Month: May 2017

What’s NOT In The Fireproof?  An Epilogue

I made it through the fireproof and showed off some of my favorite pieces.  You got to see Hank, Hershel, Smoltz, Jordan, Bird and even Mickey Mantle.  Those are treasures that I hold near and dear to my heart.  But I mentioned before that everything I have that’s extra special couldn’t necessarily fit in the box of intense heat protection.  There remain items that are in harms way for the time being and they aren’t throw away pieces by any stretch.  In fact, one of the pieces rivals “The Mick” as it relates to sports history royalty.  For now, they are in a Rubbermaid box, stowed away from the sunlight and elements.  That is the best I can do.

But on the heels of sifting through some of my favorite items, I had to take another look, cracking the seal on the fireproof-less box.  I’ve selected the 6 best items remaining that would have certainly been included in the series had they been actually in the box.  One was obtained in person, a couple purchased from Steiner, one from the local bookstore, an eBay purchase and a silent auction win.  I obtain items when opportunities arise.  These are in no particular order other than once again saving the best for last.Ronda Rousey Autographed Book – Rowdy is a polarizing figure and people seem to either love her or hate her.  Count me in the camp that loves her.  She brought women’s UFC to the big time and was as big of a draw as most of the men.  She also had a great Hardee’s commercial that I enjoyed watching.  I like her brash confidence, even when it backfires.  This was a sweet find as the autograph book section is usually made up of Guy Fieri and Kathy Griffin items.  This one was a must get and I have it wrapped in plastic and tucked away.  I tried to grab a Tebow book when it came out but I never found one locally.  I guess you can’t win em all!Dale Murphy Autographed Steiner Baseball – While this would technically fit in the fireproof, it won’t along with the other items.  This was one of the Steiner purchases and is a must own for a Braves fan.  The Murph was all we had to cheer for during the brutal 80’s but he was a star and a great team leader.  One of my dream items would be the light saber poster autographed and I may break down and pick one up one day.  But for now, this ball will more than suffice.  Murph has a very smooth autograph and this ball is signed very well.  Every now and again Steiner will run a 2 for 1 or $49 special and I’ll go and peruse the list.  Most of it is comprised of Mets or Yankees players but there will occasionally be an 80’s star like André Dawson or Dale Murphy.  Of course, Murph was a no brainer.  There are 4 people who ARE the Braves to me: Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, John Smoltz and Dale Murphy.  Thankfully, I have an auto of all of them so I consider myself lucky.Charley Trippi Chicago Cardinals PSA Autographed Jersey HOF Inscription – This will be the first in a run of 3 UGA legends for this post.  At UGA, Trippi led the Dawgs to a 1943 Rose Bowl victory and was the game’s MVP.  In 1946, after a stint serving in World War II, he received the Maxwell Award for being the nation’s most outstanding college football player along with being named SEC player of the year and a unanimous 1st Team All American.  He was later drafted by the Chicago Cardinals after considering professional baseball as a career.  He would retire with the most yards of total offense in NFL history at the time.  He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  So it’s safe to say that Mr. Trippi was an all around stud!  Big timer at UGA, a veteran of World War II and the most yards in The NFL as of his retirement.  This is really a cool piece to own!Todd Gurley 18X24 Autographed Poster with Inscription – TG3 is an all timer at UGA!  He is a very recent player of course but he is a legend in Red and Black and an all around solid dude from all I can tell.  We met him at a signing event just before the draft and he could not have been more pleasant and welcoming of the Bulldog Nation that came out to see him.  There are several players I have met in the past that were just there to do their jobs and go home but Gurley seemed legitimately happy to shake hands and sign autographs.  I’ve told the story before about how he remember my daughters name even though he met her and got the name 2 hours earlier.  He signed 2 helmets and this awesome poster that I bought the day of the event.  TG3 was our superman and this poster was a classic image from his time in Athens.  This will be the first thing that goes up on the wall in my eventual man cave!Hines Ward NFL Authentic Autographed Football with Inscription – This is the other Steiner piece I have and it was a birthday gift from my awesome wife.  Though I have the signed card from in the fireproof, this was my first Hines autograph.  Again, I love his autograph and this one even has the “SB XL MVP” Inscription so it’s that much sweeter.  I know people in Pittsburgh love Hines Ward but people in Georgia love him as a hometown hero.  This is a full size ball and the auto is huge which makes this an awesome sight in real life.  I won’t open it until I get that aforementioned man cave up and going and can properly display this beauty.Muhammed Ali Autographed Boxing Glove – I won this piece in a silent auction charity event about 6-7 years ago.  I was dead set on winning this the moment I laid eyes on it and it remains the only item I’ve ever won at a silent auction.  Ali was truly the greatest and trumps all of modern day athletes in cultural and athletic importance.  He’s on my Sports Mount Rushmore with Mickey, Jordan, Gretzky and Walter Payton. I don’t even remember anything else from the event that night.  It was a quail hunt that had celebrities and athletes like Ryan Klesko, Frank Stallone, John Schuerholz and Heath Shuler but I didn’t even pursue an auto from any of those guys once I had my Ali.  I took it to my truck and just stared at it for a while before driving home.  Klesko could’ve come up to me and asked if I wanted his World Series ring and I probably would’ve never rolled down the window.  I have to find the proper display and protection for this one as it should be stowed away like The Mick!

