2023 CARD SHOW - PART 1: PATRICK'S MAGICAL QUARTER BOX

 

DON'T LOOK AT THE PICTURE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS

2023 HAS BEEN A PRETTY FANTASTIC YEAR FOR ME AS FAR AS PICKING UP CARDS IS CONCERNED, I'VE GOTTEN A WHOLE BUNCH OF COOL SHIT. I'VE GOT LIKE EIGHT DIFFERENT PLACES TO FIND CARDS NOW WHICH IS NINE MORE THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SO I FEEL PRETTY FORTUNATE IN THAT AREA. ONE THING THAT AVOIDED ME HOWEVER WAS A CARD SHOW. THERE ARE USUALLY AT LEAST TWO SHOWS A MONTH WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF ME (ALBEIT A COUPLE HOURS DRIVING IN SOME CASES) BUT HAVING THE COMBINATION OF BOTH TIME AND MONEY ELUDED ME FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SOME OF THIS WAS MY FAULT AS THE DOZENS OF ONLINE DIME BOX AND JUNK BOX POSTS CAN ATTEST TO, BUT REGARDLESS IT WAS WELL OVER A YEAR SINCE I GOT TO A SHOW. A LITTLE BIRTHDAY MONEY AND A FREE SUNDAY MORNING CORRECTED THAT AND AS YOU CAN SEE ABOVE (SPOILERS!!) I DID PRETTY WELL FOR MYSELF. SINCE THE COMC POSTS WON'T BE BACK UNTIL JANUARY AT THE EARLIEST LET'S USE FRIDAYS TO SHOW OFF ALL THIS STUFF. CARD PRICES RANGED FROM A MAX OF $2.50 TO TEN BUCKS DIVIDED BY HOWEVER MANY CARDS ARE IN THAT BOX UP THERE

WE'LL START WITH THE LITTLE PILE ON THE LEFT IN THE MIDDLE ROW. THESE CAME FROM PATRICK'S MAGICAL QUARTER BOX. I'VE BEEN SCROUNGING THOSE BOXES FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW AND I ALWAYS FIND SOME NEAT SURPRISES IN THERE. THERE'S PROBABLY AT LEAST TWO OTHER QUARTER BOX POSTS ON THIS BLOG COURTESY OF THESE BOXES BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO SEARCH FOR THEM AT THE MOMENT. PATRICK WASN'T MY FIRST STOP AT THE SHOW, THAT WAS THE VINTAGE TABLE RIGHT AT THE FRONT WITH ALL THE COOL CHEAP OLD STUFF. WELL, COOL OLD STUFF AT LEAST. I HAD A MILD STICKER SHOCK WHEN I FIRST STOPPED THERE AS A LOT OF THE HIGHER CALIBER VINTAGE HAD GONE WAY UP IN PRICE. I LOOKED FOR A COUPLE CARDS I WAS TARGETING, SAW DOUBLE DIGIT PRICES AND MY GAME PLAN WAS OUT THE WINDOW. THE REALLY CHEAP BOXES WERE BEING DOMINATED BY AN OLDER DUDE WITH A WELL WORN NOTEBOOK FULL OF WANTLISTS. I KNEW A FELLOW COLLECTOR FREAK WHEN I SAW ONE AND RESPECTED HIS SPACE AND LEFT HIM BE AS I STARTED TO CIRCLE THE ROOM. I FOUND A DOLLAR BOX OF NOLAN RYAN CARDS, SLABS, A CASE FULL OF STUFF WITH NO PRICES, SLABS WITH NO PRICES, MORE SLABS. A CASE WITH PRICES I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PUT A DOWN PAYMENT ON, SLABS, SLABS AND THOSE WONDERFUL QUARTER BOXES. I KNOW MY PLACE IN THE ECOSYSTEM, I SETTLED DOWN AND FOUND THREE BUCKS WORTH OF CARDS AT FIVE FOR A DOLLAR. HERE WE GO:

