Local Card Show Pick-Ups - Nice Save from The Wife!

My wife and I met up with some great friends at the local mall this past weekend to have lunch and browse the local card show.  Of course, this was plotted way in advance as a lunch with friends with card show benefits.  My friend, Brian, a loyal Cleveland Indians fan and one helluva basketball official, just picked up the card collecting again after a brief stint with raising two teenage boys.  Anyway, after a great lunch and great conversation, we found our way from the food court to the card show.  I don't know how many tables constitute a "show", but if it is around 5 then I guess it was a show.  Now if you throw out the Grandpa and Grandma Beanie Baby table, plus the non-sports guy selling sports pictures/plaques/team keychains table, and of course the replica car/more plaques/etc table, the "SHOW" was down to 2 tables with any resemblance of sports card knowledge.  This show, which usually happens twice a year use to have around 20-25 tables of just sportscards.  Needless to say I was a bit disappointed. 

So after looking at one table where "Beckett" is proudly displayed on the table AND in the table owner's hand I quickly moved over to the next table and struck up a conversation with Rodney.  I always like the guys who have things spread out nicely, with prices on everything, but have boxes behind the tables with the odds and ends that demand someone asking about.  I also like the tables where before you can ask a question, you get a "hello how can I help you!"  At most tables anymore I think that I need to announce "I have money, I am not a pain in the ass to your business, I want your cards!"  Thanks Rodney for some great customer service.  After asking about my latest two set fascinations, he set out to find what I was looking for.

From one of those boxes come a handful of 1973 Topps singles.  Actually, they probably came from 10 different boxes but he looked through them and started picking the 1973 cards out so I could see what I needed.  I was able to knock off 35 cards from my 1973 Want List.  I picked up a Rico Petrocelli, whose MLB XM Radio show "Remember When" is one of my favorite things to listen to on Saturday mornings.  I also picked up a "Royal" Lou Piniella and an Al Oliver.  While I never pass up a Royal, I do remember growing up watching Oliver hurt the Royals in his brief stint with the Rangers.  Oliver is one of those players that I don't believe gets enough credit.  A lifetime .303 hitter with over 2700 hits, 500 doubles, and 200 home runs, he was as solid as they come.

Some of my other pickups included cards that captured some great action with the Kodak 110 Point and Shoot cameras.  Topps must have been relegated to the upper deck to take some of these photos.  Thank god Topps put names on their cards because other than that, you couldn't really tell who it was.  However, I think Oscar Gamble's 'fro gave him away.  I also picked up some of the manager cards including this one of the legendary Sparky Anderson, and also some great Boyhood Photo cards.  I wonder if Gaylord Perry grew up thinking about how he could hide a bat with too much pine tar from umpires.  

Now to give some props to my wife.  Ready to go to the card show...check...want list...check...card sleeves...check...cash...oops!  Thanks to my wife she saved the day (even though I must repay).  I love the fact that my wife shares my joy of baseball and baseball cards even though she thinks I spend way too much money on them.  She even picked out a George Brett card that caught her eye.  I will share that in another post.