Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Best in Show

Shame on each and every one of you that have never seen the movie of the same name as this post's subject. Best in Show is a brilliant film about oddballs at a regional dog show, loaded with TV comedy stars from the 80's, like Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey.....I could go on. If you have NEVER seen it, you are required to watch it before the end of the year. I will know if you haven't. It's a movie where there are plenty of subtle jokes that have become standards in my house. The depth of the characters is fantastic, and it remains funny with each viewing.

This.....is a fish!
I bring up Best in Show because of a post from Fuji. Today, Fuji was talking about the best find he ever had from a card show. He talked about it because of a post by Tony where he started a contest of people talking about the best card from a show. And Tony's post and contest started because of Sooz's Twitter questions:

I could stand to talk about some of my favorite cards, so from Sooz, through Tony, via Fuji, here is my three best finds, because to scan and show off only one is not something I want to do. Com'on - you like to look at cards anyway!


I have been trying to get back to the National for the past 2 years. When the National was he in 2013, it was my first ever visit. I live is a very good area of the country. I have weekly shows at numerous locations and plenty of card shops. For me, it's still the late 80's, if not for the prices. The largest show I had ever attended was 70 tables, so the moment I walked in, I was overwhelmed. There was so much to see and look at. I don't think I ever really got to all I wanted, but I recall one vendor with tons of vintage and really amazing prices. While I still kick myself over passing on the '50 Bowman Stengel, I pulled this gorgeous 1959 Maz from the same deeply discounted box. It cost me all of $1. Besides the little brown at the bottom, which looks like a burn mark, the shape of this card is perfect.


The show I attend the most occurs biweekly in Orland Park. It's the same 70 table show I mentioned above. There are regular vendors there, but since I attend infrequently, none of them remember me, though I am used to who will be spread out where. In the back left corner of the room is a vintage only seller with binders loaded from 49s up until the mid 70s, along with a couple glass cases of nicer cards. I don't buy from him often, as his prices seem high to me, though what do I know. But I will dig through from time to time, and I found this Topps tattoo in one of the 9 pagers. You couldn't ask for a more perfect miscut, and while I am sure I overpaid for it (I think it was $3), to me, this is one of the highlights of my miscut binder.


Only recently, has another vendor been showing up at the Orland show. Sure, I don't attend much, but one day, he was there. And the next time I went, he was there again. Another vintage guy, he also has a lot of older sports magazine, photos, newspapers and more. One of the prime spots on his table, though, is a cardboard box with super cheap vintage cards. I found my first Play Ball in that box, along with a well loved '54 Preacher Roe. However, the moment I saw this card, I had to buy it. I think it set me back $2.50. No way I could pass up a 1953 Mother's Cookies card from their PCL release. Each crease makes me love it more and more. Bragan had an ok career with the Phillies and Dodgers. After he left the bigs in 1948, he was a player manager in the minors in Ft. Worth, Hollywood and Spokane.

So there you have it. I could easily scan and post another 9 dozen cards. That's what makes shows such fun.

11 comments:

  1. Love that Bobby Bragan card. He was an interesting guy. He asked to be traded rather than play with Jackie Robinson on the Dodgers but ended up staying and becoming close friends with Robinson. He's also the oldest man to ever manage a professional baseball game.

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    1. Oh, and I'm with you... that's a great movie. Fred Willard especially is just terrific in it.

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  2. Oddly enough, though my Dick Stuart collection has totally stalled I do have that tattoo.

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  3. Love Best in Show. I always try to tell my co-workers to watch it, but I think they think I'm just crazy (which maybe I am). Oh well, their loss!

    Also, nice cards, especially that Bragan!

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  4. Maybe they should put a Sherlock Holmes hat and pipe on the hounds.

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  5. $1 Maz!!! I hope that is a burn mark.....

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  6. I'm a fan of all of the Christopher Guest films, this is Spinal Tap being my personal favorite.

    I saw best in show on my 18th birthday - I was such a rebel in those days.

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  7. I went to that Orland show for the first time a couple weeks ago - I definitely didn't happen upon any Mother's Cookies PCL cards though. I guess I missed out!

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  8. Great find with the Mothers Cookies.

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  9. Best in Show is awesome! So is the Maz... and that miscut decal.

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