Purchase fails made correct by a seller

When I pick up some cheap-o cards from an online card outlet, I usually let the incoming PWE sit loose after I open it up and briefly scan through the contents - I think it's pretty neat that I can pick up certain cards impulsively, though maybe it gets tricky getting exactly the odd cards I want, in a presentable condition.

On a whim, I took a closer look at the cards shipped to me from an order and go figure two of the cards I threw in to maximize the shipping rate were damaged - the 1991 Classic card of Will Clark I picked up for about a quarter has some residue and staining along the right side while the 1991 Classic card of Tim Salmon for a quarter was creased.

The seller even put a 1991 Classic Wes Chamberlain card as a dummy protector card on top - but both cards may have been in garbage condition even before they were shipped out.

The 2010 Topps Update Tales of the Game Joel Youngblood and 2017 Topps Update Johnny Damon that might have been the centerpiece purchases [yeah at another quarter or so each] were jammed in another semi-rigid holder [which is often the case more than not] - maybe they were subject to some of the conditions as well, but being ‘newer’ cards, they otherwise still look okay.

Assuming there were no problems with the cards in the first place, I already left feedback - I figured I basically ended up paying more for the two cards I really wanted, but ended up contacting the seller, where credit for the two damaged cards was added to my account.

Now I wonder if I'm going to use the credit to try and pick up similar copies of the Clark and Salmon cards - or will my $0.50 credit go into something else entirely.

A card show trip recap - feat. Tim Raines

Went to a card show and it was sort of a blur with all the foot traffic and commerce going on - I nearly had an anxiety attack because the room was packed and it was getting stuffy, especially spending too much time at one table trying to conjure up the right combination of cheap-o cards making up the bulk my '3 for $1' and '6 for $1' finds.

I stumbled upon one last table with some boxes of various odds and ends [autos / relics / otherwise 'hit' cards] - maybe a couple of other collectors were going through the other [non-baseball] boxes and giving the seller cards they had flagged.

The seller was literally pricing cards out and telling them to come back in an hour [to presumably finish their purchase] - maybe I'd stop at a table, grab the cards I wanted and see about paying for them right there and then.

Though it may be standard operating procedure, I find the concept of stacking cards for later somewhat odd - maybe I need to actually get to know the seller first before having a relationship where I can pull cards to reserve them.

The seller was looking on dealing for a handful of cards from this one guy [$500-$600 range] and I don't even know if I would be interested in anything - I found a Tim Raines certified autograph for $20 sticker and while Raines isn't quite that popular Hall of Fame legend, it maybe a no brainer picking up a HOF auto on a acetate card printed to be a little more unique.

Besides finishing his big deal, the seller was looking briefly at other cards that some flippers were showing him - he also finished up another deal where he was looked up a card on eBay and charged another collector $3 for a random card pulled from one of the boxes.

When I finally showed the Raines to the seller, he might have looked at for a moment and asked $15 for it - I relented to dig out the required cash out of my wallet and pay up, being able to take this card home for less than a blaster.

Featured autograph - Minnie Minoso

I don't think Minoso registered for me other than a MLB fan favorite who had the feat of appearing in five different decades - I picked up this 8x10 photo from the 2006 National for about $20 [or less] just because it represented a little bit of diversity out of the autograph photo choices from a dealer's table.

With his election to the Hall of Fame along with other greats like Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva - it might be time to give them a second look.