Card show trip - some more vintage

These were more pick ups from the last show I went to over the summer - I may have two or three more things to show, though it might be up in the air whether future roundup posts will ever be made.

The individually priced vintage bins from a familiar enough seller table may have been picked over just the same - but I tried to rummage around to flag some vintage odds and ends, then moved over to the $0.50 bins with the newest cards, but wasn’t patient enough to pick through that.

1959 Topps Baseball Thrills Duke Snider #468 [$10.00] - on my blog, this has been on my collecting topics wantlist - Top 10-15 wants, so I finally knocked it out.

1964 Topps Coins Roberto Clemente #150 [$10.00] - a vintage oddball item picturing an iconic Hall of Fame has symbolic value, even when a cliche I spit out is something being only worth what I paid. 

1967 Topps Dick Allen / Hank Aaron Roberto / Clemente #242 [$10.00] - a trifecta of Hall of Famers makes this leaders card keeper.

1967 Topps Lou Brock #285 [$5.00] - there might be infinitely better cards than a vintage base card of a Hall of Famer, but I'll take it for what I paid. 

Card show finds - Miscellaneous dollar box pulls

For card shows I have to pay some type of entrance fee / premium for upfront, before even spending money at actual seller tables - is it a failure to dig around for smaller types of purchases?

I get self-conscious about having to think a little more 'big time' in order to justify a card show day - maybe it's just a case where I still have do my thing, even if I might not have clearly defined goals other than being loosey-goosey wandering and rummaging around.

The following were a results of a rummage in mostly a dollar box except for one card - in a case where I have to pay to gain admittance to a card show, maybe a game I want to play is staying away from sellers I know I've bought from before and end up seeing at the more typical 'free' card shows I go to.

As it goes however, that idea only lasts so long when I end up looking for that first accessible table where I start digging around bins - I ended up being charged $20 for about $26 worth of cards off a seller who puts out bins of $1, $2, $5 cards among other things he might tease at his table [maybe other odds and ends, a higher end showcase].

I've bought from this seller multiple times over the past two or three years at different places - though at the same card show event the year before, I was trying to be smart about staying away from someone relatively local.

1999 Topps Finest Split Screen Refractor Right Alex Rodriguez / Ken Griffey Jr. #SS2 [$2] - I'll pick up the occasional A-Rod card where there might be lingering nostaglia over the player, regardless of his mistakes in his professional baseball career and regardless of the things he is up to now to try and stay relevant, like working in the media and trying to own a professional sports team, etc.

I am not familiar with these Topps Finest inserts, though looking them up - there might be versions where the Griffey Jr. side is a refractor or a version where both sides are refractors.

I'm the peculiar collector who spends an hour rummaging through value box cards at one table where I have my game face on - I might not be digging through high brow stuff, I might be flagging odds and ends, but it's a thing to kind of keep going card-by-card, stack-by-stack and row-by-row.

While the seller has probably combed over his value boxes, I like the idea where I find all sorts of stuff - oddballs, shiny, old-school player card (s) and even newer retro cards of Hall of Fame legends.

Some of the odder stuff for me includes - a 1993 Upper Deck World Cup 94 Preview English / Spanish From The Sidelines Tony Meola #149, where he is signing for Reggie Jackson, 1992 Sports Illustrated for Kids Series 2 Dawn Staley #67 and a 2005-06 Topps Chrome Christie Brinkley #216.

I really have no lingering sentiment for the player, but I grabbed a 1999 Fleer Mystique Pat Burrell RC #134 - Serial #’d 2486/2999 - since it might have been his 'hot' mainstream rookie when he may have gotten hobby hype 25 years ago.

Making the odd Angels cards keepers is still fun, where I need that one MLB team to bang the drum for - idly digging where I was ready to check out, the 1964 Topps Angel Backstops Buck Rodgers (Bob Rodgers) / Ed Sadowski #61 might have been a last minute find.

