2023 CARD SHOW - PART 4: THE DEALER WHO COLLECTS - ALMOST BOUGHT A JUNK BOX AGAIN

ALL RIGHTY TIME TO RESOVE THAT CLIFFHANGER I LEFT YOU ON LAST WEEK. NO, LAST YEAR. DON'T LOOK AT THAT PICTURE TWO INCHES UNDER THIS TEXT. SPOILERS!!! SO THERE I WAS STARING AT YET ANOTHER TWENTY-FIVE CRAPOLA BOX JUST LIKE THE TWO OTHERS I BOUGHT LAST YEAR AND STILL HAVEN'T COMPLETELY FINISHED SORTING YET. AND THE WHOLE FIRST ROW OF THE BOX WAS ALL ODDBALL LEGENDS SETS I'VE BEEN COLLECTING FOR TWENTY TO THIRTY YEARS NOW. WORST OF ALL I ACTUALLY HAD THE TWENTY-FIVE BUCKS IN MY POCKET. I WAS ABOUT TO BLOW MY ENTIRE BANKROLL 25 MINUTES INTO THE SHOW. TWO THINGS SAVED ME: FIRST, THE REST OF THE BOX WAS UNIMPRESSIVE. IT WAS MOSTLY RANDOM EARLY 00S COMMONS FOR SETS I'M NOT FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW. THE ONLY THING I CAN EVEN REMEMBER FROM THE OTHER THREE ROWS WAS SOME 2003 FLEER TRADITION. OR WAS IT 2004? IF THERE WAS ONE GOOD SET IN THERE I WOULDA BEEN SUNK BUT THERE WASN'T. WHAT REALLY SNAPPED ME BACK TO SANITY WAS THE FACT THAT I STILL HADN'T HIT MY FAVORITE SELLER OF THE SHOW YET AND I COULDN'T AFFORD TO SPEND ALL MY CASH AT THIS TABLE. I DID MY BEST TO CHANNEL CHRIS ROCK'S 'HOW MUCH FOR ONE RIB' PERFORMANCE AND ASKED IF HE COULD SELL ME JUST THE ONE ROW. HE SAID TEN BUCKS. I SAID SOLD

HE EVEN HAD AN OLD EMPTY LONGBOX TO PUT IT IN. I TOLD YOU THIS GUY KNOWS WHAT'S UP. I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE PRISTINE UNSORTED BOX BUT HERE IT IS AFTER THE FACT. THE STUFF ON THE LEFT IS ALL CARDS I NEED AND EVERYTHING ON THE RIGHT STARTING AT THE SECOND PILE OF ACTION PACKED IS THE DOUBLES. I AM AGAIN ACCUMULATING PILES OF CRAP I DON'T NEED BUT THAT'S THE PRICE OF BUYING IN BULK. HERE'S THE GOODS

A DECENT AMOUNT OF THE ARCHIVES CARDS I NEEDED, DAMN NEAR A COMPLETE SET OF 1993 TED WILLIAMS WITH POGS, A GIGANTIC PILE OF ACTION PACKED SERIES 1 (ALTHOUGH TO BE FAIR THESE CARDS ARE THREE TIMES AS THICK AS THE REST), EXACTLY ONE 1994 UPPER DECK ALL-TIME HEROES CARD AND A SMALL PILE OF ONE OF THE MANY SHINY UPPER DECK LEGENDS SETS I'M COLLECTING EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE BOX THEY LIVE IN IS RIGHT NOW. THERE WAS ALSO A SMALL PILE OF ONE OF THE RECENT PANINI DIAMOND KINGS SETS WITH A TON OF RETIRED PLAYERS IN IT BUT I FORGOT TO PULL THOSE OUT FOR PICTURES AND IT'S TOO LATE NOW

