Card show trip recaps - battle of the dollar boxes of doom 1 of 2

For period of at least a couple of months and/or at least four show dates, I haven't been able to count on getting my dollar bins of doom fix from pair who run them - either the duo was out of country, doing other deals at other shows in other states or just biding their time with their other collectible hobbies.

As it goes, I was able to see the duo again at two different shows and while still just about strangers [after a year of 'hanging out' at their tables for hours at a time] - it's a card show routine to seek out the table and start digging to see if I can build a stack of dollar material.

As it goes however, I'm not sure if the quality was there nor the quantity off the most recent dollar cards sitting in monster boxes - I guess it's all cyclical, where presumably the boxes are subject to turnover and/or constant rummaging by collectors who are sort of the 'OG' regulars chatting up the seller duo, sitting with the sellers at their tables, et al.

I'm trying to show what I bought off the dollar boxes of doom [for the most part] from two different show dates and see [if inclined] which may have been the better lot of cards - these last couple of times, maybe there was a certain disinterest digging around where the material was more of the 'same old, same old' and it might have been harder to fish out keepers.

Some baseball, including a minor league insert of Derek Jeter [$3] I pulled off a miscellaneous priced box - the off-brand draft pick card of Jeter is cheesy at best but I don't think I've ever had the card in my collection and likely one to squirrel away among my other Jeter binder cards.

The last card I may have added to my pile was a 1978 Topps Mickey Klutts / U.L. Washington rookie card - where it was a little off-grade for me and there might have been smudging over the name plate that might be more common with this particular card.

On the other hand, the card was a lousy dollar and maybe I can use it as a binder material centerpiece rather than something I'd expect to showcase as a single outright - maybe I just didn't want to see it in another collector's stack at the table, as he was killing time, trying to shuffle through the rows of assorted cards he might flag as probable keepers.

The Garret Anderson minor league card was probably something I left behind from the last time I was at the table at a different show - I assume it's only a pack pulled issue, but it's still an early pro card of a franchise Hall of Famer [who is now 50 years old as opposed to his mid 20s through mid 30s when I started followed him as a player years ago].

Maybe I just wasn't as emotional interested, but these finds represent what I could find where maybe I had to resort of making cards from other sports keepers - I'm a straight and narrow baseball collector, but I picked up a John Cena card for the pop culture factor, an Emmitt Smith card because it was shiny and he was one of the running back GOATS of all time.

I know nothing about soccer, but here I am picking up random cards of these guys i.e. Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Mbappe - who might be the GOATS of their sport or shaping along that way, where maybe I had to have at least one card of the players featured, even if the cards are only worth what I paid.

I've tried to make it where I do not go too crazy over the cards, but may pick up between 40-80 cards at one time - at least at this go around, it wasn't as much fun rounding up what I ended up with.

TTM autographs received: Sonny Jackson

The former big leaguer from the 1960s through early 1970s signed my cards in a year and 20 days - I counted this one gone as an MIA request, so it was nice to get one of my SASEs back in the mail box and see what I'd sent signed, along with one of the penny sleeves I used for one of the cards I sent.

Cheap-o box card show etiquette?

I found myself digging through $2 boxes where I plugged along going through most of the baseball portion concentrated in one monster box - alongside another guy busy going through a single row of $2 cards in a separate monster box.

I'd pulled out some probable keepers to build on from what I assumed was the main $2 boxes - after the other guy basically finished up, plucking about six cards and making his purchase, I figure I'd pounce on what he was looking through. 

I thought I had the box to myself, however an older guy started going to the row and I thought he was just some casual - I wanted to stay out of his way, where I'd let him have first look through the cards where he started digging through, and then maybe I'd take my turn to go through the stacks of cards he was finished with.

Maybe he gets bored soon enough and moves on, but he was already asking the seller how much would it take to buy the entire row - he started to pore over the cards, maybe seeing what he really wanted and/or counting them out.

He asked if I was done and I kind of gestured 'yes' even though I would have liked the opportunity to go through the rest of the cards without being out scooped - knowing he wanted the row of cards for himself and just about to buy just all of it, was I the one who starts lacking manners if I insist on going through the rest of the cards? 