So this really does conclude the show and tell Series about my most meaningful pieces.  That’s not to say that there won’t be more adds in the future but as of now, there isn’t really much I can show you that would top the last few posts.  This series is going to be hard to top but I’ll come up with something to start on next.  Until then, best of luck to you on your quest for those awesome PC items!!

J-Dub

Meet The Collector: Cheap Card Sales

The “Meet The Collector” series started off with a bang last week with Shane Salmonson and a lot of you learned a little about him that you may not have already known.  That is my goal with this after all.   A lot of collectors have their own blog but they talk more about cards than themselves so I took it upon myself to pull back the curtain and let you see them a little closer.   I have started sending out my questionnaires and getting positive feedback so we are going to move forward with collector #2.

The next collector in our series is Joe from @cheapcardsales.  Joe has been in the hobby for 25+ years and specializes in low to mid-end sports cards.   I’ve been following him for a while now and I can vouch that he has some tremendous sales on his twitter feed.  But unlike a lot of sales people on Twitter, he doesn’t just inundate you with card sales.  He does YouTube rips that are fun to take in and also is very active on Twitter with sports in general so he is a really fun follow all around.  He collects baseball, basketball and football but baseball is his first love.  Be sure to go follow him @cheapcardsales on Twitter and check out his YouTube channel – Cheap Card Sales.Joe is 35 years old and from the Albany, NY area.  His collection started when he was around 8 years old when his mom bought him a “baseball card collector’s kit”, which consisted of some ’89 Topps baseball cards and supplies.   I remember these kits and would ask for them frequently when I was a kid, specifically the one pictured above.  I wanted everything I could get my hands on that had “baseball card” in the title.  Like most of us, he tailed off his collecting in the mid 90’s only to come back later when he started seeing some of the cool things that are available these days.   A few cheap autos from eBay was all it took to get him hooked all over again.  He created his twitter handle specifically to unload some cards in preparation for his upcoming wedding and it has quickly evolved into much more.Being from the Albany, NY area, you should be able to guess his favorite team, right?   The Evil Empire, New York Yankees are his first love in sports.  His favorite player for the Yankees remains Don Mattingly, even though he’s been retired for over 20 years.  I can understand this completely because Donnie Baseball was a classic baller!  He collects any Yankees he can get his hands on, especially autographs and game used.   He’s got a real soft spot for something with a pinstripe in it if you’re looking to make a deal with him.  As for football, he’s a Giants fan but doesn’t get too attached to specific players.His favorite card set of all time is 1989 Topps, because it’s how he got started.   I’m going to track this and I’ll bet that the set that people got started with is their favorite set 99% of the time.  It’s hard to ever forget about those first cards you got your hands on.  1989 Topps is a very good set and I did a fun break on them here a couple of weeks ago HERE.  But even if the set was 1988 Donruss, it’s still probably someone’s favorite if that’s the first cards they owned.   I agree with Joe that the look of the ’89 Topps brings back a lot of memories.   It has such a classic look with the bubble script team names and old school baseball card border.

I asked Joe what he likes most about the hobby and he said it was the fact that any pack you open could have a card in it that a pro athlete held, signed or could contain a piece of a jersey they wore.  You didn’t get that in ’89 Topps but these types of inserts have brought something to the hobby that we only dreamed of back when we started.  I remember getting some autographs at the Albany Polecats minor league stadium in ’91 and thought that would be the only avenue to autographs for me in my lifetime.   I was quite wrong.  As for what he likes least, he answered with something I’m sure many of you will nod in agreement about.   For many people, collecting has become strictly a business.  While acknowledging that he is certainly guilty of selling cards as much as anyone, he still collects because it is fun.   If you make a dollar or two while doing it to help sustain your hobby, I think that is all fair game.  I sell when I can to replenish my paypal or stock up on shipping but I buy cards to look at them and study as opposed to immediately trying to figure out what I can get for them.  It sounds like Joe does the same!Joe has a few favorites in his collection that he shared with me.  He has signed baseballs by Griffey, Mattingly, Mariano Rivera and Yogi Berra that are centerpieces.  I think having a Rivera auto would be the Holy Grail (except for Jeter) for the modern day Yankees fan.  Berra is a sweet vintage one to have as well.  As for cards, he is the proud owner of an Aaron Judge Inception RPA! Is there anybody hotter than Aaron Judge right now?  He’s hotter than Eric Thames!  But even with Judge’s current state of hotness, that card is a toss-up when it comes to favorites as he also has a 2017 Dual Relic Ted Williams from Diamond Kings.  Solid 2017 pull!