I fished out these cards out of a vintage set-filler portion of mostly commons - 1970 Topps Jim Kaat #75, 1970 Topps Juan Marichal #210 and 1970 Topps Tony Oliva #510.

Besides baseball, the seller really has all sort of odds and ends where it's not jumbled up like a tub or bucket - but you never know what you might find.

I want to be narrow minded where I'm picking up baseball cards I'm familiar with for the most part - but to add some more wrinkles to my stack, I made a 1995 Panini Smash Hits Album Stickers Steven Tyler #3, a 1995 Panini Smash Hits Album Stickers Bono #137 and a 1995 Panini Smash Hits Album Stickers Madonna #79 keepers.

Card show finds - Miscellaneous vintage #2

I'm not so well versed in vintage cards, where it is sort of a 'no-context' collecting theme for me - but to follow in other collector's footsteps, I want to dabble in picking up random cards, so it's not always the new stuff I end up with in card show hauls.

Even if I'm never getting close to possessing particularly valuable and/or the coveted vintage that are slabbed up and rest in serious collectors' hands - I want to able to say that I can tease some old school / vintage baseball cards that adds some character to my collections.

Doing some blind digs in a vintage bin at a card show booth - it is hard to figure out what I am looking for, but maybe I try to see if there are cards that catch my eye or really players and/or specific cards other collectors have talked about.

I decided to splurge on a 1954 Bowman Larry Doby card #84 - I liked how he is posed on the dugout steps on a bright, sunny day with the stadium behind him.

The only thing was I did not bother to pay closer attention to the back of the card - I did not realize there were some writing that may have had me putting card back.

1954 Topps Ed O'Brien & Johnny O'Brien #139 - a unique twin brother duo who played on the same Pittsburgh Pirates teams in the big leagues.

1955 Topps Harry Agganis #152 - I was scrolling on Instagram two or three years ago when I learned about this card and the player, a two-sport athlete who ended up passing away prematurely.

1963 Fleer Albie Pearson #19 and 1962 Topps Baseball Bob Rodgers #431 - it may depend on what I find, but I might be apt to make keepers out of vintage cards of one-time Angels players, either to fill out my Angels Opening Day Starters collection or my all-time Angels register project.

Dollar vintage - the 1961 Topps Zorro 'Zoilo' Versalles RC #21 goes into my award winners collection, while the 1967 Topps Jose Cardenal #193 and 1967 Topps George Brunet #122 probably end up in my Angels Opening Day Starters collection or my all-time Angels register project.

Card show finds - Miscellaneous vintage #1

I was browsing around a booth with binned singles at various price points - there were some early 1960s Fleer and also 1959 Fleer Ted Williams that might be of interest.

I decided to another table in the meantime, but overheard another collector looking for 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards - so I wondered if he saw the binned cards from the one booth I was looking through.

I went back to the booth just to see if the cards were still there and it looks like they were - maybe the plan was to pick up four cards for around $5 each, so I tried to thumb through cards and see if there were probable keepers out of 'vintage, but long after their playing careers were done' cards of many HOfers.

I know the stacks I'm thumbing through are not high brow vintage and I don't really know what to make of such old-timey cards, but rather than some 'here and now' miscellany - it might be cool to end up with some real cardboard relics rather than something shiny and newish.

I picked out a couple of the Ted Williams cards - I can use as binder material I can add with my loose modern era Williams cards or for a loose card project.

I picked up an odd-uniform Ralph Kiner card picturing him with the Cleveland Indians - I can use for a loose card project or as binder material.

I picked up a Kid Nichols card I can squirrel away as part of my loose card Hall of Fame collections - where maybe I've tried to revive that project a little bit.

I made a Ty Cobb card a keeper, since he was the GOAT among early 20th century century players - even if he wasn't the most savory personality and reputation.

I also grabbed a card Branch Rickey since he was instrumental in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball - maybe to use for a loose card project or as an 'extra' I can add along with my loose modern era Jackie Robinson cards.

I realized I'd actually bought from the seller last year at another card show - I did not expect him to remember me, but when presented my cards, maybe hoping for a little off the total.

