a big Braves Thank you kind of day....

this is the first of a couple of thank you posts aimed at thanking everyone who swaps cards with me, or just out and out sends me stuff for no reason.

This is one of those cases.

A reader named Mark, who has made quite a name for himself with several random PWE's flying throughout the blogging world, sent one to me. Me!

And wouldn't you know it, it just so happened to contain some much wanted Braves. How fortuitous.

Let's start off with a card that I know I have, probably more than once, but have no idea where the hell it is.

The good news is now that Mark sent me another, I should be able to locate my copy quite easily.

A Pedro Torrealba rookie!

 That's a pretty cool 'stache.

Hooray for the multi rookie cards of the seventies.

Ralph Garr and Garry Hill

This next one arrived the same day as I got another one from COMC. Ain't that the way?

But how about this beauty in all of it's technicolour glory?

and in honour of finding out that Yes indeed, night owl and I both call the 1972 Topps set the "Psychedelic Tombstone" set, perhaps one of the few times we've ever agreed on anything, I leave you with these.

two 1975 Topps minis.

Very nice.

Thanks for the Braves Mark!!!

It's a psychedelic tombstone kind of day...

A lot going on around here. I mean besides the massive volume of snow I've received in the past couple of days.
Spring my ass.

Anyways, I've got another order from COMC, as well as a few gifts in the mail recently. So I'll start with a couple of vintage cards to set the mood, and throw in a Thank You post every now and then to mix things up.

Starting off with some 1972's. In the spirit of night owl's come up with a name for every set, I've always called this one the Psychedelic tombstone set. I can't remember what he calls it.... I could go and look it up, but that would take the kind of effort that I just do not possess at this point and time.

A few weeks ago I was actually able to acquire a 1972 Topps card I needed at one of my local shops.
I know!
It surprised me too.
I could've got it for a few bucks cheaper online, but to be able to get one here in person more than made up for it.

Mr Aaron is always welcome in my home. Whatever journey he went on to end up in Calgary after the last 42 years is now over.

Via the COMC route, I was able to add this fantastic Ralph Garr card.

Ralph would go on to lead the league in batting in 1974.

...and Lum Harris. Is this a high number? No idea where the high series starts in this set...

In 7 years of pro ball (interrupted by a couple of years fighting the war), Lum made a grand total of $47,500.
I hear Scott Boras rolling over in his future grave.
1972 was Lum's last year as a manager. He passed away in 1996.

1972 Topps needs, #'s 348, 451, 540, 591, 601, 641, 675, 740, 758, 764, 787

Topps puts the screws to me again...

Ah.. the beauty that is exclusivity. And no, the lousy Donruss offering from Panini doesn't count.
There's only one game in town, and it's Topps.

For better and for worse, we're stuck with them. To that end, when my wife decided to buy me some baseball cards on her last Wally World visit, she brought home one of those hanger box thingies of 2014 Topps baseball.

I don't recall ever opening one of these... maybe I have, but if so the experience eludes me. On the box it warns me that packs containing a relic card may only have between 2 and 12 cards. Not the standard amount. Okay, I can understand that. The box tells me that it contains 72 cards. Cool. Six packs to rip.

Uh, no.

Inside is one clear cellophane package with a brick of 72 cards in it. No packs. None.

So what in the hell is with the warning then??????

Thanks to the no fun and no suspense clear packaging, I see that yes indeed I do have a relic card. (SPOILERS!)
Either that or they've stuffed a decoy card in there. Can you imagine?! A decoy in a package like this? Oy.

Anways, I won't bore you any more... we've all seen enough Topps to last us well past the next ice age.
So just a couple of highlights... and a really big lowlight.

My only Brave in the box, JHey. I appreciate the great catch, but there's something about a baseball card where you can't see their face... I dunno.

 

I have no idea who the hell this dude is, but I can tell you that there are not nearly enough second basemen in the big leagues with the name 'Scooter". And I am unanimous in this.

 

I got two of those retail yellow border cards, Harper being one. Is he still the one? Or did he do a Strasburg? Have we moved on to someone else? Maybe that Pig guy in L.A.? (I call him El Puerco by the way)

Finally the big hit. You only get a relic in every 'X' number of boxes apparently, and I nailed one. AND he's a great young pitcher, AND he happens to be one of the last ones standing on my favourite team!!! Go Braves!!!

