I miss my dealer

 

True to form for a junkie, I miss my dealer.

 

Collecting and purchasing through the internet is fine and all that, but I really notice when I haven't been to a card show in a long time because I start to get the shakes ... er, I mean I start to realize how much I miss those vintage binders.

 

As a set-collector, I do the majority of damage to vintage sets I'm collecting by going to shows, and one dealer at a show in particular.

 

Gary almost always has the vintage cards that I'm looking for, presented in a binder for each set for easy looking and finding. This is how I completed my 1971, 1972 and 1973 Topps sets mostly. Yeah, I had a lot of help through the blogs, but there is nothing like settling over a binder on a table and finding all the cards you need right there and picking them off.

I just don't find the same kind of vintage success shopping online. It's not as easy to get those vintage needs all in one lump sum, and I get a lot more distracted by everything else available online -- Kellogg's, Dodgers, current-card needs, etc.

At a show, a lot of what's available online isn't there, so I can focus on glorious vintage, all at one dealer's table.

So with the moratorium on shows -- although there is a slight chance I might go to one this weekend -- 1967 and 1970 Topps set quests are suffering a little bit. I really need Gary.

Still, fellow collectors are doing their best to fill in for him.

These 1967 Topps cards needs all came from my most recent trade with Bo of Baseball Cards Come To Life! Two guys I know well and one -- Reniff, whose career was tucked entirely in the 1960s -- I know very little about.

These cards are in ideal shape for me as I am a bit of a condition snob but I also consider how old the set is. Some rounded corners and edge wear is perfectly fine for my '67 pursuit.

 

Bo also threw in a couple of unexpected 1970 cards. The Parker is a nice upgrade over the one that was sitting in the '70 binder (the ship-shape one is in my Dodgers binder).

 

These two guys will be place-holders. I am always curious about kids who felt compelled to write on their cards (dammit, this card DOESN'T HAVE HIS UNIFORM NUMBER! (*scribble scribble scraaatch*)). I rarely had the urge to do that when I was collecting as a young 'un. And, yes, I do regard cards like this as defaced and evidence of a lack of control. Too many Sugar Smacks for dinner or something.

 

 

All of the above 1967 Topps cards arrived from Dave S., who nicely reached out to supply a few more from off my want list. (I'm busy compiling a return envelope).

I really like that Bob Veale card and Bob Shaw is someone I've interviewed, so it's super sweet. Eddie Fisher is off-center, but he's also a semi-high number so we'll see if I ever get another one.

 

Dave also threw in this 2018 Topps Salute black parallel of "The Fastest Man in the Major Leagues," Tim Locastro.

Locastro, now with the Diamondbacks, is from Upstate New York, fairly close to my neighborhood. He went to Auburn High School, which is about a couple hours away, and it's very weird to hear "fastest man" attached to someone from Upstate New York.

 

Back to the vintage:

 

These all just arrived yesterday from Jonathan, who has supplied many a generous package as well as generous emails about my blog. This is just a sampling of what he sent -- I'll show the rest another time -- but right now they are the most appreciated because I just can't get that stuff from my dealer right now!

Sure, there are '67s on ebay and several other online sites. But, I don't know, maybe it's because I just finished the 1956 Topps set through online purchases recently, I've been reluctant to invest in another old-timey set that way, preferring to pick off single-card needs here and there of more recent cardboard.

I think I just need a good card show -- another hit, if you will -- to get me going again.