CARD PICKUPS FROM AN ACTUAL STORE IN A BUILDING

 PRETTY MUCH 100% OF MY CARD PURCHASES SINCE ABOUT MAY HAVE BEEN ONLINE BUT LAST WEEK I WAS FORCED KICKING AND SCREAMING TO LEAVE MY HOUSE SO I MADE THE BEST OF IT BY GOING TO A CARD SHOP. AS YOU NOW KNOW, I HAVE NO LESS THAN THREE GOOD CARD SHOPS WITHIN MY ORBIT, BUT HAVE NEITHER THE TIME NOR MONEY TO BLOW AT ALL THREE. SO A SERIOUS CHOICE WAS AHEAD OF ME: GO TO MY LONG TIME COMFORT LCS, GO TO THE HOLE IN THE WALL SHOP AND HUNT BARGAINS, OR HIT THE GIANT WAREHOUSE SHOP AND BE INTIMIDATED. DECISIONS, DECISIONS. OF COURSE I SWERVED THEM ALL AND WENT TO THE ANTIQUE MALL INSTEAD. I HAD THE WHOLE DAY OFF SO I GOT TO GET SOME CARDS AND VISIT THE TRASH MUSEUM AT THE SAME TIME

THIS HERE IS WHY I MADE THE CHOICE TO GO ANTIQUING. THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE I FOUND THIS COMPLETED, PUNCHED AND STUCK 1984 DONRUSS PUZZLE OF DUKE SNIDER AND WAS HOPING IT WOULD GO UNNOTICED BY EVERYONE SCROUNGING DOLLAR BOXES AND PICKING UP ROOKIE SLABS. MY LUCK HELD OUT AND IT WAS STILL THERE. I PUT A COMPLETED PUZZLE IN THE FRONT OF MY DONRUSS BINDERS AS A FRONT PAGE PROTECTOR AND BECAUSE IT LOOKS PURDY. I PUNCHED OUT AND TAPED TOGETHER SEVERAL SETS WHEN I WAS A KID SO I HAD QUITE A FEW ALREADY BUT I NEVER OPENED MUCH 1984 DONRUSS SO DUKE'S COMPLETED PUZZLE HAD ELUDED ME FOR A LONG TIME. WHILE THIS PUZZLE IS GLUED INSTEAD OF TAPED I DON'T REALLY MIND BECAUSE IT MEANS I DON'T HAVE TO PUNCH OUT MY ONLY COMPLETED DUKE PUZZLE SET NOW. WHILE PUTTING IT IN THE BINDER I TOOK ACCOUNT OF MY OTHER SETS AND IT LOOKS LIKE I'M MISSING TY COBB (DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE I OPENED A CRAPLOAD OF PACKS WHEN I WAS A KID), MICKEY MANTLE (TOUGH BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY INSERTED IN THE ODDBALL SETS), TED WILLIAMS (SUPER TOUGH BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY INSERTED IN THE ALL-STAR PACKS), AND EVERYTHING AFTER 1989 AS IT LOOKS LIKE I STOPPED PUNCHING AND TAPING AT THAT TIME. I HAVE A STOOPID AMOUNT OF THOSE PUZZLE PIECES THOUGH SO IT LOOKS LIKE I'LL GET TO HAVE SOME FUN ON A FUTURE RAINY DAY

I ALSO POKED AROUND THE BRAVES DOLLAR BOX WHICH WAS, WELL, PRETTY BAD. TONS OF JUNK WAX BASE COMMONS IN THERE. STUFF THAT IS OVERPRICED AT A NICKEL, LET ALONE A DOLLAR. BUT MIXED IN AMONGST THE CRAP, THIS POPPED UP

HELL YEAH, EX-2000 CHIPPER CARD. I'VE BEEN BUYING GUYS LIKE HIDEO NOMO AND NOMAR GARCIAPARRA FROM THIS SET FOR A BUCK EACH. FINDING CHIPPER AT THAT PRICE IS A GODSEND. THIS IS ONE OF A SMALL HANDFUL OF SHINY ODDBALL 90S SETS I'VE PUT MY MIND TO WORKING ON COMPLETING SO ANY THAT I FIND IS GREAT. TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST I'VE GOT A FEW CARDS FROM THE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL SETS IN THE EX-2000 BOX ALREADY AND THEY JUST MIGHT STAY THERE. THEY ALL LOOK GREAT SO WHY NOT

