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Time for a show

 
Life is still too busy and full of upheaval, even with getting some tasks out of the way. I just finished and filed my Beckett magazine story so hopefully I'm done with that (and hopefully it reads well). But there is still far too much happening.
 
That doesn't mean I'm not collecting. Cards still come to the house ("stuff I need to blog" is really stacking up). Today the weird Topps High Numbers "Team Quads" insert of the Dodgers arrived. These are a riff on the 1975 rookie stars cards except the title here should be "Team's Four Most Marketable Players".
 
I also found time for the monthly card show today. I skipped it last month after going to shows on back-to-back weeks in April.
 
I was in a casual mood and you could tell shoppers were getting into summer mode as it was rather light (still people bopping you with their pelican case things). I hoped that I could find a Hank Aaron or Steve Carlton for my 1969 Topps chase, but no luck on either.
 
Fortunately, the regular guy there for my vintage pursuits had plenty of columns of '69s to go through and flipped through those pink backs for a good 15-20 minutes.
 

I found four upgrades. I am almost finally done upgrading for this set, except for one card. I'm even going to ignore the wax residue on the Lee May (unless I try the cloth thing).
 
 

I also found three high-number cards that I needed. It's weird how long these guys have been on the want list.
 
That was good progress, far better than I thought I'd do after being informed the dealer had no Aaron or Carlton.
 
So I'm down to needing six cards to finish the set. This is the updated list:
 
100 - Hank Aaron
255 - Steve Carlton
500 - Mickey Mantle 
533 - Nolan Ryan
535 - Phil Regan 
598 - Ruben Amaro (upgrade)
 
Yeah, that's a lot tougher than a list of six cards usually looks. But at least I know I will be able to track the cards down. It'll just be a matter of budgeting money. And the magazine cash should help in that.
 
After that I wandered through the familiar aisles (table after table of Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh and other indecipherables). Somebody wanted me to enter a raffle and I looked at the winnings and it's apparent that I have no interest in approximately 80 percent of the cards at a show.
 
I visited my co-worker's table and he talked about how business was slow. I pulled out a couple of Dodgers to buy, which is less than I do for his table, too.
 

That's just my second Roki Sasaki Dodger card. The Mookie Betts is a National Convention wrapper redemption thing from last year.
 
I did not buy anything else and left the show with two-thirds of the cash that I had brought. In fact the eye drops I bought at the drug store on the way back cost almost as much as my cards 🙄🙄.
 
So that was a nice respite from the work-and-bill-and-vehicle nonsense that has been going on the last week or two. I've reached the age where Saturday is "recovery day" from the work week, which I'm sure is a certain sign that I need to retire.
 
All right, that's it. I'll write again soon.

Comments

Doc Samson said…
Looking forward to your Beckett article, Mr Owl. That Bowman Chrome Sasaki is quite an eye-catching card.
Bo said…
I'm down to five needs on my 1969 wantlist too. #260 Reggie Jackson #500 Mickey Mantle #533 Nolan Ryan #560 Luis Tiant #627 George Stone. I think you'll finish quicker than me!
Good good luck in your pursuit of 69. That sounds strange phrased this way. I want the Mantle for my Last Topps Cards of Hall of Famers project but am shy about forking out the $$ for it. If you find a good deal on 2 of them, let me know!
You can knock the 69' Amaro off of your list, It is in your stack which is being mailed next week. AS for my 69' The 6 you need, I only need one for the Ryan. I still need 33 to complete the set plus need to upgrade another 25. (none of those you listed though).

Old Cards said…
Good luck on getting those last 69's you need. As a kid who grew up in the 60's and collected cards in the 60's, I continue to see why the 60's cards I need are so expensive. I could be wrong, but I am betting the 3 commenters here collecting 69's were not born yet in 69.
Fuji said…
Glad you were able to find time to attend a show. The past month my schedule has been hectic too... but I made sure to set aside some time for two flea markets and a card show. Finding time to write about them is another story :D
Chris said…
I hope that incoming Amaro meets your standards. Five cards to go is very impressive, even if they are heavy hitters. Hope to see you complete this by the end of the year.
GCA said…
Today is the first day of 10-hour days for the summer. So Fridays off gives us a free recovery day. The first couple are critical for survival at this age for sure.
AdamE said…
I kind of thought show busyness would be backwards in NY than it is here in Phoenix. Here is it busy in the winter months when it is nice out and everything slows down in the summer when it is too hot for people to go out. I figured that in NY people wouldn't go out as much when it was snowing and bitter cold but once spring hit everything, including cards, would get busier.
night owl said…
There are far too many outdoor things to fit in during the summer months in the Northeast, not to mention driving distances is something you can't do a lot in the winter. So some card show down the road we can handle in the fall/winter/spring, but the summer is for us to do what people in the south do 6 months out of the year.
Jafronius said…
Nice pickups! Congrats on finishing the article