APRIL 2024 CARD SHOW PART 7: VINTAGE TABLE SCROUNGING

THE NATIONAL IS THIS WEEK AND I'VE BEEN STARING AT MY COMC POSTS WITH NO WORDS COMING OUT FOR WEEKS SO THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO BLOW THROUGH THE REST OF THE CARD SHOW PICKUPS FROM THREE MONTHS AGO. TODAY WE HAVE THE COOL VINTAGE TABLE THAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU SEE WHEN YOU ENTER THE SHOW. I USUALLY MAKE IT THE LAST STOP ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR SO I CAN FIND SOME COOL OLD STUFF AND GET RID OF WHATEVER CASH IS SOMEHOW LEFT IN MY POCKET. THIS TIME I HAD AN ACTUAL PLAN THOUGH. THE VINTAGE CARDS AT THIS TABLE ARE ALWAYS PRICED IN SHARPIE ON THE PENNY SLEEVE WITH ONE EXCEPTION: LOOSEY CARDS IN THE SET BOXES. THOSE ARE ALWAYS PRICED AT A QUARTER A POP. MY MISSION WAS TO ATTACK THE QUARTER LOOSEYS I NEEDED OUT OF THE BASEBALL SETS I WAS BUILDING AND THE BASKETBALL BOX. I DID VERY WELL FOR MYSELF

BUT FIRST, LET ME SHOW YOU MY DICK 

WHAT

IT'S JUST MY POLE

A BAD PICTURE OF THIS CARD IS BY FAR MY MOST POPULAR POST ON BLUESKY AND WHY NOT? IT'S A STONE COLD CLASSIC. MY NEBULOUS GOALS FOR 2024 INCLUDED COMPLETING 1975 TOPPS, OR MAYBE 1977 TOPPS. STILL NOT QUITE SURE. WELL, I'M PRETTY SURE I'M NOT COMPLETING EITHER ONE OF THEM THIS YEAR BUT I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO WHITTLE DOWN MY LISTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THIS WAS THE ONLY LOOSE CARD I NEEDED FROM THE '75 BOX BUT WHAT A CARD. I ALMOST HOOTED AND HOLLERED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOW WHEN I SAW IT. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS CARD ELUDED ME FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS BUT I TRACKED ONE DOWN! AND IF I SEE ANOTHER I'LL BUY IT AGAIN, SEE IF I DON'T

MY 1977 LIST IS SOMEHOW LARGER THAN MY 75 LIST SO IT'S NOT SURPRISING I FOUND TWICE AS MANY CARDS. TWO GOOD ONES TOO! A SUPER BEAT UP HALL OF FAMER AND A HALL OF FAME NAME. THERE ARE TONS MORE CARD FROM 75 AND 77 AT THAT TABLE SO NEXT TIME I WILL BE LOOKING FOR SUPER EXPENSIVE CARDS. SOME ARE THIRTY-FIVE CENTS! I WAS LASER FOCUSED ON THE QUARTER CARDS THOUGH SO I MOVED ON TO THE BASKETBALL BOX AND PROCEEDED TO CLEAN IT OUT

1971-72 TOPPS BASKETBALL IS THE OLDEST STANDARD SIZED BASKETBALL SET THAT IS EASY TO FIND. YES, THEY HAD A STANDARD SIZED SET IN 1957-58, BUT IF YOU FIND ANY OF THOSE IN A QUARTER BOX YOU NEED TO BUY THEM ALL IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS A REALLY ATTRACTIVE DESIGN WITH THE CITY NAME IN FUNKY LETTERING AND A PHOTO ON TOP OF A SOLID COLOR BACKGROUND. TEAMS HAVE THEIR OWN COLOR COMBOS WHICH CAN HAVE THE SAME COLOR FOR THE CITY AND THE BACKGROUND LIKE WITH CLEVELAND'S GREEN HERE OR DIFFERENT COLORS AS WITH THE KNICKS' BLUE AND YELLOW. ALL EXCEPT FOR THE CINCINNATI ROYALS FOR SOME REASON WHO HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT BACKGROUND COLORS. IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE A REIMAGINING OF THE 1969 FOOTBALL SET. THESE TWO CARDS ARE BEAT TO HELL BUT THEY STILL LOOK GREAT

