Card Show Haul pt. 1: Vintage

I’ve added a lot of fun stuff to my collection lately that needs to be yapped about… primarily the results of a few nice trades and a trip to the local monthly card show. So I’ll break it into a few posts and hopefully will have some decent content to put up over the next week or so.

Let’s start with the card show! I had a pretty good haul out at Gonzaga Hall. As usual, the room was pretty full. That’s been kind of a problem for me in the past, as I am not terribly fond of crowds, and trying to nudge and dance around so many people (especially card show people, who tend to be a bit more, uh, expansive) while looking at tables and boxes is uncomfortable for me. Thankfully, however, I managed to visit the show during the auction, which sucks people to the end of the room, and during the start of the Packer game, which sucked them right out the door. So I spent a bit more time at the show than usual and got deeper into some of the more interested products.

I scored some very nice vintage stuff, both for my sets and just for fun.

Here’s a real sharp 1980 Nolan Ryan. I paid $4 for it from a half-off box. I actually picked up another one of these earlier in the show for a buck and had forgotten about it by the time I found this gem. The first one was pure filler, so it worked out.

I haven’t started on the 1977 Topps set yet. But when I do, I’ll have this great card of Lefty to start out with. Windbreaker, worn-out fence, mystery blue jeans… yeah, this card is a winner. I got it for a dollar.

REGGIE! Knocked this one off my 1980 want list. When I look at these old Topps designs, I always think of how much better they’d look if they used the team’s colors in the design. Red, orange, and sky blue for the Yankees? This was another buck card.

I added BIG ROOKIE #2 to my ’81 set. I was on the lookout for a Tim Raines as well, but came up empty. This beauty set me back all of 50 cents.

A second-year Wizard of Oz! Again, replace the green with Padre brown and how perfect would this card be? It’s still pretty damn sharp. I got it for two bones.

This Schmidt is a little beat-up, but for just three bananas, I snapped it up in a heartbeat.

When I get the money, I’m going to attack this 1972 set. It’s one of my favorite designs and has some very cool photography. Big Willie looks like he’s just about to pounce, dressed in those so-very-sharp Bucs unis. I paid three-quarters of a donut (75 cents) for it.

I just love the ‘movement’ in this photo. Brooksie twisted up after (I would guess) fouling one off. The tug of his jersey. The restless crowd behind him (dig the paper hat on the vendor). It’s a gorgeous card, no matter how worn it is. It was mine for two beans.

I’m torn on this card. It should be so much cooler. But 1969 was a dead period for Topps photos, with Marvin Miller having convinced many players to resist Topps photographers in order to secure a better licensing deal. This is actually the same exact photo that appeared on Morgan’s 1968 card. Topps was also, for some reason, still unable to use to logos or even the NAME of the Houston Astros. So, the result is this terribly dull card of an incredibly exciting player. It hardly even looks like a baseball card. Anyway, it’s got a big crease in it, and set me back all of one clam.

Now THIS is a ball card. From the same 1969 set, we’ve got a third year Tom Terrific. It’s a little gamey, with some paper loss on the corner, but set me back just five … dollars. It was the most expensive pick-up of the show.

Next up, I’ll share some of the ODDBALLS I found at the show.