I was expecting to pay $25 or maybe $20 if I was lucky, but was charged exactly $30 for six cards and the seller was even confused, where he thought he asked me for $35 - I rolled my eyes for a moment before paying up.

What I did not realize until taking pictures of the cards after the fact - was the Cobb was actually marked as a $15 card when I assumed it was just another $5 card, so the seller did end up giving me a little discount off as I'd expected in the first place.

Card show buys - miscellaneous stuff

I thumbed through some cards arranged in a binder at a seller's table and found this Logan O' Hoppe rookie card in the $2 or '6 for $10' portion - while I might be a fan of a last place Angels team that lost Shohei Ohtani, I'm always looking for cards of 'future guys' to latch onto as the next team stars.

O'Hoppe has the potential to be a frontline catcher, which means he can be both hit and can handle a pitching staff - if he can develop as intended, he could be a franchise player for years to come.

Making the O'Hoppe rookie a keeper, I decided to see if I can fish out some other cards to amuse me - I picked up some old school / vintage odds and ends that end up being at least 45-years old.

I am not a fan of manager cards but I like the backs of the 1969 Topps manager cards - they give a larger than life feel when the fronts of the cards are pretty sleepy.

Thankful for some old-school / vintage pickups

Maybe at every corner of a card show I attended, would be a table where people were clustered at - it was hard to squeeze in and in a case or two, I might move off a table for a moment and already have someone jumping into my spot.

I found myself at a table where a bunch of old heads [at least older than I] were going through vintage or old school material - the cheap cards in bins were ‘2 for $1,’ and cards in binders were a dollar each.

Maybe I had to bug off for a little bit before circling back to see - if I can find an opportunity to get back to the table and start picking around somewhere.

Maybe things started off awkwardly where another guy rummaging through the '2 for $1' bins thought I smelled of cigarettes - I found it silly where I don't smoke at all and was saying as much, while rolling my eyes.

This guy was wearing a mask where it looked like he might have trouble breathing in a confined area - I was not about to say anything to disrespect the guy, but just try to get out of his way, while doing my thing.

I think I found some old school / vintage beaters - the Brooks Robinson that ended up being autographed from my last post was part of the cards that were '2f for $1.'

I've never really been well versed in old-school / vintage cards, where I'm going to be digging through 'old cards' with a serious focus like set building - but maybe it's a reward to idly dig and find cards of Hall of Famers, even if they are beaters.

I am pretty sure these are stadium project cards, so it's nice to find a pair of old school keepers that really go back - besides most of what I've accumulated from the 1980s through present. I had a chance to go through the vintage dollar binders - maybe I was dealing with the leftovers towards the latter part of the show and I decided to make these four random keepers out of more beaters.

Like the Brooks Robinson, the Whitey Ford has a scribble on the front - it's not an autograph on the card, but someone wrote 'Yankees' in black ballpoint pen.

If I had paid attention, I would have put the card back - but maybe part of the charm of going through vintage cards [for cheap] is seeing cards that end up being defaced in some way.

I grabbed a 1963 Topps Roger Maris #120 [$25] off the table - I asked the seller if I could take a look at it because it was kind of behind the cheap-o bins I was going through and though there might be an invisible barrier that kept me from reaching around the loosely displayed cards on the table.

The seller said I can actually go ahead and have a look at the card since the cards came originally from their bins for their single cards - but there was just not room to put them somewhere else.

Earlier in the year, I had an eye on another copy of the Maris card at the card shop I go to - but it disappeared off their display cases before I decided I might actually want the card.

Maris ends up a famous non-HoFer in MLB history for his historic 1961 season where he blasted 61 home runs - the main image gives off that late ‘61 vibe, where Maris looks a little morose with sad eyes.

From the bins, I found a 1966 Topps 1966 Rookie Stars Bill Singer / Don Sutton RC #288 [$10] and a 1967 Topps Tony Perez #476 [unmarked top loaded cards were $3] - it is unexpectedly cool to actually pick up a vintage HOFer rookie, even though Sutton shares it with a guy who had a racial incident 20 years ago with former Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng, who was then working for the Dodgers.