THESE TWO WEREN'T CREASED UP BUT THEY ARE OFF CENTER. THIS IS HONESTLY A BONUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S POSSIBLE TO PLAY A GAME OF "WHO'S ON THE OTHER CARD" SINCE THE TEAM AND POSITION IS CUT OFF. HOWIE KOMIVES IS UNDERNEATH A HAWKS CARD! SINCE THE POSITION IS FORWARD-CENTER WE CAN CONFIRM THAT I HAVE A SLIVER OF JIM DAVIS' CARD. LEROY'S CARD PARTNER IS A PISTONS GUARD MEANING THAT HOWIE MIGHT BE THE ONE! SADLY I PUT THEM TOGETHER AND WHILE THE NAMES MATCH UP PRETTY WELL THE LEFT-RIGHT BORDERS DO NOT, SO THIS IS NOT THE OFF CENTER PARTNER. OTHER POSSIBILITIES ARE JIMMY WALKER AND DAVE BING

THE LAST OF THE 71-72S ARE A TRIO FROM BUFFALO WHO GOT THE PINK INK. IT WAS A ODD DAY FOR ME WHEN I LEARNED THERE WAS A SECOND BRAVES TEAM IN A DIFFERENT SPORT AND I'M STILL NOT QUITE SURE WHY YOUNGER ME DIDN'T FEEL COMPELLED TO COLLECT 'EM ALL OUT OF SPITE. TWO OF THESE GUYS DO HAVE AN ATLANTA CONNECTION AS BOB KAUFFMAN FINISHED HIS CAREER WITH THE HAWKS AND JERRY CHAMBERS IS ACTUALLY PICURED IN THE WEIRD BLUE AND GREEN PETE MARAVICH-ERA HAWKS UNI

HERE ARE SOME SLIGHTLY LESS BEAUTIFUL 1973-74 TOPPS BASKETBALL CARDS. REMEMBER THAT LOU HUDSON COMC POST WHERE I STATED THAT THIS WHOLE SET LOOKS LIKE A MUGSHOT GALLERY? CAN YOU SEE WHY I SAID THAT NOW? HOW IN THE HELL DID THE 70S NBA END UP THE INTERNATIONAL JUGGERNAUT IT IS TODAY?? LEBRON JAMES IS THE US FLAG BEARER AT THE OLYMPICS FFS. HOW DID WE GET FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL GYMS TO THAT???

EVEN WITH MUGSHOTS, ABA CARDS ARE ALWAYS AWESOME. THESE TWO TEAMS WERE BOTH COMPLETE DISASTERS. THE MEMPHIS TAMS BEGAN LIFE AS THE NEW ORLEANS BUCCANEERS BEFORE MOVING TO MEMPHIS AND BECOMING THE PROS. THE TEAM ALMOST FOLDED BUT WAS BOUGHT BY CHARLES FINLEY (YES, THE A'S CHARLIE FINLEY) WHO RENAMED THE TEAM TO THE TAMS WHICH WAS AN ACRONYM OF TENNESSEE-ARKANSAS-MISSISSIPPI. THE LEAGUE TOOK OVER THE TEAM TWO YEARS LATER AND IT SPENT ITS LAST SEASON AS THE SOUNDS, A NAME THAT WOULD BE LATER BE YOINKED BY NASHVILLE FOR THEIR MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. THE VIRGINIA SQUIRES STARTED OUT AS THE OAKLAND OAKS WHO ACTUALLY WON AN ABA CHAMPIONSHIP BUT DIDN'T DRAW CROWDS SO THEY MOVED TO WASHINGTON DC. THE BALTIMORE BULLETS WANTED TO MOVE TO WASHINGTON SO THE LEAGUE MADE THE TEAM RELOCATE TO NORFOLK AND BECOME THE VIRGINIA SQUIRES. THE SQUIRES HAD BOTH DR. J AND GEORGE GERVIN BUT THE TEAM WAS BROKE AND EVENTUALLY TRADED THEM BOTH FOR A PILE OF CASH. BOTH TEAMS FINALLY FLOPPED IN THE 1975-76 SEASON. MEMPHIS WAS SOLD TO OWNERS IN BALTIMORE WHO PLAYED THREE EXHIBITION GAMES AS THE BALTIMORE CLAWS BEFORE BEING DUMPED BY THE LEAGUE. THE SQUIRES MANAGED TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE SEASON BUT WERE CONTRACTED BY THE ABA A MONTH BEFORE THE MERGER. THE ABA WAS WILD AND EVERY CARD IS A TREASURE