Whatever I had in-hand before this other guy tried to make an offer was fair game - but I wouldn't want someone else trying to cherry pick cards off a row I'm trying to buy as one lot.  

I still had loose cards I'd flagged from this last row but put back a couple that I wasn't really considering - with the cards I'd set aside in my original rummage, I think I ended up with 16 cards and was basically charged half off, which was good enough.  

TTM autograph received: J.C. Martin

I sent the 1960 Topps Gary Peters uncorrected error to the player [Martin] pictured on the main image and my card was signed and returned in about three weeks - I don't know if I really like how the card turned out, but it becomes one of those novelties in my collection where a 63-year old card ends up being dual signed because of a mistake.

Better than a blaster [?] - random finds

I was charged $15 for this grouping of assorted cardboard at a card show - maybe I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at here, maybe just odds and ends to be funneled away or to be left sitting loose in my collection somewhere. Maybe the $0.50 boxes were a mix bag of assorted cards but there might be some cheap thrills - I wasn't as emotionally invested in the rummage because it was off an unfamilar trio [?] of sellers who were doing business at the other end of the tables where I was doing my digging at.

At times I like it where I'm left alone to do my thing - but it feels kind of weird where I feel a little isolated and just to check out, I have to make an effort to flag one of the people while they might be preoccupied with other important things.

Dollar box finds except for the Wander Franco - I figure I'd splurge and pay $3 for a 2019 Topps Minor League Heritage Franco, though I see it as falling in that prospect, pre-rookie, non-MLB netherworld where it's not going to be particularly valued.

Maybe in 5-10 years, if Franco ever lives up to the hype bestowed upon him, maybe my lousy card trickles up to a $10 card - though Franco wasn't setting the league in fire and got hurt, he figures to be an all-star talent through his prime.

TTM autographs received: Manny Mota

The former big league outfielder and one of the all-time great pinch hitting greats signed my cards in about a week or so - I like how the coaches' cards came out, which came from a couple of team sets.

Better than a blaster - does this count?

I found this card in the $20 pile off a card show table and figure it's a vintage Mickey Mantle card, right [?] - even if it's an odder card where it's harder to make out Mantle's image.

There is really nothing much to the card - but it's old and it's a keeper where vintage cards tend to be more intermittent teases in my collections, rather than something I feign to collect in any sort of way.

Some low level value box style digging

At card shows, I like the idea of cobbling cards together that make sense to me - my take home stash may not be worth much all together [charged $10 in this instance], but depending on what I find, I can exercise a certain nuance in picking out my keepers off a particular table.

Angels material - 3 for $1  - the Angels are my team to collect them through rain, sleet or snow, but I can't help but feel there is a janky quality that lingers from the top of the organization down to the product on the field. 

2021 Topps Chrome Shohei Ohtani #159 - he really hasn't had that all-world season with the bat and on the mound, has had some uneven performances in recent starts.

2021 Topps Finest Shohei Ohtani #54

2021 Topps Finest Mike Trout #57 - was in an 0-for-26 hole, may have busted out off that until his groin gave out.

2021 Topps Finest Finest Legacies Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero #FL-MT

2021 Topps Gallery Shohei Ohtani #96 

$1 each

2016 Topps Chrome Mike Trout #1 

2021 Topps Archives Snapshots Jo Adell #19 - he's had to step in where it seems like he's as bad as some Angels fans want him to be, where the 23-year old's abilities just doesn't translate into skills that make him a legitimate big leaguer.

$1 each

1960 Fleer Baseball Greats Zack Wheat #12 

1960 Fleer Baseball Greats Dazzy Vance #51 

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats Chuck Klein #51

1962 Post Cereal Richie Ashburn #186

$0.50 each

1961 Topps Don Mossi #14

 

I was able to scrounge up some vintage cards and while they came from the depths of some cheap-o boxes and not showcase material - maybe having some 60 year old pieces of cardboard in hand should be some sort of accomplishment. 

$2 each 

2021 Bowman's Best Refractor Marco Luciano #20 [x2] - whoever knows with some of these top prospects, but looks like this shortstop prospect is having a good year in Single-A. 

