The cardboard circle of life

I have one thing in common with young Mr. Clayton. We are both spending our Wednesdays vacationing.

But while he has to return to work tomorrow, or maybe even later today, I'm free and clear for the rest of the week. This particular week of July is fantastic. Every year. Tremendous.

I wonder if Kershaw went back home to Texas. It's got to be boiling there now. It's been in the 80s all week here. I can't imagine what it's like in Texas or in Florida, which is where this schedule originated.

It's from Kershaw's time with the Dodgers' Double A team, the Jacksonville Suns. Chris of Vintage Sportscards and 1973 Topps Photography was kind enough to send it along to me. Chris and I have a cool connection that we discovered a few months ago.

Chris lives in Florida. But he is from the north country, which is what us residents call the upper portion of New York state. He lived in the same city that I did and actually worked at the same collectibles shop that helped spark my return to the hobby.

He was long gone from that shop by the time I stopped in to try to complete the set of my childhood, 1975 Topps (as well as some 1974s). They don't even sell cards there anymore, but it was nice to hear from someone who knew the place back when cards seemed to be more important.

Chris has an extensive collection of vintage cards from what I can tell, but he could spare a few from off my want list:

These four cards finish off the 1983 Donruss Dodger set for me. (Still need to replace the ripped up Ron Roenicke card that I have). Completing 1980s sets is a must if you want to get your black belt in card collecting.

Here is one of the final 1975 Topps Dodger cards I need for the team set. Davey Lopes and Manny Mota are still lurking out there.

There's no way to tell this -- unless I got off my lazy vacation butt and scanned this card against a regular-sized one -- but it's a '75 mini, which I absolutely love. I will complete the mini set when I'm about 137, but at least I'm having fun doing it.

Someone else sent me a 1963 Doug Camilli card a little less than a year ago. It was off-center. This one is off-center, too. Perhaps all the '63 Camillis were off-center? Is that a personality statement by Topps?

Ooo, we like 1960 Dodgers. Creases aren't a big deal either. This was Labine's final Dodger card during his career. He was the primary relief pitcher/closer of the mid-to-late 1950s Brooklyn teams.

Look, Chris has some non-vintage cards of vintage players, too! One of Topps' many incarnations of 1952 Topps during the last 15 years.

So how about that? Here I am in Watertown, getting some cards from Florida, from a guy who used to live in Watertown. It's the cardboard circle of life!

OK, that's a stretch. But there's a circle in there somewhere.

Once I get back from vacation, I'll have to see if I can track down some cards for Chris. If we had found each other 20 years or so ago, I probably could have driven over to the Square Lion and dropped them off.