At another card show, another copy of the Perez ended up one of my last cuts - maybe I should have made it a keeper three weeks ago, but got another chance to make things right and this copy might end up having a little more eye appeal.

When I finally presented my miscellaneous stack to the seller, I don't think I got much [or any] discount off the total - but the cards I ended up with might just have a bit more historicity, compared to busting a retail value box or a mega box 'thingy' that might be $50 these days.

Some better than a blaster keepers?

At the last monthly card show date I went to, the tables seemed a little light, where the familiar sellers I usually start to stack some probable keepers were not around - maybe I'd be good with making a couple impulsive purchases after trying to go around the room and figuring out where I can go hang out somewhere else.

I ended up at a seller's table with a three row, 3000 count box - but only a couple of partially filled rows of $10 cards / three for $25 or $5 cards / five for $20.

I started to rummage through the one lousy box, while the Big Boss Man at the table [and a worker] looked like they were doing some bigger wheeling and dealing with other collectors trying to buy or flip some cards - his value boxes were the least of his concern, where here I am trying to rummage and see what I can stack for $25 or less.

I ended up finding a 1967 Topps checklist #361 and made it a keeper because it's kind of a Roberto Clemente card as well - I do not really think this card is like having an actual one of the player, but I'll make an exception where I'll treat it more as a unique oddball that has the player's image.

To the naked eye, the card looks fairly clean with relatively bold, vintage colors - I realize some are harder to find [maybe not this one] because they might be marked or not cared for as much.

I grabbed a 1962 Topps Eddie Mathews #30 because it was a relatively clean card of a Hall of Fame slugger who blasted 512 home runs - I think my friend is still wondering where the baseball he sent Eddie Mathews went back when Mathews was still alive and signed TTM for a fee, 25 years ago.

I added this 2022 Topps 1-of-1 printing plate card of Greg Holland, because I like cards with players sharing a 'good game, game over' moment - I like the printing plates where the image of the player is still visible, even when nearly ghosted out.

I don't know if collectors value them as much other than player collectors who need to cross them off a checklist - but seem relatively hard to find and are a little different than the actual cards.

I don't know if this 1997 Fleer EX Star Date 2000 Vladimir Guerrero #15 was really worth $4 - but relented to pay a premium for a really loud, early MLB insert that features this all-around great.

I totally understand what it means where a player can do the impossible, but on the back of the card - it's funny where a minor league manager says Guerrero could go 4-for-3 in one night.

Finally, I impulsively grabbed what I think is a 2020-21 Panini Prizm LaMelo Ball RC #278 - with the number of ultra modern brands Panini has pumped out, it's hard to tell what is what.

Maybe it was a bigger deal to chase LaMelo's cards a few years ago where even his low end stuff was worth a little something - while he and his brother Lonzo has lived up to the scrutiny they had as part of the Ball brothers trio from high school to the pros, LaMelo only played 36 games last year.

Lonzo hasn't even gotten on the court the past couple of years - where his pro basketball career has been in limbo, despite being only 25.

Showing off a $5 card show duo

I pulled these and added them to a separate pile from my last post - I do not know much about either card, but the Barry Bonds insert was too loud to put back and the vintage minor league card pictures a Veterans Committee Hall of Famer.

Showing off my $2 card show hauls

These cards were my pick ups from a table with $2 bins off a show I go to once a month - from a father and college age son seller duo, who wouldn't have a reason to recognize me, but I've seen them set up around over the past couple of years.

From what I may have overheard and assumed, with the son going to school, the pair ends up spacing out in their card show selling appearances - until the son has the free time to help out.

I've looked forward to seeing what they might tease in their value boxes when they've shown up - maybe due to rising costs all around, maybe their cheap stuff was mostly $2 boxes and up, where it was mainly dollar bin set ups through the past two years.