2012 PRISM ADRIAN BELTRE BRILLIANCE INSERT

ADRIAN BELTRE IS A LOW-KEY PLAYER COLLECTION FOR ME AND HE BETTER FUCKING GET ELECTED TO THE HALL OF FAME OR I AM GOING TO BE EXCEEDINGLY PISSY ABOUT IT. I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN PULLING A BELTRE DODGERS ROOKIE YEAR INSERT WAS ALMOST INEVITABLE. YOU NEVER GOT ANYONE GOOD LIKE JD DREW OR RICK ANKIEL OR JOSE CRUZ JR, NOPE, ALWAYS ADRIAN BELTRE. NOW THOSE BELTRE CARDS GO FOR BIG BUCKS! WELL, MAYBE A BUCK. OR TWO. I WASN'T ABOUT TO PASS UP ON A NICE SHINY CHROMEY PRIZM INSERT OF ADRIAN OUT OF THE QUARTER BOX

1998 SKYBOX DUGOUT AXCESS RANDY JOHNSON DISWASHERS INSERT

DUGOUT AXCESS WAS ONE OF THE WEIRDER RELEASES OF THE 90S. THE CARDS WERE PRINTED ON THIN PLASTICKY STOCK AND WERE FILLED WITH REALLY AWKWARD SLANG TO BE HIP WITH THE KIDS. THE DISHWASHERS INSERT FEATURED PITCHERS WHO WERE GOOD AT CLEANING THE PLATE, SO TO SPEAK, AND FEATURES A WHO'S WHO OF STAR PITCHERS OF THE LATE 90S. WHY ALL THESE PITCHERS WERE PUT ON THE MOON, I HAVE NO IDEA. RANDY JOHNSON CARDS ARE ALWAYS INEXPLICABLY CHEAP AND I WILL NOT PASS ONE UP FOR A QUARTER, EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN EXILED TO THE MOON 

1998 PINNACLE JEFF BAGWELL HIT IT HERE INSERT

BAGWELL IS ALSO IN THAT GROUP OF DISRESPECTED HALL OF FAMERS THAT ARE ALWAYS CHEAP. I REMEMBER HOW HOT THE CHASE WAS FOR HIS ROOKIES IN 1991 SO I WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR HIS CARDS. THIS PINNACLE INSERT IS EXCEEDINGLY SHINY WITH ETCHED FOIL CARD STOCK. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

SERIAL NUMBERING! KINDA. THERE'S A SERIAL NUMBER BUT NO /OUT OF NUMBER. THERE'S FIVE DIGITS SO THERE'S AT LEAST 10,000 OF THESE THINGS BUT THERE COULD BE AS MANY AS 99,999. TWENTY THOUSAND IS THE ACCEPTED NUMBER PRINTED 

1992 O-PEE-CHEE RICKEY HENDERSON

I HAVE BEEN OBSESSIVELY PICKING UP ANY NOVEL RICKEY CARD I SEE FOR A WHILE NOW AND O-PEE-CHEE IS DEFINITELY A NEGLECTED SIDE OF MY COLLECTION. IF THIS CARD HAS ALREADY POPPED UP IN ONE OF THE BASEBALLCARDSTORE DOT CA POSTS YELL AT ME IN THE COMMENTS. I REALLY NEED TO GET MY ACT TOGETHER AND START CATALOGUING THE MAJOR PLAYER COLLECTIONS IN TCDB BEFORE I START BUYING THE SAME CARD TEN TIMES LIKE I REGULARLY DO WITH BRAVES CARDS

1995 STUDIO JEFF BAGWELL AND MIKE PIAZZA PLATINUM PARALLELS

1995 STUDIO IS ONE OF THE WEIRDEST SETS EVER MADE. THE BASE SET IS KINDA AWFUL, NO ONE ASKED FOR A PLAIN PAPER CARD THAT LOOKS LIKE A CREDIT CARD. THE GOLD AND PLATINUM PARALELLS ON THE OTHER HAND ARE FANTASTIC. THEY ARE NOT EASY TO FIND EITHER I'VE ONLY ACCUMULATED A SMALL HANDFUL OF GOLDS AND THESE ARE MY FIRST TWO PLATINUMS. PIAZZA AND BAGS ARE A GOOD START AND AT 25 CARDS IN THE SET I'M ALREADY TEMPTED TO START LOOKING FOR MORE

