Garage sale finds

Bad news first. I found so many goodies at the garage sale on Friday that I went back again today to add to my stash. But the weather had turned cooler and the folks had closed up shop for the weekend. Oh well.

My disappointment was brief, because I liked what I found on Friday. Great stuff. I could stand in front of that guy's file cabinet for a week-and-a-half and find something I want.

So here is what I took home. Again, nothing spectacular, but I found it interesting and very useful in the vast card collecting scheme of things.

We'll start with the Mike Piazzas. I bought 11 cards, including the 1994 Pacific card up top. I find as a Dodger collector that I have a harder time acquiring Piazza cards than almost any other recent player. I blame the Mets fans for that. So I snapped these up quick.

Here is a 1993 Donruss (I can't believe I still need Dodgers from this set), a 1995 Topps cyberstats, a 1994 Stadium Club HR Club member, and a 1993 Triple Play.

Next up, some sort of 1994 Stadium Club subset, a 1996 Donruss, a 1995 Topps subset and a 1994 Upper Deck subset-something or other.

The "heads-behind-the-hands" Piazza card would be annoying if not for the card back:

I love the cartoon. It reminds me of Tank McNamara. Not the same cartoonist, though.

And two more. 1996 Bazooka and 1994 Leaf "Power Brokers" insert. Some of the titles for insert sets are just awful. Power Brokers? Ugh.

Next, I'll feature some odd balls. My 1989 Orel Hershiser Cap'n Crunch card was getting lonely. So Eddie is joining him. The logo on the helmet has been eliminated, which somehow makes it look as if it's made out of clay.

An off-center 1987 Fleer Star Stickers card of Bob Welch. I've always had a soft spot for Welch, all because he struck out Reggie in the '78 World Series. What a glorious "sit-your-ass-down" moment that was.

1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes Burleigh Grimes. I didn't collect much '83 Donruss so the only other Heroes card I have is Roy Campanella. I love that I can get a card of a 1920s spit-baller. And on the card back they don't hide the fact that Grimes was nasty. The words "gruff," "aggressive," and "Old Stubblebeard" are included. I think those are code for "jerk-off."

Staying with Donruss, here's a 1982 Jim Rice. Not sure why I picked up this card, other than he's a Hall of Famer now, and I didn't have it already. Rice wore No. 14, not No. 34. According to this list, a coach, Lee Stange, wore No. 34 from 1981-84. Of course, No. 34 is now Big Papi's number.

Two cards of Don Sutton in full perm mode. I had both of these cards already, but I could use some that are in better shape. This garage sale guy has two full drawers packed with Hall of Famer cards. The vast majority are recent players like Kirby Puckett and Paul Molitor. But I found some key ones digging around.

He also had a binder full of error cards, from back when collecting error cards was the thing to do. I tried looking for the '89 Fleer Billy Ripken card, but he must've sold it already. This '88 Topps Keith Comstock card is the white letter variation that used to sell for much more than the corrected blue letter variation. Now it books for 2 bucks, and if you can find it with roughed up edges at a garage sale, you can get it for like 20 cents.

It always strikes me as odd when I see cards from the late 1980s in less than perfect shape. I thought by the late '80s everyone was protecting their cards as if they were plutonium. Even 5-year-olds were walking around with Bo Jacksons encased in bullet-proof plastic. My late '80s cards are immaculate.

This was the error card I wanted above any other when I was a kid. The 1979 Topps Bump Wills Blue Jays card. As most collectors know, Wills never played for the Blue Jays. A corrected Rangers card was issued later. I've heard conflicting information on which is rarer. Some say the Rangers card is rarer. Some say that neither is rarer.

For years, all I ever saw was the Rangers card. So, to me, the Blue Jays card was rarer. And it's taken me 30 years to acquire it, so there's a point in favor of the Blue Jays card. But, whatever. When I looked at it, I immediately flipped it over to see what team was listed. It says "Rangers."

Lastly, a couple of '72 Topps for the cause. Here is a National League Home Run Leaders card. The back of the card lists the top 10 and is filled with names of players that many current fans have never heard of: Deron Johnson, Earl Williams, Nate Colbert.

Joe Torre, Boyhood Photos of the Stars. This '72 Topps subset is great. This card is great. Not as great as the Bob Bailey card, but still, just look at it. I think that's a church in the background. And Torre's all spiffy.

I bought three other cards that I didn't show here. Probably going to bloggers. Grand total for all the cards: 7 bucks.

So, now you can see why I wanted to go back. And why I'll be looking forward to the next garage sale next year.