The other half

 

I stopped at the monthly card show Saturday. It was the second straight weekend card show I had attended. This would have been crazy talk in the first 10 years of my blog, but it's something that could easily happen two or three times a year now -- and if I wanted to do a little more traveling around the state, I might be able to go to a show nearly every week over the next six months.

 

I'm not quite that obsessed. Two in two weeks is quite amazing enough for me.

 

So you may remember in the show write-up last week that I said I actually finished the show with cash left over. That means I carried that cash into Saturday's show. I padded it just a little, but I budgeted about half the amount for this show that I did for last week's.

 

It turned out to be plenty because I left this show with money left over, too! 

I'd like to blame the expanding number of tables selling Pokemon and such -- it's getting so pervasive that I'm starting to see a world where there will be one lonely seller with cards of actual people on them to visit.

 

But until then, I'm still finding stuff that makes sense to me! Let's start with the big one and the inspiration for this blog title.

 

This is one of the big final cards from the 1969 Topps set off the list (there are still several more). But I wanted this one for another reason. Last summer I went to the monthly show and added the 1969 Clemente card and carried on a little bit about it.

 

Now with Rose secured I now have both cards that I traded for the 1951 Duke Snider red back card in the high school hallway when I was a sophomore a junior. I've finally re-acquired the other half! It's taken that long.

 

I acquired this from the same dealer who sold me the 1969 rookie Reggie Jackson card. The Rose was marked down a fair amount from what it's usually going for, even though the front is sharp. That's because the back has those familar-to-me-now tape stains in the corners. But it didn't stop me from buying it.

 

So I'm down to 14 more cards -- plus about a dozen upgrades -- to finish the set. Hopefully I can get that done by the end of the year. A couple guys named Ryan and Mantle will have something to say about that.

 

 

The reason that I keep stopping by at this same table every month is not only for the shot at big name goodies (like the 1952 Duke Snider last month), but there is always a few columns of easy-to-afford vintage to look through. Most of the cards have small condition issues, especially the '50s cards. But others are so sharp that if there are blemishes, I can't find them.

 

So that's why I added the '68 Fergie Jenkins (it does have almost undetectable warping) and these two wonderful '65 Astros who no way in the world were they really Astros, right? And 2B-COACH? What kind of wizardry is that?

 

I left the table at that point because I always feel like I need to get the lay of the land and scope out the other tables, though with the state of things at the other tables, I probably should just stay put.

 

But I did visit my friend who sells and also works in the same building with me. As soon as I stopped, he pulled out a couple of Mookies he picked up for me.

 

 

He likes Panini more than I do. But both of these are shiny and numbered, the "black stars" to /149 and the red, white and blue to /199.

 

While chatting away I looked through his $1 and $2 boxes and pulled a handful of cards. These are the ones staying in my collection.

 

 

Especially pleased about the Koufax and the Ohtani as both of those have been elusive.

 

 

I also took home this off-center 1966 Rocky Colavito, which was an unusual site as he doesn't sell much vintage. I have this card already, but I'm not leaving a '66 card in the $1 box.

 

I left that table and as I was circling around, someone from another table called my name. It turned out to be a guy who had worked with me 20 years ago. I barely remembered who he was and I still couldn't tell you his name, and now I'll be racking my brain forever until I figure it out.

 

And that was it. I wanted to leave so I could check out the card shop in the mall that I had been to in October that I repeatedly keep forgetting about. When I walked into the mall (probably the first time I had been there since that mall show), the place that used to house the card shop was now a pool hall. Well, that was quick.

 

So that's actually why I had cash left, I was saving it for the shop. Oh well.

 

Still I was in a good mood. Not only had my vacation just started, but I was able to walk both shows with almost no problems. During the show in March I wasn't feeling well and it was affecting my ability to stand for any extended period of time. I was concerned with how I'd handle the upcoming shows -- and suddenly for the first time in my life could understand why people at shows want chairs to sit in.

 

I'm hoping that's in the past and I can keep walking shows for as long as there are actual baseball cards  available.