DEEP THOUGHTS ABOUT SOME DOLLAR BOX PICKUPS

 I HAVE FOUND YET ANOTHER DECENT CARD SHOP WITHIN A HALF HOUR DRIVE FROM MY HOUSE. FOR THOSE COUNTING, THAT'S THREE DECENT SHOPS, A FLEA MARKET AND A MONTHLY SHOW NEAR ME. THIS IS UTTERLY FANTASTIC OR IT WOULD BE IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY. I DO HAVE A TINY LITTLE BIT OF MONEY SO I CAN STILL HAVE MY FUN BUT I HAVE TO MAKE A LOT MORE TOUGH CHOICES NOW. I WENT INTO THE SHOP DETERMINED TO BUY THAT JAMAAL WILKES CARD I NEED TO COMPLETE THE 1979-80 TOPPS BASKETBALL SET BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT. SO I PIVOTED TO PLAN B: SPEND FIVE BUCKS FROM THE DOLLAR BOXES AND ONLY FIVE BUCKS. THIS FAILED AS WELL, I SPENT SEVEN BUCKS TOTAL. TWO OF THE CARDS WERE NO-BRAINERS, THEY WILL BE SEEN IN OTHER POSTS. IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FINALLY DECIDE ON THESE FIVE HERE AS THERE WAS A BUNCH OF COOL STUFF IN THE DOLLAR BOXES. I AM A LITTLE BITTER THEY ARE NOT QUARTER BOXES, OR AT LEAST FIFTY CENT BOXES. IF THEY WERE EVEN 6 FOR $5 I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SPENT TWICE AS MUCH BUT THAT'S THE HOBBY IN 2023. THE STUFF I DID GET WAS KIND OF ODD EVEN FOR ME AND IT GOT ME THINKING ABOUT THE CHOICES I ULTIMATELY MADE AND WHAT I LEFT BEHIND. HERE'S SOME ANALYSIS ON WHAT I BOUGHT AND WHAT IT BEAT OUT AND WHY DID I EVEN DO THAT? IT MAY SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT KIND OF COLLECTOR I AM NOW IN THE POST-INFLUENCERS ERA. OR IT MIGHT JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT I WAS STARTING TO GET TIRED AND MY JUDGEMENT WAS IMPAIRED

DIFFICULT CHOICE #1: AL HORFORD PANINI CONTENDERS DRAFT PICKS GREEN FOIL EXPLODEY SHINIES WHITE JERSEY VARIATION

THIS CHOICE WAS KINDA OBVIOUS AS I HAVE AN ACTUAL BINDER OF HORFORD CARDS AND HE'S ONE OF A HANDFUL OF PLAYERS I'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO ENTER MY COLLECTION INTO TCDB. YOU KNOW I LOVE THE SHINY, AND THIS CARD IS SUPER EXTRA SHINY WITH EXPLOSIONS AND GOOFT GREEN FOIL. ON THE OTHER HAND, I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER VARIATION OF THIS SAME CARD WITH DIFFERENT GIMMICKS. PLUS AS A DAWGS FAN IT IS A LITTLE PAINFUL TO GRAB A FLORIDA CARD. EXTRA SHINY COVERS UP A LOT OF SINS THOUGH

CARDS I PASSED UP: SEVERAL ATLANTA HAWKS ROOKIE CARDS INCLUDING DE'ANDRE HUNTER AND ONYEKA OKONGWU

THERE WERE QUITE A FEW ROOKIE CARDS OF LOCAL GUYS IN THE DOLLAR BOX, ALTHOUGH SADDIQ BEY WERE ALL MARKED WITH $2 STICKERS WHICH IRRITATED ME GREATLY. THE HUNTER AND OKONGWU ROOKIES WERE VERY TEMPTING. BUT DE'ANDRE HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD PLAYER SO FAR WHICH DOESN'T QUITE CUT IS AS A NUMBER 4 OVERALL PICK. PASSING UP ONYEKA WORRIES ME MORE AS I DO NOT HAVE AN OO ROOKIE YET AND IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HE TAKES OVER FOR CAPELA AND PEOPLE FIGURE OUT HOW GOOD HE IS. ULTIMATELY I DECIDED THAT I WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO PICK UP ROOKIE CARDS OF BOTH OF THEM ON COMC FOR A BUCK EVENTUALLY AND THAT I'D RATHER HAVE THE FLASHY SHINY CARD TO ADD TO THE BINDER

