brinkman card.

Obviously, 57 years later we know that Ed never developed into one of the American League's big stars.  He never hit consistently well, but did manage to stay in the starting lineup for 11 years out of 15 he played in the majors.  He is considered one of the finest fielding shortstops of his era, but only won 1 Gold Glove in his career because he was playing at the same time as one of the finest fielding shortstops in all of baseball history, Mark Belanger.

In a sad similarity, both Belanger and Brinkman died young (54 and 66 respectively) due to lung cancer.

What I am listening to: The Flood by Charles Wesley Godwin

And...Done!

 It has been a year, hasn't it?   Two weeks ago, the final week in October mind you, we had an ice storm here. I lost so many branches.  I've spend a good part of the last two weeks cleaning up.  It wouldn't be so bad except that I was only about 75% done with the clean up from the July wind storm that took out 8 or so large oak trees.  Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time operating a chain saw. But, you aren't here for the "woe is me" stories.

Getting those TCMAs from Night Owl really got me excited about finishing that set.  A few eBay purchases and a visit to Sportlots and, with these Hank Aaron and Brooks Robinson cards, I am now done.

I knocked off most of the want list buying a large lot of these on eBay. I now have close to 250 duplicates for this set.  If anyone is interested, I will gladly pay them forward.  All I ask is you throw a few pesos my way for shipping.

I also have completed a couple of Twitter trades.  On the first, with a person who goes by the handle Baseball Card Kid, I was able to help him finish out his run of Thurman Munson cards and, in exchange, I got a Ken Griffey Dairy Isle disk. I already had the Islay's version, so it is pretty cool to have a variation. I also got this 1967 Phil Niekro.  This is my fifth card from that year, so I only have 604 to go.

The second trade was with Twitter user Lanny Ribes.  I was able help him with some vintage needs, including 4 cards from 1956 Topps and I got 7 cards from 1955 back.

With these cards I am down to only needing 23 cards to finish 1955 Topps.  Unfortunately, 10 of those are star cards, including the Roberto Clemente rookie card.  That card would be a really stretch under normal circumstances, but in this current price bubble I am pretty sure it is well outside my budget.  But, I am excited about getting closer to finishing the set.

There was a big card show in Dallas last weekend, but I decided not to go. I went last year and had a great time, but the COVID19 situation down here is getting worse. I am not sure how it is elsewhere, but in the Oklahoma/Texas area there is a big overlap between the card collecting community and the subset of citizens who think coronavirus falls somewhere in the range of "not serious" to "hoax." Reports were that the show was packed, so I am glad I didn't throw myself into that Petri dish. 

There is a show next weekend here in OKC, and I am on the fence about going. Obviously, the risks are the same that caused me to bail on Dallas. Though, being sandwiched between Dallas and Christmas it may very well be lightly attended. I'd like to see if I can pick up a '55 star card or two. I've got some KN95 masks, so maybe I'll throw one on and make a quick visit.  I'll need to see what the state's virus numbers look like over the remainder of the week.

What I am listening to: Wouldn't Want to Be Like You by Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent

PC Addition, Eh!

After a long period of dormancy, I've made some additional progress on my Paul Blair collection.  A new addition came in yesterday:

This is the last of the O-Pee-Chee cards I needed for the PC. It commemorates Blair's game winning home run in Game 3 of the 1966 World Series.  It was hit off Claude Osteen, who had otherwise pitched a brilliant game.  OSteen's final line was 3 hits, one walk, and three strikeouts in 7 innings pitched.

This is the 142nd unique item in my Paul Blair PC

What I am listening to: Follow You Like Smoke by Elizabeth Cook