I NEEDED THIRTEEN CARDS OUT OF THE PILE OF ABOUT 250 1991 ARCHIVES CARDS. IF I HAD SPENT THE TIME TO LOOK THROUGH THE BOX LIKE THE SELLER ORIGINALLY OFFERED I PROBABLY COULD HAVE GOTTEN THEM FOR A COUPLE BUCKS BUT I AIN'T MAD WITH HAVING A BIG PILE OF ARCHIVE DOUBLES TO PLAY WITH. WITH THE SATCHEL FROM THE ORIGINAL POST I THOUGHT THIS PILE KNOCKED MY NEEDS ALMOST IN HALF FROM THIRTY TO SIXTEEN SO I DOUBLE CHECKED THE BOX TO SEE IF I COULD FIND ONE I MISSED  AND MAKE IT EXACTLY HALF. I DIDN'T FIND ANY BUT INSTEAD I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THERE ARE SEVEN CARDS MISSING FROM THE SET FOR THE SIX THAT WERE NEVER ISSUED AND BILLY LOES WHO DIDN'T WANT TO GET STADIUM CLUBIZED I GUESS. SO NOW I'M DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS TO COMPLETE THE SET! YOGI, WILLIE AND TED WILLIAMS ARE THREE OF THE DIGITS NOT TO MENTION THE FIRST CHECKLIST WHICH MIGHT BE THE HARDEST ONE TO FIND BUT SINGLE DIGITS IS GREAT

HERE'S THE HIGH NUMBERS I NEEDED WITH THE ACTUAL HIGH NUMBER CARDS I ALREADY HAD. IS IT RIDICULOUS THAT I HAD MORE OF THE ORIGINAL CARDS THAN THE ARCHIVES UP UNTIL THIS PURCHASE? YES, YES IT IS. I MAY NEVER FIND AN ORIGINAL CARD I NEED FOR UNDER FORTY BUCKS EVER AGAIN THOUGH SO ARCHIVES IS THE WAY TO GO FOR THE TIME BEING

THE CARDS THAT WEREN'T PORTION OF THE SET WENT WITH BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS INSTEAD OF ARTWORK. I GET WHY TOPPS DID IT BUT I'M NOT CRAZY ABOUT IT. DONRUSS AND UPPER DECK ALREADY HAD ACTUAL ART SUBSETS, TOPPS SHOULDA GOT SOME OF THE UNEMPLOYED GARBAGE PAIL KIDS ARTISTS TO PAINT THESE GUYS

A TED WILLIAMS TED WILLIAMS CARD! HELL YEAH! I HAVE BEEN HALF-ASSEDLY COLLECTING THE 1993 AND 1994 TED WILLIAMS LEGENDS SETS BUT THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DOWN ON THE PECKING ORDER UNDERNEATH ARCHIVES, PACIFIC LEGENDS, CONLIN COLLECTION, RANDOM UPPER DECK NONSENSE AMONG OTHERS. I LIKED PICKING THEM UP HERE AND THERE BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN CLOSE TO COMPLETING EITHER SET. UNTIL NOW. THERE WAS ALMOST A COMPLETE SET IN THIS BOX AND THE CARDS THAT WERE MISSING I ALREADY HAD. THAT'S RIGHT WE HAVE 

JOY OF A COMPLETE SET

AND I HAD WAY LESS 1993 CARDS THAN I DID 1994 CARDS SO THERE IS NOT A HUGE DOUBLES PILE LEFT OVER EITHER. I RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF CARDS I NEEDED WHEN I SAW THESE TEDS BUT HAD NO IDEA I WOULD ACTUALLY FINISH THE DANG SET. AMONG MY RANDOM CRAP PURCHASES THIS YEAR I HAVE BEEN STEALTHILY FOCUSING MORE ON COMPLETING SETS AND 1993 TED WILLIAMS WAS DEFINITELY NOT ON MY SET BUILDING RADAR. COMPLETING THIS NICE LOOKING LITTLE SET WAS A NICE SURPRISE. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THIS BOB HORNER CARD IN A BRAVES BOX SOMEWHERE ALREADY BUT NOW I HAVE ANOTHER ONE IN THE LEGENDS SET BOX

THE ORIGINAL GOAL FOR THIS POST WAS TO SHOW OFF THREE OF MY FAVORITE CARDS PER SET BUT I WENT OVERBOARD AND NOW THIS POST IS COMPELTELY UNWEILDY. I COULDN'T NOT SHOW YOGI THOUGH, COULD I?