FINAL VERDICT:

I MADE THE RIGHT CALL ON THIS ONE, THE ADDITION TO TCDB PUT ME BACK INTO THE HORFORD TOP TEN

DIFFICULT CHOICE #2: 2000 TOPPS TEK FRANK THOMAS

ANOTHER THING THAT HAS BEEN WEIGHING ON MY MIND LATELY IS WHAT SETS AM I ACTUALLY COLLECTING. I HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON ANY FLAGSHIP SETS YET (ALTHOUGH PANINI DONRUSS IS VERY CLOSE) BUT EVERYTHING ELSE I REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT. I GAVE UP ON HERITAGE LONG AGO AND I NO LONGER HAVE THE ABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH GINTER. A LOT OF RETRO SETS FROM 20 YEARS AGO LIKE ARCHIVES AND TOPPS206 HAVEN'T BEEN TOUCHED IN YEARS. STUFF LIKE BOWMAN I'M READY TO CHUCK OUT THE WINDOW. EVEN SETS I PUT TOGETHER WANTLISTS FOR LIKE LEAF IS USUALLY BECAUSE SOMEONE SPECIFICALLY ASKED ME FOR IT. I AM FINDING THERE ARE A FEW ODDBALL SETS, MOSTLY FROM THE 90S, THAT I REALLY DO LIKE AND WANT TO COLLECT. TOPPS TEK IS ONE OF THOSE SETS. MY GENERAL RULE IS: IF I SEE TOPPS TEK FOR A DECENT PRICE, I GET TOPPS TEK. THIS IS TOPPS TEK. A BUCK IS A DECENT PRICE FOR BIG HURT. I GOT IT

CARD I PASSED UP: 1997 EX-2000 HIDEO NOMO

THIS WAS BY FAR THE HARDEST CHOICE OF THE DAY. I LOVE TEK BUT I LUUURRRVE EX-2000. I WOULD DARE TO SAY THAT EX-2000 IS THE BEST LOOKING SET OF THE 90S. THEY ARE ALSO SEEMINGLY MUCH HARDER TO FIND AS WELL. ALONG WITH TEK, EX-2000 IS ONE OF THE ODDBALL SETS I'VE RECENTLY TAKEN THE TIME TO GET WANTLISTS TOGETHER FOR AND IT WAS A FIENDISHLY DIFFICULT CHOICE BETWEEN THOMAS AND NOMO BUT TEK ULTIMATELY WON OUT. WHY NOT JUST GET BOTH, YOU IDIOT? BECAUSE MY BRAIN WASN'T WORKING THAT WAY. I HAD A BIG STACK OF CARDS I PULLED THAT GOT WHITTLED DOWN TO ABOUT FIFTEEN, THEN I HAD TO WHITTLE THEM DOWN TO FIVE AND IT WAS EASIER ON MY BRAIN TO PUT CARDS IN GROUPS AND AND CHOOSE ONE CARD PER GROUP. IF I HAD BRACKETS OF CARDS GOING THROUGH ELIMINATION ROUNDS I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TIL MIDNIGHT TRYING TO DECIDE.

FINAL VERDICT:

THE FINAL CHOICE CAME DOWN TO A TIEBREAKER: I NEEDED BOTH CARDS, BUT I ALSO NEEDED THE BACKGROUND PATTERN ON THE TEK CARD. I WILL KICK MYSELF IF NOMO IS GONE UPON MY NEXT TRIP TO THE SHOP BUT I AM AT PEACE WITH MY DECISION

