Today's Card Show Spoils - A Great Vintage Acquisition

The lady had some things to do this afternoon, so I decided to make the hour-long trek to Plano and hit up the Dallas Card Show for this month.  I ended up spending more than I had planned (I planned to spend nothing), but such is the struggle.

I walked the room and there was a seller with a 1991 Topps factory set.  I planned to make him an offer but once I got back, it was gone.  The price was right but I didn't want to carry it around.  Oops!

The first purchase I made was a few cards from  3/$10 boxes.  I'm not showing them all because some will be sent to others and I want them to be surprises.

2002 Sweet Spot Classics Game Bat #BCR Cal Ripken

I picked this one up for myself.  I miss the good ol' days when relic cards actually were something.  This is certainly a flashback to those days.

2002 Topps Pristine Personal Endorsements #MT Marcus Thames

I don't follow baseball but I know Marcus Thames started out hot this season.  I had no idea that he could have a card from 17 years ago, but this is proof.  I guess I overpaid since you can get a copy of this for $3 on COMC, but it happens.  Ah well.

I picked the following card up from Leon, the owner of the Net54 site.  It will make it's way to a Cubs collector in time.  At that price and age, I wasn't leaving it behind.

1953 Bowman Black and White #12 Randy Jackson

The final three cards I picked up from Rich.  He offered to let me go through his boxes that he'd not priced yet.  I'm thrilled that I took the time.  Neither of us was sure what the book value was on these, but a number was thrown out and accepted.

1954 Bowman #64 Eddie Mathews

Dividing the price paid by the three cards I purchased, I likely slighty overpaid for this one.  It's a card of a Hall-of-Famer and I made up for any overpayment with the other two cards.

1933-34 V357 Ice Kings #12 Nels Stewart

1933-34 V357 Ice Kings #12 Nels Stewart (back)

Even in poor condition, I was thrilled at the price I got this at.  I had no idea of the value or anything about Nelson Stewart.  It turns out that he is a Hall-of-Famer, enshrined in 1952.  It also turns out that high BV on this card is $600.  Despite the condition, I got a deal.  Have I mentioned that I'm thrilled to add this card to my collection?

1933-34 V357 Ice Kings #42 Sylvio Mantha

1933-34 V357 Ice Kings #42 Sylvio Mantha (back)

This Sylvio Mantha card is in much better condition and very good shape in general.  I have no idea what it might grade, but it's more than 80-years old, so it doesn't matter to me.  Mantha is also a Hall-of-Famer.  High book value is $200 on this one and with the condition, I got even a better deal than I did on the above card.

I've been fortunate to come into a few vintage hockey cards at fantastic prices.  The trend is continuing!

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $100 in about seven months.  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!

30 Day Card Challenge - Day 8

Today's card is one that "reminds you of a family member."

Well, it's my blog and I'll cheat if I want to.  I had narrowed it down to two cards.  When I went to grab them for a pic, I decided to add a couple more.

I remember walking through the living room one evening in 1989 and my mama asking me if I'd heard about the card with the cuss word on it.  She'd seen it on the evening news.  Yup, ol' #616...the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken.  

Not too long later, we were at a card show and she actually let me pick a couple of packs of Fleer.  The seller, who was also my local "card shop" owner (he actually owned a small grocery store) was selling packs that were from the early run.  I can't remember for sure, but he was probably asking $3 or $4 for a pack.  I was FLOORED that she let me buy these, considering she refused to buy me Upper Deck packs that were $1.

I picked up my packs and headed out to the lobby.  The show was in the Ramada Inn in my hometown and there were nice, comfy chairs outside.  In one of the packs resided that card that you see in the pic above.  There was an older guy that offered me $10 for the card, thinking that I didn't know what I had.  He's probably a retail pack searcher now.  What an asshole, trying to rip off a ten-year old kid.

The Rickey Henderson rookie is the first "big" card my parents bought me.  It was probably in 1989 or so.  I had only been collecting for a couple of years and they bought me a low grade copy.  As an adult now, I'd have done the same thing.  The card is probably a PSA 1.  It's worth way more sentimentally than the monetary value.

Those two cards are the two that I've probably had the longest.  Through the card purges and moving from Morgantown, WV to Pittsburgh to Indianapolis to Fort Worth, they've been the two that have been through it all with me.

The other two cards were given to my by my uncle when I graduated college in 2001.  The McGwire was obviously worth more then.  No idea on the Ripken because I don't care.  They will always be one of the cornerstones of my collection.  That uncle was the man that got me into collecting cards when he gave me a complete 1986 Topps set for Christmas.

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back.  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!

30 Day Card Challenge - Day 1

30 Day Card Challenge - Day 2

30 Day Card Challenge - Day 3
30 Day Card Challenge - Day 4
30 Day Card Challenge - Day 5

Two Birds, One Stone (30 Day Card Challenge - Day 6)
30 Day Card Challenge - Day 7