ALSO IN THE BOX IN BETWEEN 1991 DONRUSS AND 1993 FLEER WAS SOME TOPPS TEK. THIS IS ANOTHER SET I AM INSANELY TRYING TO BUILD, ALTHOUGH MY GOAL IS ONE CARD PER PLAYER AND ONE OF EACH OF THE BACKGROUND PATTERNS. I KNEW I WAS BUYING THIS THE MOMENT I SAW IT SO I DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER LOOKING AT MY WANTLIST BUT WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED. DID I NEED MADDUX? YEP! DID I NEED THIS BACKGROUND PATTERN? YES YES! I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

LAST AND MOST BEWILDERING CARD OUT OF THE BOX WAS THIS 1997 LEAF Z-AXIS DIE CUT PARALLEL OF TOM GLAVINE.THIS CARD NOT ONLY DOES NOT PHOTOGRAPH WELL IT DOESN'T REAL LIFE WELL EITHER. THE CASHIER LOOKED AT IT FOR TWO MINUTES BEFORE SHE COULD READ THE NAME ON THE CARD. I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE THAT THESE FRACTAL MATRIX CARDS ARE RIDICULOUS WITH THREE DIFFERENT RARITIES OF FOIL COLOR AND THREE DIFFERENT RARITIES OF DIE CUTS. YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT THEM HERE, I'M NOT EXPLAINING ALL THAT. BOTTOM LINE THERE ARE ONLY 100 COPIES EACH OF THE Z-AXIS DIE CUTS. SUPPOSEDLY. THERE IS NO SERIAL NUMBERING ON THESE CARDS AND MANY RUMORS THAT A FEW EXTRAS SNUCK OUT THE BACK DOOR TO GO ON MANY ADVENTURES AFTER THE LEAF LIQUIDATION. BOTTOM LINE, Z-AXIS IS COOLER BECAUSE MORE CHUNKS OUT OF THE CARD AND THEY ARE REASONABLY SCARCE FOR A 90S PRODUCT. I WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY FINDING SOMEONE LIKE BRIAN JORDAN WITH A Z-CUT. TOM GLAVINE OUT OF A DOLLAR BOX IS ABSURDLY LUCKY

THE LAST FIND AT THE MALL WAS THE BEST THOUGH EVEN WITH MY DOLLAR BOX FORTUNES. I HAVE BEEN CHASING DOWN THE TOPPS ALL-STAR GLOSSY RACK PACK INSERTS FOR YEARS. THESE THINGS ARE NOT SCARCE AT ALL AND I WAS ABOUT TWENTY CARDS AWAY FROM THE COMPLETE RUN. UNFORTUNATELY ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THAT WERE FROM THE 1991 SET. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A 1991 TOPPS RACK PACK IN MY LIFE AND HAVE HAD A HELLUVA TIME FINDING ANY OF THE GLOSSY INSERTS FROM THAT YEAR. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT RACK PACKS DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ALL-STAR CARDS IN 91, THE ENTIRE SET WAS GOTTEN THROUGH A MAIL IN OFFER. SUPER BUMMER. THEN THIS WAS JUST SITTING ON A SMALL METAL SHELF WITH SOME OTHER ODDBALL JUNKWAX STUFF

THE STICKER SAYS 1990 BUT WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT TOPPS 40 YEARS OF BASEBALL LOGO MEANS. WHOLE DAMN SET KNOCKED OUT IN ONE FELL SWOOP FOR WAY LESS THAN THE PRICE OF THE GRIFFEY CARD. WHICH MAKES SENSE THAT I FOUND THE COMPLETE SET WAY MORE EASILY THAN THE INDIVIDUAL CARDS SINCE THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS DISTRIBUTED. NOW I'M DOWN TO ABOUT SEVEN CARDS LEFT AND COULD EASILY KNOCK OUT THE RUN THIS YEAR IF I'M WILLING TO OVERPAY A BIT ONLINE. BUT WHAT FUN IS THAT? ESPECIALLY IF MY SUPERPOWER APPEARS TO BE FINDING UNEXPECTEDLY GREAT DEALS ON BASEBALL CARDS IN THE WEIRDEST PLACES