Because I was trying to rummage for keepers out of the $2 boxes in a limited amount of time, I didn't even realize they did have a dollar box - which seemed otherwise hidden or out of view.

Oddball action - the Wally Joyner card caught my eye, picturing him in college.

The card may not be a true pre-rookie issue, but likely from a smaller set - producted during his rookie season in 1986 to capitalize on his Wally World fame.

I grabbed the magazine insert card of Kirk Gibson because it's a little different than his mainstream junk wax era issues - even though it could be easily a card probably weeded out at the final stage of my rummage, I'll give myself a high five for making it a keeper.

Old-school and vintage mix - I found a copy of the infamous 1972 Topps Billy Martin finger card a couple of years ago and it made sense to pair it with the In Action subset, where he's in his element as a manager.

1975 SSPC Superstars and 1976 SSPC mix - I didn't realize these cards came from different sets until I started looking them up.

These basic cards are unlicensed, but are relatively nice looking - where singles of notable players might be keepers as a complement to same-year or same-era Topps cards.

Other sport / non sport - collecting anything other than baseball cards has never been my thing, but I had to grab the card of Ke Huy Quan [Short Round] since he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Centerfield contemporaries - 1990s edition - Ken Griffey Jr. was an all-time great, but Bernie Williams was a great part of the New York Yankees dynasty from the late-1990s through the early 2000s.

Better than a blaster - more vintage and old school mix

While I've gotten addicted to claiming odds and ends through sellers' sales on Elon's social media - I figured to go back to my in-person card show roots where I have not gotten to a show date in a couple of months.

I figured I'd hit up a seller I've ignored the last couple of times where I knew he has set up - just to show my face, where I haven't completely ghosted this person, who I've considered a go-to table.

I started digging through seller '3 for $5' stacks, figuring to see if he had anything that would catch my eye - maybe his table set up was a little bare and was worried the deep cuts card were not really to be found.

His seller buddy that presumably share a table came a little bit later and overhearing their chatter, said he hadn’t sold much recently - because he hasn’t gone and bought new inventory [presumably collections] to re-sell.

Maybe I spent too much time trying to figure out which cards I'd pick out without blowing my entire wad - I ended being charged $20 for odds and ends, including six old school / vintage cards from the '3 for 5' pile and a 1969 Topps Fergie Jenkins #640 [$5] and a 1972 Topps Tom Seaver #445 [$10] from the individually priced pile of cards.

Better than a blaster [?] - some vintage and old school cards

At a card show I went to, I started rummaging through some old-school and vintage cards at a table - I don't think I've seen this seller before and he might have been real happy to be there, where people might be interested in what he was selling.

From the bits and pieces I was overhearing, the seller was a longtime collector - but maybe starting to sell off some odds and ends to his collection.

The seller had scattered $2, $3, $5, $7, $10, $15 and up cards in his boxes - maybe I wanted to get started somewhere else at the show where I didn't want to get stuck in one table at the beginning of my journey, but I started finding some oddball Hostess cards for $2 each and was resigned to see if I can find some other cards to build a stack with.

Maybe the $2 portions had some of the 'newer' cards from the junk wax / UV era - I wanted to focus on finding the occasional off-condition vintage / old school star cards in the $5 rows, though maybe I don't want to blow my wad of cash outright.

Then seller told me the cards priced $5 and up where buy 2, get 1 free - I think what caught my eye was a 1970 Topps Bud Harrelson #634, which in a vintage card of a player inking it up.

Even though it's either miscut or even trimmed up, anything I pick up would have to start and end with that card - it was going home with me

I picked up some other cards, just to have some vintage card 'relics' in-hand - including some fairly loved, off-condition at best star cards.

The seller said if he knew someone was going to look for the Hostess cards, he would have brought more - he said they were mostly common, but unique [because they were not packed out like normal baseball cards].

Along with the old-school, oddball Hostess cards, I was charged $22 for my stack, which seemed reasonable - rather than settling for a shiny, new blaster box for at least several dollars more.

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.