2000 PACIFIC PRIVATE STOCK ALEX RODRIGUEZ PS-2000 MINI

MINIS! A-ROD IS IN THAT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TIER OF DIRT CHEAP 90S STARS. THE NOT-IN-THE-HALL-BUT-SHOULDA-BEEN-YEARS-AGO-BUT-WON'T-IN-MY-LIFETIME TIER. I DON'T CARE, I'LL TAKE THE CHEAP CARDS, ESPECIALLY THE GOOD ONES IN A MARINERS UNIFORM. PACIFIC PIONEERED THE T-206 STYLE MINI CARDS YEARS BEFORE TOPPS206 AND GINTER AND QYPSY GUEEN DID IN THE 00S. THE PRIVATE STOCK PACKS KNEW WHAT WE REALLY WANTED AS WELL AND INSERTED TWO MINIS PER PACK. I PASS UP A LOT OF GINTER AND OTHERWISE MINI CARDS IN THESE BOXES UNLESS I KNOW FOR SURE I NEED THEM BUT PACIFIC QUARTER BOX MINIS GO HOME WITH ME EVERY TIME

1987 TOPPS CECIL COOPER BOX BOTTOM CARD

SPEAKING OF MINIS, 87 TOPPS PUT THE BOX CARDS ON THE SIDE FOR SOME REASON SO THESE ARE APPROXIMATELY 1975 MINI SIZE. I FOOLISHLY PUT THESE CARDS ON THE BACK BURNER FOR YEARS WHEN I COULD HAVE PICKED THEM UP FOR NOTHING AND NOW IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND THEM. COOP IS UNDERRATED AND THIS CARD CELEBRATES HIS 2000TH CAREER HIT

1991 7-11 DWIGHT GOODEN SUPERSTAR ACTION COIN

THERE ARE ALWAYS SEVERAL OF THESE IN THE QUARTER BOX AND I'VE PROBABLY BOUGHT AT LEAST ONE OF THESE BEFORE BUT C'MON, HOW TO YOU PASS ON A DOC GOODEN 7-11 SCORE SPORTFLICS STYLE PROTO-POG

1976 SHAKEY'S PIZZA BASEBALL'S HALL OF FAME RABBIT MARANVILLE

I HAD HEARD OF THE SHAKEY'S PIZZA HALL OF FAME SET BEFORE BUT I NEVER ACTUALLY SAW ANY. THERE WERE A COUPLE DOZEN IN THE BOX AND I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME DECIDING WHICH OF THE D-LIST PLAYERS AND EXECUTIVES TO PICK UP FOR A TYPE CARD WHEN RABBIT POPPED UP AND MADE THE DECISION EASY. I HAD NO IDEA THESE THINGS WERE FROM 1976, I THOUGHT THEY WERE LATE 80S MAYBE EARLY 90S. I MIGHTA BOUGHT MORE HAD I KNOWN BUT I ENDED UP NEEDING EVERY LAST PENNY SO MAYBE THAT'S FOR THE BEST

LOOK AT THIS FANTASTIC BACK WITH THE PIZZA SIGN ON IT. HOW IN THE WORLD DID A PIZZA JOINT IN SEATTLE PULL OFF A WHOLE-ASS BASEBALL CARD SET

1983 CRAMER BASEBALL LEGENDS KIKI CUYLER

SPEAKING OF ANCIENT LEGENDS SETS THAT HAVE ELUDED ME, I AM SORT OF COLLECTING THE CRAMER LEGENDS SET BUT THIS HERE IS THE FIRST CARD FROM THE 1983 4TH SERIES I'VE FOUND. JUST THE OPPOSITE OF THE SHAKEY'S CARDS, THESE SEEM TO ME LIKE THEY SHOULD BE MUCH OLDER THAN THEY ARE. IT'S GONNA BE A LONG LONG WHILE BEFORE THIS SET IS FINISHED BUT I ONLY HAVE 110 MORE TO GO

