SURPRISES IN THE 1971 BOX

I HAVE A ROUTINE AT MY LOCAL CARD SHOP. COME IN THE STORE. SAY HI TO THE OWNER. DIG THRU THE 50 CENT BRAVES CARDS. CHECK OUT THE BASEBALL DIME BOX. REPEAT FOR BASKETBALL, SOCCER AND NON-SPORTS. LOOK AT THE CASES. STUMBLE AROUND FOR A BIT LOOKING FOR ANY NEW BOXES OR BINDERS THAT CAME IN. COMPLETELY FORGET TO BUY ANY SUPPLIES. IF I HAVEN'T SPENT ALL MY MONEY AND/OR GOTTEN TOO HUNGRY FOR LUNCH TO SCREW AROUND ANYMORE I'LL TRY TO LOOK AT THE VINTAGE BOXES FOR SOME CHEAP THRILLS. ON ONE SUCH TRIP THIS SUMMER I ASKED FOR THE 1971 BOX. I'M NOT SURE WHY AS THE SETS I'M TRYING TO FOCUS ON AT THE MOMENT ARE 1976 AND 1972 TOPPS. I'M GLAD I DID TRY MY LUCK WITH THE 1971 BOX THOUGH, AS MY LUCK WAS GREAT

THERE WERE, IN FACT, 1971 TOPPS BASE CARDS IN THE 1971 BOX. THIS WAS EXPECTED. I PICKED OUT A FEW I NEEDED OFF THE WANTLIST. THIS CARD WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, I FRIGGIN LOVE THIS CARD TO DEATH AND AM STARTING TO HOARD THEM A BIT. BY A BIT, I MEAN I HAVE MAYBE FOUR OF THEM TOTAL BUT IF I SEE ONE IN A QUARTER BIN IT'S MINE, NO COOKIE FOR YOU. THE REST OF THE CARDS IN THE POST ARE ACTUAL CARDS OFF THE WANTLIST, BUT AS USUAL I HAD TO PICK THE STRANGE ONES

EXPOS IN 3-D. POOR JIM GOSGER LOOKS EXTRA SINISTER IN THIS PICTURE AND THE CRAZY REGISTRATION IS NOT HELPING. THAT EXPOS LOGO LOOKS TRIPPY AS HELL. THEY DON'T MAKE CARDS LIKE THEY USED TO

I COULD STARE AT THIS DAVE MCNALLY CARD ALL DAY LONG, IT'S HYPNOTIZING. WHY IS DAVE LOOMING? WHAT'S HE STARING AT? WHY IS THE ENTIRE BACKGROUND A LONE FLAGPOLE? THAT BLACK BORDER JUST ACCENTUATES THE WEIRD VIBES ON THIS CARD, I LOVE IT

JERRY JOHNSON LOOKS LIKE THAT HANDSOME SQUIDWARD MEME AND IT CRACKS ME UP EVERY TIME I LOOK AT IT. I'M GIGGLING LIKE AN IDIOT AS I TYPE. IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT AND ENJOY YOUR SANITY. BUT IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW

IT'S GOOD TO FIND OLD TEAM CARDS BECAUSE IN ANY SET BUILD THERE'S ALWAYS THAT ONE GODDAMN TEAM CARD THAT YOU CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE AND WHEN IT FINALLY DOES TURN UP IT COSTS LIKE FIVE BUCKS. OR FIFTY IF THE SET IS OLD ENOUGH. THIS SEMI-HIGH NUMBERED PADRES CARD WAS CHEAP AS DIRT BECAUSE IT HAS A BIG NOTCH GOUGED OUT OF THE TOP. I'LL TAKE IT!

ALONG WITH THE THE BASE CARDS, THE BOX HAD SOME SCRATCH OFF INSERTS. TOPPS GOT LAZY AS HELL AND PUT IN THE EXACT SAME SCRATCH-OFF INSERTS IN 1970 AND 1971 PACKS. SAME PLAYERS AND EVERYTHING, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE COLOR OF THE SCRATCH-OFF BOARD. THIS SORT OF WORKS FOR ME BECAUSE I AM BUILDING A SET OF THEM BUT AM MIXING AND MATCHING THE 70S AND 71S

THE BACK OF THE CARD HAS INSTRUCTIONS AND A SCOREBOARD. MOST OF THE CARDS I SEE HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED BUT I HARDLY EVER SEE THE SCOREBOARD FILLED IN

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF A SCRATCHED OFF INSIDE OF A RED 1971 VARIATION. THE 1970S ARE WHITE INSIDE. IT'S COOL TO SEE ALL THE OPTIONS YOU COULD HAVE SCRATCHED OFF BACK IN THE DAY. ONLY TWO DINGERS ON THE WHOLE CARD, THEY'D NEED AT LEAST EIGHT TODAY WITH THIRTY STRIKEOUTS

