2023 CARD SHOW - PART 8 GRAND FINALE AT THE VINTAGE TABLE

I LEFT THE BOARDROOM WITH SEVEN BUCKS IN MY POCKET AND MADE A BEELINE TOWARDS THE VINTAGE GUY AT THE FRONT WHO GAVE ME STICKER SHOCK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW. I KNEW THERE WERE SOME CHEAPSKATE BOXES I COULD RAID UNLESS THAT DUDE WAS STILL HOGGING THEM. I GOT TO THE TABLE AND... YES! I COULD HOG THE BOXES NOW! I POKED AT THE TOPPS BASE SETS FOR A MINUTE BUT THEN SAID FORGET THAT MESS AND ATTACKED THE ODDBALLS INSTEAD. THIS WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE CARD I BOUGHT AT THE SHOW: 

THREE WHOLE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS JUST BECAUSE IT HAS A GIANT BABE RUTH HEAD BUSTING OUT THROUGH THE OUTFIELD GRASS. WORTH EVERY PENNY. I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A FRANKENSET COMBINING THE 1970 AND 1971 SETS FOR A WHILE NOW AND I PUT A REAL HURTIN' ON MY NEEDS THIS TRIP. IN GENERAL I AM PICKING UP THE FIRST ONE I FIND BUT I CHOSE THE 1970 VERSION OF THE 1923 SEASON SPECIFICALLY FOR THE BABE

KELLOGGS ARE ALWAYS A MUST AT THIS TABLE AND I GOT AN EXTREMELY CRACKED 1972 BILLY WILLIAMS FOR ONLY FIFTY CENTS. AND WHEN I MEAN CRACKED, I MEAN IT. YOU CAN ACTUALLY LIFT THE PLASTIC OFF BILLY'S FACE AND MAKE THE CARD LOOK LIKE A 1973 KELLOGG'S. CRACKS ARE JUST AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD WITH KELLOGG COLLECTING AND IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A CRACKED CARD IT MAY AS WELL BE A CATASTROPHIC CRACK. THIS CARD LOOKS WORSE IN PERSON BUT I DO NOT CARE. A COUPLE YEARS AGO I HAD ZERO 1972 KELLOGGS CARDS AND NOW I HAVE SEVERAL. HOORAY FOR CRACKS!!!

USUALLY THE CARDS IN THESE BOXES ARE ALL IN PENNY SLEEVES WITH A PRICE WRITTEN ON IT IN SHARPIE. THIS TIME THERE WAS A BIG PILE OF 1980 KELLOGG'S IN DECENT SHAPE IN A TEAM BAG FOR FIFTY CENTS EACH. EVERY ONE OF THEM WAS SOME JABRONI, THEN EDDIE MURRAY POPPED UP. I WAS NOT PASSING ON EDS. I NEED ALMOST EVERY 1980 KELLOGG'S CARD SO IF THEY ARE STILL THERE NEXT TIME MAYBE I WILL TRY THE 'HOW MUCH FOR ALL THE THINGS' STRATEGY. IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK, THIS GUY WRITES "FIRM" ON HALF HIS PRICES BUT YOU NEVER KNOW!

ALONG WITH THE RUTH I PICKED UP FOUR MORE LAUGHLIN WORLD SERIES CARDS. THIS ONE FROM 1970 ALSO HAS A RUTH CAMEO BUT SINCE THE PLAYER SHOWN IS PAUL WANER IT ONLY COST A QUARTER. THIS IS A DARK SUBJECT FOR A WHIMSICAL BASEBALL CARD. PIRATE POISON? OK PAUL AND LLOYD WANER WERE NICKNAMED BIG POISON AND LITTLE POISON BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE SKULL AND CROSSBONES WITH A BASEBALL CAP. THEN AGAIN THE POISON VIALS LOOK A LITTLE LIKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS WHICH MAKES THINGS A TAD MORE WHIMSICAL I GUESS

THE 1933 WORLD SERIES IS REPRESENTED BY THIS BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND CUT 1971 CARD WITH CARL HUBBELL TWIRLING A GOOSE EGG. WEIRDLY CUT BASE CARDS ARE HARD ENOUGH TO FIND NOWADAYS, FINDING A MISCUT ODDBALL IS A MIRACLE. I'M SURE MOST OF YOU OUT THERE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 1970 AND 1971 SETS BUT THE EASIEST WAY TO TELL THEM APART IS: 1970 CARDS HAVE THE YEAR INSIDE A BASEBALL, 1971 HAS THE YEAR IN A SQUARE WITH THE MLB LOGO. I KNOW MY SEVEN REGULARS ALREADY KNOW THIS BUT MAYBE A HISTORIAN FINDS THIS POST IN 2537 AND LEARNS SOMETHING. IT COULD HAPPEN!

ANOTHER 1971 CARD WITH SOME UNFORTUNATE SUBJECT MATTER. LAUGHLIN DID A PARODY SET IN 1975 CALLED BATTY BASEBALL SO WE'LL JUST REFER TO THIS CARD AS THE SERIES BETWEEN THE ENGINES AND THE BRIEFS. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THIS CARD ALREADY BUT IT'S NOT IN MY FLEER VINTAGE BINDER SO IF I DO I HAVE TWO NOW I GUESS