2021 Bowman's Best Refractor Andrew Vaughn #21 - he had an unspectacular rookie season in 2021, but has shown better production with the bat so far. 

Better than a blaster [?] - some value box digging

I've kind of focused on attending on the once or twice a month card shows rather than the two times a week one - there might be a bigger two-day card show event coming up where I need to save up, but I couldn't help but pay a visit to see what was up at my local card show / shop for at least a couple of hours.

At the storefront's tables, I dug up 200 quarter cards I was charged $20 for, then meandered around, to re-discover a familiar seller - usually I'd spend a good portion of my time just digging through this person's $0.50 boxes of doom, but didn't see him after I'd done damage already with bulk material.

However, I still had the time to rummage around for a little bit and the following keepers caught my eye - when it came time to show my cards to the seller, the total came out to $15.

1992 Bowman Pedro Martinez #82 [$5] - not a rookie card but one of the better cards of a prospect era Pedro.

2001 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Game Jersey Joe Nuxhall #J-JN [$3] - he's not a Hall of Famer, but he was the youngest ever [15] to play in the big leagues, so that's a little bit of trivia associated with the player.

2022 Topps Series 1 Major League Material Pete Alonso #MLM-PA [$2] - relic cards aren't valued much as a card type, but they might be fun enough keepers for a couple of dollars, especially when it's a hot player featured.

1980 TCMA 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers World Champions Don Drysdale #1980-028 [$1] - I tend to over look oddballs like this one but I flipped it over and it looks like there is actually an MLB logo, so I'll take the odder cards if they are licensed.

1994 Donruss Studio Heritage Collection Don Mattingly #4 [$1] - it's a side mission to make keepers out cards from certain inserts like this one.

2021 Topps Opening Day Mascot Relic Card Mr. Met Mets #MR-MM [$1] - the sentiment may not mean much in reality, but maybe I'm more open to seeking out baseball cards featuring oddball subjects like mascots.

1995 Donruss Dominators Left Field Albert Belle / Barry Bonds / Moises Alou #7 of 9 [$1] - found with ‘Remove Protective Peel’ removed.

Angels material - the team has fallen so far back in just a month, it's hard to see where they go and bounce back from here.

2021 Topps Holiday Walmart Shohei Ohtani #HW80 [$1]
2021 Topps Holiday Walmart Jo Adell RC #HW135 [$1]

Reviewing a trading card app - YMMV

Through my Instagram feed [or in my Instgram Explore feed], I might have seen snippet where a trading card influencer was promoting this app called Center Stage - maybe the clip ran for about 10 seconds, but I was curious enough to download the app.

I was at a show about a month ago where I might have seen a woman using this app to look up cards that had piqued her interest - I think she was telling the seller about the app, though I didn't know anything about it then.

I think this trading card app is supposed to help identify cards where it will link to eBay listings where with recent sales information - to be fair, this app might be a work in progress where it might not give the user the latest, most accurate listings.

Another function that maybe of use is being able to 'scan' a random card in his hand and the app has the ability to show what the card is - trying things out, the app was able to identify at least a couple of cards off the bat, though there were instances where you have to frame the card the right way or else the app will give you listings for different cards all together.

Where this app may help me the most is dealing with looking up all sorts of cards off my assorted pick ups - as part of what I call my inventory recap 'process,' I want to list out all the cards I found, so I have an idea where I got specific cards and may have something to look back on as far any number of 'hauls.'

Off a card show trip, I end up with at least 50-100 bulk cards and as well as 35-40 assorted singles at one time - I really don't want to look cards up manually where I have to think about the year, the brand, et al so I can list them out from the first to the very last card.

I don't know if this app speeds up that process, but I can 'scan' a number of cards one-by-one and find many of them - as someone who has crept towards the older collector territory, I don't know if I can look up some card numbers in tiny print and other card identifiers that maybe obscured off the cards themselves.

I still have to make sure that the card I've scanned matches the results, but the app gives me a more interactive process - as opposed to having to look up miscellaneous cards through a Web search, a COMC search or an ebay search outright.

When I get results, I can work with something where I can copy [instead of typing out] the brand, the year, the player and the card number - so that may make generating a list easier than having to type things out, even if I have to play around with how I want the card listings formatted.