ONE OF MY 2022 COLLECTING GOALS WAS TO COMPLETE A VINTAGE TOPPS INSERT SET FROM THE 60S OR 70S, A GOAL I FAILED MISERABLY. I REALLY SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO DO THIS TEN OR TWENTY YEARS AGO WHEN THEY WERE ALL DIRT CHEAP BECAUSE THE STARS HAVE GOTTEN SUPER SPENDY LATELY IF YOU CAN EVEN FIND THEM. I KNOCKED THREE OFF MY LIST AND AM DOWN TO ONLY NEEDING FOUR TO FINISH, FIVE IF I UPGRADE MY NATE COLBERT CARD WHICH IS CURRENTLY RIPPED IN HALF AND MISSING THE BACK

THIS WAS THE REAL SUPRISE IN THE BOX. A BIG PILE OF 1971 FLEER LAUGHLIN WORLD SERIES CARDS. FLEER PUT THESE OUT IN 1970 AND 1971 WITH DIFFERENT ILLUSTRATIONS. YOU CAN TELL THE TWO APART BECAUSE THE 1971S HAVE THE MLB LOGO ON THEM. THIS IS ANOTHER ODDBALL SET I'M TRYING TO FRANKENSTEIN INTO COMPLETION AND I KNOCKED OUT A HUGE CHUNK RAIDING THESE BOXES THIS YEAR. FIRST ONE IS THE THE 1929 CARD WHERE A'S PITCHER EHMKE STRUCK OUT A BUNCHA LOTTA CUBS

NEXT UP IS 1937 WITH AN ILLUSTRATION OF TONY LAZZERI LOOKING VERY SHY. ANOTHER BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 70 AND 71 SETS IS THERE ARE MORE ACTUAL PLAYERS IN THE 1971 SET INSTEAD OF GENERIC SCENES. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE AND YOU'LL SEE PLAYERS IN THE 1970 SET, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE IN 71 AND YOU'LL SEE SOME DIFFERENT PLAYERS EACH YEAR SOMETIMES. THE 1937 CARD SHOWED CARL HUBBELL IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S SET

HERE'S ANOTHER DAMN YANKEE WIN. I PREFER THE 1970 VERSION WITH KING KONG KELLER

THAT'S BETTER, LET ANOTHER TEAM WIN FOR ONCE. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE A DUKE SNIDER BROOKLYN DODGER CARD WITH A 35 CENT PRICE TAG ON IT. SURE IT'S FROM FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER THE DODGERS MOVED TO LA, BUT 35 CENTS SEEMS A LITTLE DISRESPECTFUL

THIS CARD BUGS ME. NOT THAT I DISLIKE MOOSE SKOWRON, HEAVENS NO. WHAT BUGS ME IS THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION OF BILL MAZEROSKI ON THE FRONT OR BACK OF EITHER THE 1970 OR 1971 VERSION OF THIS CARD. THEY JUST MENTION A LEAD OFF HOMER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH DECIDING IT. THEN AGAIN ANY DISCUSSION OF THE 1960 WORLD SERIES TODAY BEGINS AND ENDS WITH MAZ SO IT'S GOOD BOBBY RICHARDSON GOT SOME RECOGNITION

LASTLY WE HAVE TWINS VS. DODGERS. LAUGHLIN COULD NOT RESIST DRAWING TWINS ON BOTH CARDS EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST AND WHO CAN BLAME HIM

AFTER ALL THAT THERE WAS ONE LAST SUPER MEGA SURPRISE IN THE BOX

1971 KELLOGG'S TONY HORTON. TONY HAD A SADLY SHORT CAREER THAT ENDED PREMATURELY AND FOR SOME REASON NEVER APPEARED ON A TOPPS CARD. AS A RESULT THIS KELLOGG'S CARD IS THE MOST MAINSTREAM RELEASE YOU'RE GOING TO FIND FROM HIS PLAYING DAYS. I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE SCARCITY OF HIS CARDS FOR A WHILE AND WAS STUNNED TO FIND KELLOGG'S CARDS AT ALL IN THE VINTAGE BOX, LET ALONE ONE I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR

IT'S GOT A LITTLE GOOP GROWING ON IT BUT THAT JUST GIVES THE CARD THAT MUCH MORE PERSONALITY. ALL THESE CARDS TOGETHER COST LESS THAN MOST OF THE NEW PACKS THEY HAVE AT THE SHOP. I TRIED CHECKING THE OTHER 70S VINTAGE BOXES TO SEE IF I COULD SCORE MORE KELLOGG'S BUT NONE OF THEM HAD THE BOUNTY OF ODDBALLS THAT I FOUND HERE. IT PAYS TO DIG SOMETIMES, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR