It's been a fairly stressful week, between traveling, a delayed doctor's appointment, the loss of a beloved player from my youth, and now the most taxing World Series matchup I could possibly conjure up as a fan.
The weekend will help a little (stupid sports teams still have to play on the weekend, tho) and so will the collection. I just happen to be wrapping up a super-simple sportlots order with the final cards trickling in.
I like simple orders. Big-ticket and super-cool arrivals are always fun but they contain a certain amount of worry what with prices paid and condition concerns. Simple orders are just simple cards, they don't cost much but still they fill holes and are always wanted.
Some of those cards were upgrades and they've already been filed away with a smile. A 1983 Topps Ron LeFlore, a 1986 Fleer Bobby Castillo, items that should have always been pristine but weren't, and I was horrified. But now the monster is back in the closet.
Others were regular-guy cards helping me get to a goal.
Another 1976 Shakey's Pizza Dodger. I could collect this whole set, but I probably won't ever do it. There are just two Dodgers left for the team set and I think I'll focus on that. It's a lot simpler.
I tried very hard to finally wrap up the 1988 Pacific set. I was pretty confident, too. When you are tracking down the final Yankees -- Mantle is always the last one -- then chances are you're close to the end.
But I discovered two gremlins: Gus Bell and Marv Throneberry. I'm pretty sure I've purchased the Throneberry card twice already. So maybe both him and Gus are somewhere in a dupes box. I'll try to set aside some weekend time for that.
I did finish the 1989 Pacific set though with these three cards. No gremlins in sight. But check out those eyes on Mr. Lee.
The early 1990s isn't a place I visit a lot for cards. I have a ton of them already (everyone does) and the ones I don't are from ugly sets I don't care to ever see again. But there still can be tricky ones from that time. Both Karros cards and the Butler card (from '91 Ultra Update) qualify. The '94 Ultra Billy Ashley completes a team set that honestly I can't get excited about.
More early '90s Dodger set questing! 1993 O-Pee-Chee is remarkably common. So why isn't the Dodgers team set finished! I still need the Jay Howell card! What Kind Of Collector Am I?
Nice. It's a good day when new Campys arrive. The Ted Williams Co. card is for the set build, still working (though very lazily) on the insert sets. The blue-bordered card is from the 1987 TCMA Brooklyn Dodgers set. I thought I'd finish it but a sportlots dealer discovered he didn't have the Don Newcombe I ordered so I still gotta get that.
I mentioned in the last post that this order contained Fernando Valenzuela cards. Here's one that DID finish a team set, 1988 Sportflics ... OK, there's one of those confusing three-rookies-on-one card ones to get. I may or may not bother with that.
That's about it for the order -- the Corey Seager insert from 2021 Heritage at the top of the post was the most modern card I grabbed. That right there shows you I was keeping it simple. Modern sets are about the furthest thing there is from simple in this hobby.
Hoping next week is a little more calm and maybe next month, too. Or I could get myself wrapped up in a chase for the '69 Reggie and watching the Yankees win in 7 games and I'll be in a straitjacket.
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