DOG FOOD

MY TYPE CARD OBSESSION DOES NOT STOP WITH 90S INSERTS, I'VE BEEN PICKING UP UNIQUE VINTAGE CARDS FOR A LONG TIME NOW. WHILE I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO COLLECT THE COMPLETE SET OF 1933 TATTOO ORBIT OR 1941 GOUDEY CARDS I CAN AND HAVE PICKED UP A SINGLE CARD FROM THE SETS. OTHER DREAM CARDS LIKE 1933 DELONG OR T-204 RAMLY HAVE ELUDED ME BUT YOU NEVER KNOW, I COULD WIN THE LOTTERY ONE DAY. ANOTHER NEAT CARD I COVETED FOR A WHILE FELL INTO MY LAP ON MY LAST VISIT TO MY MAIN LCS* RECENTLY

ONE FUN THING I USED TO DO THAT IS GONE FOREVER IS HITTING THE CARD SHOP AFTER DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS AS A TREAT. NOW THAT THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS ARE DAMN NEAR MONTHLY INSTEAD OF YEARLY, THAT TRADITION HAS GONE BY THE WAYSIDE. AFTER A RECENT EXTREMELY ANNOYING APPOINTMENT I SAID FUKKIT AND HEADED TO THE MAIN LCS EVEN THOUGH I ONLY HAD EIGHT BUCKS IN MY POCKET. EIGHT BUCKS WON'T EVEN BUY LUNCH ANYMORE BUT I RETAIN THE ABILITY TO HAVE FUN BUYING CARDS WITH THAT MUCH MONEY. I HIT THE DIME BOXES (NOT GREAT), THE FIFTY CENT BOXES (GREAT SUCCESS) AND CHECKED THE RONALD AND TRAE BOXES AND FOUND SOME CHEAPOS I COULD AFFORD. THERE IS A VINTAGE ODDBALL CASE AT THE FRONT OF THE STORE AND I DECIDED TO CHECK IT OUT SINCE I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE YET AND GO BACK TO DREARY REALITY. IN THE CASE WERE SOME 1954 RED HEART CARDS I HADN'T SEEN IN THERE BEFORE. RED HEART WAS ONE OF THOSE MYTHICAL SETS I HEARD ABOUT WHEN I WAS A KID BUT NEVER EVER SAW ANY FOR SALE ANYWHERE. ONE OF THE MANY CRYPTIDS OF VINTAGE TRADING CARDS. THEY WERE PILED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER AND THE TOP CARD WAS PRICED AT EIGHT BUCKS WHICH WAS ALL MY MONIES BUT I TOOK A SHOT AND ASKED TO SEE THE PILE. THE ONLY BRAVE IN THE SET IS SPAHN, WHICH WOULD COST A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN EIGHT BUCKS, BUT I WAS HOPING TO MAYBE SEE ONE  IN MY PRICE RANGE. AND THERE WAS! THIS DEE FONDY CARD LOOKED LIKE A DOG MIGHT'VE GOT A HOLD OF IT AND WAS PRICED AT A MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE THREE DOLLARS. I PUT BACK A RONALD AND A TRAE CARD AND GOT DEE INSTEAD

DEE FONDY, A FINE TEXAN, PLAYED FIRST BASE FOR THE CUBS FOR A FEW YEARS IN THE MID-1950S BEFORE GETTING TRADED TO THE PIRATES AND FINISHING UP HIS CAREER IN CINCINNATI.  1953 IS PROBABLY HIS BEST YEAR IN THE BIGS AS HE BOPPED 18 HOMERS AND AN .835 OPS. HE WAS INVOLVED IN A TRADE WITH CHUCK CONNERS AND ANOTHER FOR TED KLUSZEWSKI WHICH IS PRETTY COOL. RED HEART CARDS ARE KNOWN FOR THE UNIQUE BACKS WITH BATTING AND FIELDING STATS AND A GIGANTIC RED HEART DOG FOOD LOGO. THEY WERE ISSUED THROUGH A MAIL IN OFFER AND WERE SUPPOSEDLY AVAILABLE FROM THE COMPANY THROUGH THE EARLY SEVENTIES. THINK ABOUT THAT THE NEXT TIME TOPPS RELEASES A BOWMAN SET TWO YEARS AFTER THE FACT. IT'S A REALLY NICE CLEAN DESIGN AND UPPER DECK SORTA HALFWAY SWIPED IT IN 2004 WHILE BOWMAN HERITAGE DIRECTLY GANKED IT IN 2007. NOW THAT I FINALLY HAVE THE DOG FOOD CARD, WHAT ABOUT THE DOG? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED

THIS CARD WAS PICKED UP AT THE NEWFANGLED LCS THAT I CAN VISIT ON MY DAYS OFF. ONCE AGAIN I HAD NO MONEY BUT A LITTLE MORE NO MONEY THAN LAST TIME. THIS TRIP GOT ME A FEW DOLLAR CARDS I POSTED ABOUT A WHILE BACK. ONCE AGAIN TO AVOID LEAVING THE COMFORTING PRESENCE OF A SHITLOAD OF BASEBALL CARDS I CHECKED OUT A VINTAGE ODDBALL NON-SPORTS CASE. THIS CASE IS WAY IN THE BACK AND SEEMS TO BE 90% WAR CARDS ALTHOUGH THERE IS ONE BOX OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN CIGARETTE CARDS AND A BOX OF OLD AVALON HILL INDY CAR RACING GAME CARDS THAT I WISH I COULD AFFORD TO BUY ALL OF SO I CAN PLAY THE GAME. ONE BOX SEEMED TO BE FILLED WITH RANDOM STUFF SO I ASKED TO SEE IT. IT ENDED UP BEING MORE WAR CARDS WITH A FEW OTHER ODDITIES LIKE G-MEN AND CRIME CARDS. I DON'T LIKE WAR, I PREFER MY VINTAGE NON-SPORTS CARDS TO BE STUFF LIKE CELEBRITIES AND MONSTERS AND BIRDS AND ANIMALS. THEN IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE MURDER A FLUFFY LITTLE YAP DOG APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. THIS CARD IS FROM THE 1950 QUAKER OATS CHALLENGE OF THE YUKON DOG CARDS SET. THEY WERE INSERTED INTO CEREAL BOXES AND HAD ROUNDED CORNERS ALTHOUGH YOU COULD NEVER CONFIRM THAT FROM THIS EXAMPLE. THIS ONE REALLY MIGHT'VE BEEN EATEN BY A DOG BUT SEEING THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FUZZBALL IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE GUNS AND BOMBS DELIGHTED ME IMMENSELY. THEN I TURNED IT OVER 

HOLY CRAP IT'S AUTOGRAPHED. I'VE SEEN THIS KIND OF KISS CARD IN WRESTLING AND *AHEM* ALTERNATE ENTERTAINMENT SETS BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN A VINTAGE EXAMPLE. I DECIDED I MUST HAVE THIS CARD, BANK ACCOUNT BE DAMNED, AND THANKFULLY IT ONLY COST ME A BUCK. WHICH, HONESTLY IS PROBABLY AN OVERPAY FOR A CARD IN THIS CONDITION BUT WHO CARES. I REALLY WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND PEEP IN ON THE BACKSTORY OF THIS CARD. DID THIS LADY JUST REALLY LOVE HER DOG OR IS THERE SOMETHING MORE SALACIOUS GOING ON? AT ANY RATE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS THIS IS IMMEDIATELY THE BEST CARD I WILL PICK UP ALL YEAR AND IS IS ONE OF THE TOP 100 CARDS IN MY COLLECTION. IF YOU NEED YOUR OWN DOGGO CARD THEY'RE NOT TOO TERRIBLY HARD TO FIND BUT GOOD LUCK FINDING ONE LIKE THIS

* SINCE I NOW HAVE THREE LCS'S** HERE IS A QUICK RECAP OF MY LOCAL CARD SHOP OPTIONS:

MAIN LCS: CHAMPION SPORTS CARDS - BEEN GOING HERE FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, IT HAS GREAT PRICES AND A HUGE INVENTORY AND IS CLOSED ON MY DAYS OFF

HOLE IN THE WALL LCS: JT SPORTS COLLECTIBLES - SMALLER SHOP THAT'S BEEN OPEN A LONG TIME IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT HAS A TON OF RANDOM COOL STUFF

NEWFANGLED LCS: DUCK'S DUGOUT - MASSIVE WAREHOUSE LOOKING SHOP FILLED WITH A TON OF EXPENSIVE SLABS AND UNOPENED WAX THAT IS VERY INTIMIDATING BUT HAS SOME HIDDEN GEMS IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO HUNT FOR THEM

** NOT TO MENTION A FLEA MARKET, MULTIPLE ANTIQUE MALLS AND A MONTHLY CARD SHOW. AN UTTERLY RIDICULOUS WEALTH OF OPTIONS, MADE MORE LUDICROUS SINCE I HAVE NO MONEY TO SUPPORT THEM