OR LEFTY! I COULDN'T LEAVE OUT LEFTY. AND GHOST LEFTY ON THE LEFT. IS THAT WHAT THE INVISIBLE INK GIMMICK IS? A SECOND SPECTRAL PICTURE ON THE CARD?

CURT FLOOD IS MANDATORY. THE GUY WHO HIT THE FIRST DOMINO LEADING TO SHOHEI'S SEVEN HUNDRED MILLION SMACKEROOS. OR FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILLION SMACKEROOS FOR TAX PURPOSES. GOTTA SHOW OFF CURT. I COULD HAVE TAKEN A DOZEN MORE PICTURES OF CARDS

SO I JUST TOOK THEM ALL AT ONCE. I'VE BEEN SQUIRRELING AWAY THESE NEGRO LEAGUE CARDS AS I FIND THEM AND IT'S COOL TO GET THEM ALL AT ONCE. COOL PAPA BELL, JOSH GIBSON, BUCK LEONARD, SATCHEL PAIGE! YES! I'VE ALREADY BOUGHT A FEW OF THESE ALREADY BUT HADN'T PUT THEM IN WITH THE SET AND HONESTLY I'LL BUY MORE THE NEXT TIME I SEE THEM

I HAD A LOT MORE OF THE SUBSET CARDS THAN THE REGULAR BASE CARDS ALREADY BECAUSE THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO GET PICKED UP IN DIME BOXES BUT I STILL NEEDED WILLIE, CAMPY AND MONTE HERE. ACTUALLY SOME OF YOU WILL REMEMBER WILLIE FROM AN OLD ONLINE DIME BOX POST BUT YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY SAY HEY KIDS

LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I WAS VERY EARLY IN MY CARD SHOW ADVENTURE AND I WAS HESITANT TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ALL AT ONCE WITHOUT SEEING WHAT OTHER TREASURES AWAITED ME BUT ONCE I SAW THE POGS IT WAS OVER. THESE THINGS RULE AND I ONLY HAD A HANDFUL OF THEM. I WAS OVER THE MOON TO GET BOTH THE BRAVES AND ATLANTA BLACK CRACKERS POG CARDS IN THE BOX. THIS WAS WORTH THE TEN BUCKS ITSELF HONESTLY. THE BRAVES AND METS COMBINATION IS A BIT PROPHETIC AS ATLANTA HAD NOT YET MOVED TO THE NL EAST IN 1993 TO TORMENT THE METROPOLITANS FOR DECADES

SEVEN POG CARDS WERE DEDICATED TO THE NEGRO LEAGUES AND NEGRO LEAGUE TEAM LOGOS. THESE TWO FEATURE THE LOUISVILLE BLACK CAPS AND PHILADELPHIA STARS, AND THE INDIANAPOLIS ABC'S AND HARLEM STARS

HERE ARE THE LAST TWO POG CARDS I NEEDED. THE BROWNS AND BROOKLYN HAVE A DEFUNCT TEAM THEME AND CUBS AND TIGERS ARE A 1945 WORLD SERIES REMATCH I GUESS? I ALSO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE LOGOS FOR THE CUBS AND TIGERS HAVE BEEN EATEN UP BY THAT ODD BLOTCHY BACKGROUND PATTERN. WITH THESE CARDS I NOW HAVE EXACTLY HALF THE POG SET. AT THE CURRENT RATE OF FINDING THEM OUT IN THE WILD I SHOULD HAVE THE SET COMPLETED IN 2053

