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