Sweet vintage ... sweet, sweet, sharp, vintage

 

I have been swimming in vintage cards for the last week-plus. I'm helping appraise a collection for an acquaintance and I had no idea he had cards like that.

I'll go into specifics some other day on the blog but between this experience and a recent card package I received, I'm even more indifferent to this week's National than I usually am.

I don't need it. I've said all these reasons before, but spending a ton of money to spend a ton of money, all while dealing with traffic, crowds and annoying people, is not my idea of fun. I get that people of a certain make-up need to make connections and form card friendships. I'm not into stuff like that much. I'm in the hobby for the cards, folks. And right now, the cards are Right. Here.

 

Reader Kyle, who has sent me cards prior, gifted me with a selection of vintage needs directly off my want list. It's been so long since I've received a package like this and I've missed the new vintage gifts so, so much.

 

A great deal of them were for my 1970 Topps pursuit, which I've had to put on the shelf until I can get to another card show. So these were most welcome.

 

But first, a quartet from three years prior:

 

Yes! 1967s! And they are SHARP. Unchecked checklists! Gimme!

The condition quality of these cards stood right out. Nice going, Kyle! Nothing more to see for the '67s, so let's get right into the 1970s.

A whole mess of the scratch-offs. It's flat-out weird to see these in fresh-out-of-the-pack shape. Not a single one has been scratched. I'm giddy.

 

There were a couple of the storybooks, too. I own the Bill Singer already but I'm sure there's an upgrade in there somewhere.

Now comes the regular cards from the 1970 Topps set. I've mentioned before that condition seems to be an issue for 1970 more so than any set from around that time. So many battered cards I've seen over the years. Kids really hated those gray borders.

But Kyle's shipment dispelled that myth. Look at all these cards that are upgrades!

1970 Topps is the only set in which I've upgraded the same cards three or four times, and I've done so with multiple cards in the set. These, though, will put a halt to that.

You'll note that there are off-center "issues" with some of them, but that doesn't bother me because cards were coming out of the pack like that in the '70s.

 

Now starts the set-fillers. I'm beginning with the cards that arrive early in the set. The Senators rookies card is one of the first 1970 Topps cards I owned and I traded it away several years ago when completing the 1970 set wasn't even a thought.

A quartet of cards in the 200s and 300s. All sharp.

 

 

400s and 500s now. I've seen some of these cards over and over -- so much so that I'm surprised when they're not in my binder. But they are now!

 

Some notable names in the 500s. Good to get another Lefebvre so I don't feel guilty about not transferring him over from the Dodgers binder.

Woooo! 600s now! That thing I said about Lefebvre? Same for McBean!

Finally some cards from the late 600s and venturing into the 700s. And not a scratch, wrinkle or dent on them. So un-1970 like!

After checking all these off my list, only about 100 cards remain for completing 1970 Topps. Johnny Bench and especially Nolan Ryan will be a big fat pain as long as the baseball card market continues to be insane, but I can wait it out.

Kyle also threw in a Ted Williams card from the Ted Williams Company set from 1994! It's part of the 500 Club insert set, which I barely had an inkling of before this arrival.

I wish I had more Ted Terrific cards. I don't even have 50. 

Anyway, that's a thought for another time. I need to enjoy the new vintage arrivals here because who knows when these will show up again without me ponying up the cash.

This is the type of stuff I could find at The National, for sure. But I'd rather not go into the poorhouse once I leave there.

(This is a blog-bat around post started by Cards Over Coffee).