DIFFICULT CHOICE #3: 2022 CHROME HEART OF THE CITY JOSE ALTUVE

OK SO AT LEAST TWO OF YOU OUT THERE ARE SEEING THIS CARD AND THINKING THAT MY BLOOD SUGAR MUST HAVE CRASHED AND MY BRAIN HAD THE DUMB FOR CHOOSING THIS CARD OVER LITERALLY ANY OF THE OTHERS. IN REALITY, THIS WAS THE EASIEST DECISION OF ALL OF THEM. I LIKE THE ASTROS AND ADOPTED THEM AS MY AL TEAM WHEN THEY PICKED UP GATTIS AND MCCANN. I LIKE JOSE ALTUVE, I THINK HE'S A GREAT FUCKIN PLAYER. AND MOST OF ALL I LOVE THIS CARD, I THINK IT LOOKS GORGEOUS. I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THAT YANKEE AND DODGER FANS THINK THE ASTROS ARE WORSE THAN SATAN AND THAT JOSE IS THE MOST DEVILISH OF THE DEMONS, BUT GUESS WHAT, I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT YOUR TEAMS

CARDS I PASSED UP: A HANDFUL OF EARLY 90S UPPER DECK AND FLEER INSERTS 

A MAJOR FOCUS OF MINE THE PAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN ATTACKING UPPER DECK INSERTS FROM 1990 TO 1993 AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY I'VE PUT A MAJOR DENT IN MY WANTLISTS RECENTLY AND HAVE EVEN COMPLETED A FEW INSERT SETS. THAT BEING SAID, MOST OF THOSE CARDS SHOULD BE IN QUARTER BOXES, NOT DOLLAR BOXES. HONESTLY THE ONLY CARDS OUT OF THE PILE THAT LOST TO ALTUVE THAT I CAN REMEMBER IS A COUPLE 1993 HOME RUN HEROES CARDS. TOM BRUNANSKY MAYBE? FOR A BUCK? EEEEH

FINAL VERDICT:

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST LOOKING CARD I GOT OUT OF THE DOLLAR BOXES AND I WENT SUPER SHINY HEAVY WITH MY PICKUPS. THIS IS ALSO THE ONLY INSTANCE WHERE I'M NOT WANTING TO RUN BACK TO THE SHOP TO TRY TO FIND THE CARDS I LEFT BEHIND

DIFFICULT CHOICE #4: 1998 PACIFIC AURORA ON DECK LASER CUTS FRANK THOMAS

PACIFIC INSERTS ARE THE BEST, DIE-CUT PACIFIC INSERTS ARE THE BESTEREST. THIS AURORA INSERT HAS THE DIE CUTTING ON THE OUTSIDE UNLIKE MOST OF THE DIE-CUTS THEY ARE KNOWN FOR. IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD THOUGH AND GIVES IT ALMOST A 3-D EFFECT ON THE CROSSED BAT HANDLES. WITH A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF CARDS I COULD PICK UP I WAS TRYING TO GET A NICE VARIETY OF STYLES AND PLAYERS BUT STILL ENDED UP WITH TWO OF FRANK THOMAS. AND WHY NOT? FRANK THOMAS IS AWESOME AND IS A BIG REASON I WAS A WHITE SOX FAN IN THE 90S. I STILL BITTERLY LAMENT THE MISSED BRAVES-SOX WORLD SERIES IN 1993. WITH MY CARD BUDGET DWINDLING I'VE NOTICED CERTAIN PLAYERS COME HOME WITH ME MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. GUYS LIKE REGGIE, RICKEY AND YOGI. STARTING TO THINK FRANK SHOULD BE OFFICIALLY ADDED TO THAT LIST

CARD I PASSED UP: A DIFFERENT DIE CUT PACIFIC INSERT

I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE INSERT BUT IT'S ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE A BASEBALL WITH FLAMES COMING OUT THE BACK AND THERE'S A PITCHER ON THE CARD. IT WASN'T A BIG NAME - RAMON MARTINEZ MAYBE? - BUT IT LOOKS COOL AS HELL. I HAD TROUBLE DECIDING ON THIS ONE BUT I THOUGHT I MIGHT ALREADY HAVE THE CARD. LOOKING THROUGH MY INSERT BOXES, I DIDN'T SEE IT

FINAL VERDICT:

NOT UPSET AT ALL AT PICKING UP A COOL BIG HURT CARD BUT IF THAT FIREBALL INSERT ISN'T IN THE DOLLAR BOX THE NEXT TIME I GO BACK I WILL BE SAD