THE ACTION PACKED CARDS WERE EVEN FURTHER DOWN ON MY LEGENDS PECKING LIST BUT YOU CAN SEE ALL THOSE BLACK BORDERED CARDS IN THAT BOX SURELY ENTICED ME. I DID NOT COMPLETE THIS SET BUT I WENT FROM HAVING ABOUT ELEVEN CARDS TO NEEDING ELEVEN CARDS. NOT QUITE THE SINGLE DIGITS CLUB YET BUT IT'S FUN TO HOLD A BIG PILE OF CHONKY CARDS. ONCE AGAIN I TOOK WAY TOO MANY PICTURES BUT TELL ME WHO I SHOULD'VE LEFT OUT. NOT YOGI!

NOT GIBBY!

NOT SPAHNNIE!

NOT BIRD!

OK MAYBE CHAMBLISS COULD HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT BUT HE WAS THE FIRST BASEMAN FOR THE BRAVES WHEN I FIRST GOT INTO BASEBALL SO HE MAKES THE CUT

DON'T EVEN TELL ME TO LEAVE OUT HARVEY HADDIX EXPECIALLY WITH THAT THREE DEE EMBOSSED FOLLOW THROUGH ACTION

NOT ROADRUNNER! ALL THESE CARDS ARE COMPLETELY NECESSARY. IT WAS ALSO NECESSARY TO MAKE THIS JOKE TO GET THROUGH THE POST BECAUSE THIS IS TAKING WAY TOO LONG TO WRITE AS IT IS 

THERE WERE NOT MANY 1994 UPPER DECK ALL-TIME HEROES CARDS IN THE BOX AND WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH THEM I DICOVERED THAT ALL BUT FIVE HAD THE DUMB MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 125TH ANNIVERSARY FOIL STAMPING ON THEM. SEVEN OF THEM WERE CARDS ON THE WANTLIST AS WELL SO NOW I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE MORAL CONUNDRUM OF DECIDING IF I WANT TO IGNORE THE FOIL AND STICK THEM IN THE SET ALREADY, SOMETHING I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH FOR A WHILE NOW. I DID MANAGE TO GET THIS ENOS SLAUGHTER MAD DASH CARD SANS FOIL I NEEDED AT LEAST

FINALLY WE HAVE THIRTEEN 2001 SP LEGENDARY CUTS CARDS I DID NOT PREVIOUSLY HAVE. I KNEW I WOULD FEEL LIKE THE WAY I FEEL NOW ABOUT WRITING THIS LONG-ASS POST AND HAD THE DISCIPLINE TO ONLY TAKE PICS OF THREE CARDS THIS TIME. THESE CARDS ARE VERY SHINY AND FOILY AND THIS EDDIE MATHEWS CARDS LOOKS TOO GOOD TO GET STUCK IN AN UPPER DECK LEGENDS SET BOX. IT MIGHT GET PUT IN A BRAVES BOX INSTEAD

MAN THESE THINGS ARE SHINY. THIS WAS A REAL HIGH-END PACK IN A PRODUCT STUFFED FULL OF BAT AND JERSEY CARDS AND EVEN ONE CUT AUTOGRAPH CARD PER CASE! AND PACKS WERE ONLY TEN BUCKS A POP! IF YOU COULD FIND THEM FOR THAT. THIS USED TO BE A PROPER COUNTRY. I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME TO 2001 WITH A WAD OF CASH IN MY HAND. I'D BUY EVERY VINTAGE CARD I COULD FIND

WE'LL END THIS POST ON ELSTON. I FORGOT TO COUNT ALL THE CARDS I NEEDED BEFORE I PUT THEM AWAY BUT IT WAS WELL OVER A HUNDRED. SO LESS THAN A DIME A POP  FOR ALL OF THEM WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE. NOT SOO SHABBY! I DO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK TO DO WITH ALL THE DOUBLES BUT THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR FUTURE ME. I DID NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE TABLE AFTER THIS THOUGH, WE HAVE ONE POST LEFT FROM THIS SELLER. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IT IS? HERE'S A HINT:

70'S FLEER