HEY LOOK I GOT TWO BUCKS. THE 1975-76 IS ANOTHER GREAT ONE WITH A VERY SIMPLE DESIGN, A GOOD MIX OF MUGSHOTS AND DARK ACTION SHOTS AND THE LAST APPEARANCE OF ABA TEAMS. IT'S ALSO THE LARGEST VINTAGE BASKETBALL SET AT 330 CARDS SO IT'S A BEAST TO COLLECT. ONCE AGAIN EACH TEAM GETS THEIR OWN COLOR COMBO AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE HAWKS GET THAT SOOTHING BLUE-GREEN THEME THAT MANY ATLANTA BRAVES SETS GOT THROUGH THE YEARS

I DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD TWO BLAZERS CARD UNTIL AFTER I TOOK THE PICTURE SO THEY DIDN'T GET GROUPED TOGETHER LIKE THE BUCKS DID. YOU CAN SEE A NICE WAX STAIN ON THE FRONT OF JOHN JOHNSON'S CARD THANKS TO THE BLACK BACKGROUND. THERE'S ALSO ONE ON RON RILEY'S CARD BUT IT'S HARDER TO SEE. THAT CARD ALSO LOOKS LIKE IT GOT RUN OVER BY AN OFFICE CHAIR

A WHILE BACK THERE WAS A BIG BOX OF 1977-78 AND 1979-80 COMMONS AT THE SHOW AND I CHOSE TO BUY UP ALL THE 79-80S AND SAVE THE 77-78S FOR THE NEXT TIME AND I NEVER SAW THEM AGAIN. I REGRET THIS NOW AS THESE SEEM TO BE HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND FOR SOME REASON, I EVEN HAVE MORE OF THE 76-77 GIANT-SIZED CARDS. I FOUND A COUPLE AT LEAST

HERE'S ONE OF THOSE 1979-80S THAT I ALREADY HAVE BUT ARTIS GILMORE IS MY FAVORITE 70S PLAYER SO I'M NEVER GOING TO PASS HIM UP IN A QUARTER BOX. I THINK I MIGHT HAVE FOUR OF THESE CARDS NOW AND I'LL BUY IT AGAIN

I PASSED UP ON THIS ONE ON MY PREVIOUS CARD SHOW TRIP AND IT HAUNTED ME. THANKFULLY NO ONE ELSE COLLECTS CARDS THAT HAD A SHEET WITH WET INK PLOPPED ON TOP OF IT AND IT WAS STILL THERE. I'VE SOMEHOW ACCUMULATED A FEW OF THESE, SOME OF THEM ON PURPOSE

AFTER DOING SO WELL WITH THE BASKETBALL I CHECKED OUT THE FOOTBALL BOX IN HOPES OF KNOCKING SOME OFF THE WANTLIST. JOHN STALLWORTH IS A HELLUVA GOOD FIND FOR A 1982 SET I'M GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO COMPLETING

THE LAST TWO CARDS I PICKED UP WERE THESE TWO FROM 1981 TOPPS THAT I LATER FOUND I ALREADY HAD. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I SCREWED THAT UP BUT I THINK I MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT MY 1982 FOOTBALL NEEDS BY ACCIDENT. QUITE SILLY SINCE I HAD JUST PICKED OUT A CARD FROM THAT SET, I DESERVE THAT LOOK FROM RAYMOND. IT ALL WORKED OUT SINCE I ANDED UP PAYING FIVE BUCKS FOR EVERYTHING. HOORAY! THAT MEANS I HAD SOME MONEY LEFT, WHICH MEANS THERE'S ONE FINAL CARD SHOW POST TO COME.