LAST ONE IS A 1970 CARD FEATURING GIL MCDOUGALD BEING THE CABOOSE ON A CONGA LINE. THESE WERE ALL A QUARTER EACH AND ALONG WITH THE RUTH THIS KNOCKS THE FRANKENSET DOWN TO EIGHT CARDS NOT COUNTING THE EXTREMELY SHORT PRINTED 1970S CARDS. I HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN THOSE CARDS BEFORE THOUGH AND THE ONES ONLINE COST LIKE A HUNDRED BUCKS SO I MIGHT JUST FORGET THOSE EXIST. MAYBE THEY'RE EASIER TO FIND ON THE BACK OF A STICKER? FOR THOSE OF YOU FURIOUS I AM MIXING AND MATCHING BETWEEN THE TWO SETS REST ASSURED THAT ONCE I FINISH THE FRANKENSET I'LL LIKELY GO HUNT DOWN THE REST OF THEM AS WELL

AFTER THE KELLOGG'S AND LAUGHLINS I TRIED VERY HARD TO FIND SOME 1960S OR 70S INSERT CARDS LIKE SOME DECKLE EDGE OR GAME CARDS BUT I COMPLETELY STRUCK OUT. I SWITCHED GEARS AND HIT THE HOCKEY AND BASKETBALL BOX INSTEAD.

I HAVE HARDLY ANY HOCKEY CARDS OLDER THAN ABOUT 1972 OR SO IF I FIND ANY FROM THE 60S CHEAP I TRY TO GRAB EM. THIS CARD IS FROM THE 1968-69 SET. ALL YOU HORIZONTAL CARD AFICIONADOS GET A LOAD OF THIS DESIGN. A TINY PHOTO CRAMMED OVER TO THE SIDE WITH A MONOCHROME GENERIC HOCKEY ILLUSTRATION IN THE BACKGROUND. IT'S SO BIZARRE IT'S ALMOST GENIUS. IT WOULD BE ALMOST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS BEFORE DONRUSS WOULD USE THIS SAME DESIGN STRATEGY TO  LEAVE OPEN A WIDE OPEN SPACE FOR A RELIC OR AUTOGRAPH. SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT THIS DESIGN, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE QUITE LIKE IT

ONE YEAR LATER THEY WENT THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND SWITCHED TO AN EXTREMELY BLAND DESIGN FOR THE 1969-70 SET. BIG PICTURE, BOLD TEXT, HOCKEY STICK. DONE. IT'S A LITTLE ODD I GOT RANGERS FOR BOTH SETS BUT THERE WERE ONLY TWELVE TEAMS AT THE TIME. THESE DIDN'T ACTUALLY ADD TO MY 60S TOPPS HOCKEY COLLECTION AS THEY BOTH ENDED UP BEING O-PEE-CHEE CARDS. I HAVE EVEN LESS OF THEM SO IT'S ALL GOOD

ALONG WITH THE OLD CARDS I ALSO LOOKED FOR SOME WANTLIST CARDS. I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WANTLISTS FOR HOCKEY BUT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE 1974-75 TOPPS SET FOR OVER A DECADE NOW. I HAVEN'T FOUND A CARD I NEEDED IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS, BUT I GOT THE WANTLIST, I'M WORKING ON IT. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW CARDS FROM THE SET IN THE BOX BUT JEAN PRONOVOST WAS THE ONLY ONE I NEEDED. ONE'S BETTER THAN NONE! JEAN PLAYED FOR THE ATLANTA FLAMES LATER IN HIS CAREER BUT HE'S WITH THE PENGUINS HERE. THAT CHUBBY PENGUIN LOGO IS THE BEST, THE LOGOS ON THESE CARDS IS A BIG REASON WHY I LOVE IT SO MUCH

I ALSO FOUND A TONY ESPOSITO CARD FROM THE 1981-82 SET I NEEDED. WITH THIS ONE I AM ONLY MISSING TWO CARDS FROM THE BASE SET! UNFORTUNATELY HOCKEY DID THE SAME THING AS BASKETBALL AND ADDED ADDITIONAL HIGH NUMBER CARDS FOR EACH CONFERENCE TO BLOAT THINGS OUT. STILL! I ONLY NEED RAY BOURQUE AND THE JARI KURRI ROOKIE NOW. GRETZKY? GOT. LAFLEUR? GOT. BOSSY? GOT. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A SHORT SET, COMPLETING ANY SET FROM THE 80S IS AN ACHIEVEMENT

I DIDN'T GO SET BUILDING WITH THE BASKETBALL BECAUSE 1) I DON'T KNOW WHAT SET I'M WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT AND 2) THERE WERE HARDLY ANY BASKETBALL CARDS ANYWAY. IN THOSE SITUATIONS I LOOK FOR OLD AND COOL. THIS 1971-72 CARD IS THE DEFINITION OF COOL. THAT FUNKY TEAM NAME RULES, THE SHOCKING PICK BACKGROUND IS DAZZLING, THE RED AICHES IN HAPPY HAIRSTON PLEASES MY EYES AND HAIRSTON IS INDEED VERY HAPPY ON THIS CARD. WHO CARES IF IT'S DINGED UP AND CREASED, THIS CARD IS GREAT

THE LAST CARD OF THE SHOW IS WENDELL HERE FROM THE 1973-74 SET. I HAD A HARD TIME PICKING THIS ONE BUT THE KENTUCKY COLONELS ARE MY FAVORITE ABA TEAM SO THIS ONE GOT CHOSEN. ALL THESE HOCKEY AND HOOPS CARDS WERE A QUARTER EACH AND I DID INDEED MANAGE TO SPEND ALL SEVEN BUCKS AND LEAVE THE SHOW FLAT BROKE

\AND WE'RE DONE! I REALLY WANT TO GO BACK AND RAID THIS TABLE AGAIN AS SOON AS I CAN. UP NEXT: IT'S TIME FOR THE 2023 COMC BLACK FRIDAY BINGE EXTRAVAGANZA!!!