Only one small problem .......

Insert The Price Is Right fail horn here.......

Thanks again Topps.

When is a PWE not a PWE?

When is a PWE not a PWE? Why when it's pink of course. Then it becomes a PPE. Only this particular pink package *cough* wasn't so plain either....

 

For those of you who remember a PWE from The Card Chop awhile back... this is another one from the same source. What I didn't know at the time was that Steve had sent me not one, but three PWE's in late January, all at the same time.

One came a couple of weeks later. One arrived within a month. The last showed up Friday. A scant six and a half weeks later.

 

Apparently, it went on some kind of postal adventure. And at one point, decided to take a swim.

 

Yeah.

 

Talk about being put through the wringer.

 

Twice.

 

I get some of the damage... there was a top loader in there and we all know you can't put top loaders in PWE's. They jam the machines and get .... munched.

But that doesn't explain the water damage. This baby got soaked. The paper has that feel of being underwater for awhile and them being dried out. Very brittle now too....

If only letters could talk.

But enough about the outside, let's see what was inside.

How about a 1987 Sportflics Tom Glavine card? Yes, I said 1987....

you can kinda see Tom in the bottom right, struggling to be recognized over all of the others. I'm not sure who at Sportflics decided it would be a good idea to put 12 guys on the front of a baseball card using only four frames, but I'm pretty sure they're from either Washington or Colorado.

Let's move on to the Johnson's.

1968's Deron....

and 1969's Bob.

nice hat Bob. Get one for Deron, won't you?

How about a 1957 Del Rice? Someone thought Del was just spiffy and gave him two stars for all of his efforts.

Del was also glued into a book at one time. We've got some extra paper on the back to prove it.

No gluing Johnny Logan! No siree Bob. (Johnson)

Johnny got tacked onto the wall with a thumbtack like a lot of other stars in the day. Somewhere near a sunny window I'd say, judging from the colour loss.

Thanks for the fantastic vintage, all with stories to tell.... now with one more somewhat soggy story.

Patience. 5 1/2 years worth of patience.

There comes a time in this hobby when most collectors realize that this isn't a race. There is absolutely no need to rush out and buy the latest and greatest the week after release.

 

It's a hard lesson to learn. Some of us never learn it. I feel that's a big reason why there is burnout and people drop the hobby after going all in for as long as they could.

 

I know it was a huge lesson for me. But I am a much happier collector now. And like all good things, they come to those who wait for them.

 

And wait.

 

Aaaaaaand wait.

 

5 1/2 years.

 

Cue the wavy picture and the dreamy music as we flashback to 2008.

 

There was a product called Upper Deck Premier. My guy Adam LaRoche had several cards in the set. And several parallel cards... all of them pretty. I wanted ALL THE LAROCHE CARDS!

 

The thing is, I acquired a lot of them too. Just because I had one /10, doesn't mean I didn't want 2 or 3 or 4 of them.

 

The same goes for /15 and /25. So you know that carried over to the ones /30.

 

Thirty! Easy! Might as well get them all!

 

I think I have 10 or so of the /30. I was buying them for fair prices. Between $7 and $15.

 

Then another one popped up on the 'bay. #28/30. It was beautiful. I wanted it.

 

No. I needed it.

 

Problem..... it had a Buy It Now of $25, with a Best Offer option. $25????? Is he insane?

 

So I buckled down and offered him half. More than I wanted seeing as it would also have $3.50 shipping.

 

He came back at $22. Ha! I declined.

 

A year goes buy and that card is still in my Watched Items.

 

I offer $10. Still plus $3.50 shipping.

 

He refuses.

 

A year goes by.

 

I offer him $9.

 

Nope.

 

Another year goes by.

 

My offer goes up to $10 again.

 

No dice.

 

So I give up. But I still watch MY card in my Watched Items. And it stays there... month after month. At $25, for another 2 1/2 years.

 

Then, in December of 2013.... the seller has a xmas sale or something.... and low and behold, my card is marked down to $12. Except now it's $5.50 shipping.

 

I send him an offer of $7.50 all in. I've been the only one wanting this card for over five years.

 

I think he finally gave in... he counters at $9.50 shipped.

 

BOOM!!!

 

Patience. A lesson well learned.

Now.......

Why the hell do I need so many copies of the same card????