FINALLY! I return....

I have only been trying to get back to a card show for the last 3 months. One thing after another would get in my way, from real life to illness to a host of other crap. But today, I would not be deterred, even if I had to detour because of a 5k run going on. Pulled in, dropped my admission and scanned the tables. The last real show I attended was during the Clinton administration. Yes - that long ago. It was fun to be back, gazing at the tables and finding what I have been jonezing for since I got back to blogging - dime boxes. Well, no dime boxes to be found, but there were quarter boxes and vintage 3 for a buck. Let's see what was to be found from my searches....

That Nomo was a thought for a certain midnight bird, but I see it on his "has" list, so I'm keeping it. Nice early Konerko card. The Petricks are a side collection. I'll talk more later about that. Thome rookie (well, Fleer Ultra rookie). The Chicago Greats of Wally Moses is a local set from 1976. Twenty cents - couldn't pass it up. And that Mathews is an 86 Big League Chew. While the image is all washed out, you get a great look at the killer sleeve patches from the Braves of Milwaukee. Total cost on screen: $1.80

More quarter box (5 for a buck) pulls. I like me the old timers. These are just cards that I saw and wanted - no real reason for them, except the Pafko. That was a thought for a certain Pat Benatar-ish collector, but I see it on his "has" list as well. Mine! I have another 9 of the lower right All-Time Classics; I won't scan them all. Total cost on screen (plus the extra 9): $3.20

Top left and bottom row were also two dimes each. That top left is a 53 Bowman Fred Hutchinson. Problem? It's cut. There should be a white edge around it. But for twenty cents? Why not! Weird to see, lower right, Jackie referred to as "Jack Roosevelt Robinson". The rest on this scan were 33 cents each, except the Pierce. Whammy Douglas. Tell me you would pass on a card with the name Whammy Douglas when it's just 33 pennies??? I have no idea who he even is. Here - let's check out Wikipedia. How about that? Never pitched for the Reds and believed to be blind in one eye. Thirty three cents for the win! A 64 Pierce for my project. Been seeing these for $2 on ebay. This one isn't perfect with a couple dings, but technically I got it for $0 (had $6.50 worth to buy from the seller - he said we'll call it $6). It was priced two quarters and I got it for free. Two team cards in the middle - 60 Braves checklist (with a bonus "M" written in crayon on the face) and a 64 K.C. A's. I'm a fan of teams that no longer exist. Total cost on screen: $1.60

Last of the 33 cent vintage. I picked up a lot of White Sox (there are 4 more cards I did not scan). Managers row in the middle. Again - you are looking at a Schoendienst, a Martin and a Hodges that cost a total of $1. Score! Total cost on screen (with the 4 not scanned): $4.

I also knocked 5 cards off my 2001 Upper Deck HOF set. Before leaving, I picked up some GQ and Lineage to open - nothing good. Guess they can't all be hits.