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 40: MONSTER SET

UP UNTIL NOW I'VE BEEN SCREWING AROUND BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS. TIME TO COMPLETE A SET THIRTY FIVE YEARS LATER

1987 TOPPS WWF STICKERS - KING KONG BUNDY

KING KONG BUNDY STICKER CARD. THIS CARD WOULD FIT NICELY WITH THE KAIJU IN MY MONSTER CARD COLLECTION. I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT BUNDY OTHER THAN I'M A FAN OF HIS NAMESAKE BECAUSE I WASN'T A HUGE WRESTLING FAN WHEN I WAS A KID. I WAS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT SPORTS AND WAS ALL LIKE 'WRESTLING ISN'T A REAL SPORT, IT'S FAKE AND THEY'RE JUST MAKING THINGS UP' LIKE A BIG DOPE. OF COURSE IT'S FAKE AND THEY'RE MAKING IT ALL UP, THAT'S WHY IT'S FUN. IT WAS TOO POPULAR TO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT ALL THOUGH, THERE WERE COMMERCIALS AND SATURDAY MORNING TV SHOWS AND WRESTLERS WERE IN MOVIES ALL OVER THE PLACE. ENOUGH FRIENDS LIKED IT TO MAKE NERDY STAT HEAD LITTLE ME MORE ACCEPTING OF THE FAKERY. SO WHEN I FOUND A BOX OF 1987 TOPPS WWF IN THE CLEARANCE BIN AT THE CARD SHOP FOR SEVEN BUCKS IN THE LATE 80S I GRABBED IT AND RIPPED. WRESTLING IS FAKE BUT CARD PACKS ARE REAL AND I COULDN'T PASS UP OPENING A WHOLE BOX FOR 20 CENTS A PACK. COLLATION IN THE BOX WAS PRETTY GOOD. I GOT THE ENTIRE 75 CARD SET AND ALL BUT ONE OF THE 22 STICKERS. SINCE I WAS IN FULL 'I'M GONNA FINISH A GODDAMN SET IF IT KILLS ME' MODE DURING MY BINGE IT WAS A NO BRAINER TO FINALLY GRAB THE ONE STICKER THAT ELUDED ME 

THE BACK OF THE STICKER FEATURES THE HULKSTER'S HAND. I ALREADY HAD THE COMPLETE PUZZLE BACK SINCE THE 22-CARD STICKER SET REPEATS THE SAME 10-CARD PUZZLE TWICE ON THE BACK ALONG WITH TWO FULL PUZZLE BACK CARDS. MAYBE THAT'S WHY I NEVER FELT AN INSATIABLE URGE TO FINISH THE SET BEFORE NOW? THAT AN I COULD NEVER REMEMBER WHICH CARD I ACTUALLY NEEDED SINCE THE STICKERS RECYCLE PHOTOS FROM THE SET. I'M PRETTY SURE I ALMOST BOUGHT THE GEORGE 'THE ANIMAL' STEELE STICKER AT A CARD SHOW ONCE THINKING THAT MIGHT BE THE ONE I NEEDED BUT HELD OFF. THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A BAD PICKUP IN RETROSPECT. IN ANY CASE, KING KONG IS NOW SNUGLY TUCKED IN THE BINDER WITH THE REST OF THE SET. HERE'S A NICE PIC OF THE NOW COMPLETED (SECOND) PUZZLE:  

AND YOU KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO POST ABOUT COMPLETING A SET WITHOUT SHOWING THE WHOLE DANG THING OFF SO HERE WE GO!

FINISHING THINGS FEELS NICE! THIS ISN'T THE LAST SET I COMPLETED EITHER, SO STAY TUNED

You asked for it

You got it.

The Hank Aaron Puzzle is assembled, slightly trimmed and framed. The scan is awful because only a complete moron scans a picture frame. I haven't quite figured out where to put it, but when I do I'll take a pic.

The Final Verdict:

Display neatly in pages	8 (11%)
Punch 'em out and build that sucker	45 (67%)
Throw it in the box with the set and forget about it	7 (10%)
Burn the junk wax detritus	7 (10%)

Aaron is getting built and framed. Pics when I have one to show off.