1987 RALSTON PURINA FERNANDO VALENZUELA

HERE'S A SET I ACTUALLY GOT A FEW CARDS FROM WHEN I WAS A KID. THESE RALSTON PURINA CARDS WERE INSERTED IN BOXES OF COOKIE CRISP CEREAL. I KNOW I GOT A FEW PACKS WHEN I WAS A KID BUT I'M STILL MISSING MOST OF THE 15 CARD SET. I'M NOT SURE IF I LOST THE CARDS OR MAYBE GOT A LITTLE EXCITED WHEN EATING THE CEREAL AND SCARFED THE CARDS DOWN AS WELL. I REMEMBER FOR SURE THAT ALL THE ONES I GOT WERE AS WEIRDLY CUT AS THIS ONE. THIS WAS MAYBE THE MOST LOW BUDGET LOOKING ODDBALL SET OF THE 80S, A REAL STEP DOWN FROM THEIR MUCH MORE PROFESSIONAL LOOKING SET IN 1984 WITH THE TOPPS BRANDING

1982 DONRUSS HAROLD BAINES

THERE ARE ALWAYS A TON OF EARLY 80S STAR CARDS IN THE MAGICAL QUARTER BOX AND TODAY WAS NO EXCEPTION. SADLY I'VE BEEN DOING SO WELL ADDING TO SETS LATELY THAT THE ONLY CARD I ACTUALLY NEEDED WAS THIS 82 DONRUSS HAROLD BAINES. OH WAIT, HALL OF FAMER HAROLD BAINES. YESSSS HOW DELICIOUS THAT SOUNDS. THIS IS A NICE LOOKING CARD AND I LOOK FORWARD TO PUTTING IT INTO THE BINDER

1977 TOPPS JOE TORRE

ALONG WITH THE 80S STARS, THERE'S ALSO  USUALLY A NICE LITTLE HANDFUL OF 70S CARDS IN THE BOX. SOMETIMES EVEN 60S OR EVEN 50S CARDS, BUT I DIDN'T FIND ANY I NEEDED THIS TIME. THIS JOE TORRE CARD WAS A NEED THOUGH AND IT'S A HELLUVA PICKUP FOR A QUARTER. I AM NOW ALMOST COMPLETELY DONE WITH MY 1976 TOPPS SET AND I'M TRYING TO DECIDE ON WHICH 70S SET TO ATTACK WITH FULL FORCE IN 2024. THE OBVIOUS CHOICE IS 1975, BUT I HAVE PICKED UP OVER A DOZEN 1977S BY COMPLETE ACCIDENT IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS SO THE UNIVERSE MAY BE PUSHING ME IN THAT DIRECTION. LOOKING OVER MY WANTLIST, I SEE THAT I NEED THE GARY CARTER ROOKIE FOR 1975, SO THAT MAY CAUSE ME SOME PROBLEMS. OH WAIT, I NEED THE GODDAMN PETE ROSE FOR 1975 BUT I ALREADY HAVE IT FOR 1977! THAT SETTLES IT, 2024 IS THE YEAR OF 1977 FOR ME. WATCH ME FIND A BOX FULL OF 75S THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY

1976 BOBBY BONDS RECORD BREAKER AND FRIENDS

MISCUT CARDS ARE HOTTER THAN ANY MANUPATCH OR RELIC CARD RIGHT NOW AND I MADE A VERY HIGH PITCHED SQUEEING SOUND WHEN I SAW THIS BEAUTY. I ALREADY HAVE A COUPLE OF THESE BOBBY BONDS 30-30 RECORD BREAKER CARDS BUT I DON'T HAVE ONE WITH CAMEOS FROM LARRY ANDERSON AND KEN CROSBY. ALL THIS HERE COST LESS THAN THAT PACK OF TOPPS UPDATE I SHOWED OFF A WHILE BACK. PLUS I GOT ONE MORE CARD! THIS WAS A GREAT START BUT THE NEXT TABLE I HIT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW. IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOUR POSTS TO SHOW OFF ALL THAT STUFF SO SETTLE IN, WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE UNTIL JANUARY