DIFFICULT CHOICE #5: 1996 LEAF TOTAL BASES KIRBY PUCKETT

AS YOU MIGHT SUSPECT I AM NOT THE BIGGEST FAN OF KIRBY PUCKETT. I WAS HAPPY FOR HIM IN 1987 BUT AFTER THAT NOT SO MUCH. SO IT MAY BE SURPRISING THAT I PICKED THIS ONE OUT OF A GIANT PILE UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THAT 90S LEAF INSERTS MAKE ME GO ALL GOOFY. ESPECIALLY IN THE LATER YEARS WHEN THEY GIMMICKED THEM ALL UP LIKE CRAZY. TEXTURES! HOLOFOIL! DIE-CUTS! METAL! WOOD! EVERYTHING THEY COULD THINK OF THEY TRIED AND MOST OF THEM WERE SERIAL NUMBERED! THE NEAT BASE TEXTURE ON THE FRONT IS COOL BUT IT WAS THOSE GOLD STAMPED NUMBERS ON THE BACK THAT REALLY GOT ME. THE REST OF THE PILE HAD NO CHANCE

CARDS I PASSED UP: A MENAGERIE OF ODDBALL 90S INSERTS THE BEST OF WHICH WAS A SKYBOX ALLEN IVERSON ODDBALL

MY PROCESS WHEN DIGGING IN DIME/QUARTER/DOLLAR BOXES IS TO PICK OUT EVERYTHING THAT LOOKS INTERESTING LIKE A DERANGED MAGPIE AND THEN SORT THROUGH THE PILE LATER TO MAKE MY FINAL CHOICES. LIKE I SAID EARLIER MY PILE WAS UP TO ABOUT 40-50 CARDS BY THE TIME I WRAPPED IT UP AND THERE WERE QUITE A FEW 90S INSERTS IN THERE. OF THE TWO I REMEMBER MOST CLEARLY, ONE WAS THE AFOREMENTIONED IVERSON THAT WAS A STRANGE EMBOSSED THING WITH ONE HALF FOLDED OVER ON THE BACK SO YOU COULD SEE TWO DIFFERENT PICTURES DEPENDING ON WHICH HALF WAS FOLDED. THERE WAS NO PICURE ON THE FRONT SO I'M NOT SURE OF THE POINT OF IT? SKYBOX LOVED FOLDY CARDS AT THE TIME THOUGH, I GIVE EM PROPS FOR EXPERIMENTING. THE OTHER ONE WAS THIS STRANGE DIE-CUT BEAN SHAPED INSERT CARD THAT HAD A METAL RING PUNCHED INTO IT LIKE IT WAS A LUGGAGE TAG OR SOMETHING. I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT AND MIGHT HAD PICKED IT IF IT HAD BEEN ANYONE BESIDES SHANE BATTIER. WHILE TEMPTING, NEITHER CARD WERE SERIAL NUMBERED ALTHOUGH I'D WAGER THEY WERE TOUGH HITS

FINAL VERDICT:

I REALLY WANT TO GO BACK FOR THOSE FLEER BASKETBALL INSERTS BUT I'M HAPPY WITH NUMBERED KIRBY

SO THERE'S MY FIVE. ON A DIFFERENT DAY IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT FIVE. I KNOW FOR A FACT I LEFT THE ALTUVE BEHIND ON A PREVIOUS VISIT. YES THERE WAS A PREVIOUS VISIT, THAT POST IS HALF WRITTEN ALREADY BUT I NEEDED TO DO THIS ONE WHILE IT WAS FRESH IN MY MIND. THINKING ABOUT THE STUFF I'M PICKING UP LATELY IS DEFINITELY SHOWING ME THAT THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF I VALUE MORE NOW THAN I DID A FEW YEARS AGO. FAVORITE PLAYER COLLECTIONS, 90S INSERTS AND CHASING MORE SMALL ODDBALL SETS TO GO ALONG WITH THE OLD STANDBYS OF VINTAGE SETS AND FAVORITE TEAMS. I'M STILL HAVING FUN, AND MAYBE I'M HAVING SMARTER FUN