Lastly, as will be standard for all collectors who participate, I asked Joe for some advice to pass along to young or new collectors.   His response, “The biggest thing I can say is just have fun!  Don’t get into collecting expecting to get rich.  How many of us have binders full of Gregg Jefferies and Ben McDonald that were supposed to make us millionaires?  Don’t expect to pull that once in a lifetime hit that you can flip on eBay. Just have fun collecting your favorite players and teams.”  Very sound advice from a veteran collector.  Although, I’m hanging on to my Jefferies rookies! Never lose hope friends.

Here is another fine collector from our community that you should know and follow.  Hopefully, this post will give you some background info on just who he is and what he collects.  I am getting my questionnaires out each week so keep an eye on your inbox if you liked my tweet a couple of weeks ago.  I’m looking forward to learning more and sharing with the rest of the community.

J-Dub  

What’s In The Fireproof?  Part 4

As I worked towards this final installment of “What’s In The Fireproof”, I’ve tried to navigate the cards in a way that would save the best for last.  I realized that it was almost impossible to rank the cards in the fireproof but there are definitely some that stand out.  They either stand out in the way that I obtained them or they are more meaningful than others.  They are all classic pieces that I’ll always hang on to.  No matter how you rank the cards I’ve displayed over the series, the last piece is the very best piece I have in my collection.  

I mentioned in Part 3 that there were a couple of items that weren’t in the fireproof, because of size, that I still considered permanent pieces of the collection.  I will have one more related post to these but it will be sort of like Halloween 3 that was a horror about Oct 31st but it didn’t star Michael Myers.  It’s about the special pieces in my collection but it won’t star the fireproof.  Going through the fireproof has made me realize how fortunate I am to have been able to add these to my collection, either by my own searching and hard work or through the kindness of others.

If you’ve missed the previous 3, I’ll link them here and you can catch up before taking in this last one if you like.  After that, just jump on to the first item in this post and we’ll get started!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3
1993 Topps Derek Jeter RC Mint 9 – I’m not a big Yankee fan.  In baseball, you either are or you aren’t and there isn’t much in between.  They aren’t a team you can just “take or leave.”  Being an Atlanta Brave fan and being fortunate to have enjoyed those 14 NL East titles, we did make it to a few World Series matchups against those Yanks.  I was not of fan of Jim Leyritz or Charlie Hayes or David Cone.  I also didn’t really consider myself a fan of Jeter but I have always respected what he was able to do on the field.  He was the NY Yankees for many years and there is something to be said for that.  This rookie card was from when I was still trying to play SS in high school.  It’s also one of the few early 90’s cards that has held some value, outside of the nostalgic variety.  If there is any Yankee RC I could have besides Mantle, it would be Jeter.  I’m glad to have owned this card since 93 and even kept it in good enough condition over the years to have it graded out as a 9 a couple years ago.2014 Topps Five Star John Smoltz Auto – Surely you had to know that a Braves legend would make the final segment.  I love the Aaron auto that I have and he is clearly a Braves icon but I saw Smoltz play live and in person and he was on “My Braves” teams.  I love his autograph.  It runs all together like one long name but it’s highly recognizable.  I will never disparage any one of the big three we had in Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine but Smoltzie ranks as #1 for me.  There’s a few reasons too.  First, his stats speak for his Hall of Fame pitching career.  He is only 1 of 2 pitchers that tallied 200 wins as a starter and 150 saves as a closer.  He was dominant in both roles.  He pitched his heart out in game 7 of the 1991 World Series that Lonnie Smith and Kent Hrbek sabotaged.  He threw 7.1 innings of shutout baseball but was bested by Jack Morris on that night.  He’s also a Brave for life.  He played for the Braves for 20 years and was a part of the worst to first transformation.  He did pitch one final year split with St Louis and Boston but I think everybody has forgotten about that.  Finally, he was such a fun player to have on our team.  He smiled a lot, had fun with the reporters, joked with fans during BP and seemed to have a real personality.  But when he got on the mound, he was a total Bulldog.  Not only was he an outstanding pitcher, he is also a tremendous golfer.  And in retirement, he’s even turned out to be an outstanding broadcaster.  Smoltz is a Braves legend and this is an awesome piece!2012-13 Monumental Marks Jerry West Auto #9/10 – I’ve written about this basketball set from 2012 before as I also have a Larry Bird in the fireproof.  This set was so cool to me because the box was loaded with autographs of retired players.  Sure, Jimmy Butler, KD and Anthony Davis were there but I pulled so many legends out of the boxes too.  And that’s what I really love in collecting.  There’s no possibly way, other than this pull, would I ever own a Jerry West autograph.  He is “The Logo” for crying out loud.  This bad boy is numbered to 10 and is dead center on the sticker.  Jerry West is a very influential member of the NBA and I own an autographed card of him with a black and white photo of his playing days.  For my collection, that’s a hard piece to beat!Fleer Focus Dominique Wilkins Auto – This was a fairly inexpensive add to the collection but a must add when I saw it.  Not only is Dominique my all time favorite Hawk and all time NBA player, he’s also a Georgia Bulldog.  He’s still the voice of the Hawks on TV as well.  ‘Nique was SEC player of the year at UGA in ’81 and a 9 time all-star with the Hawks.  He also won 2 dunk contests and a scoring title in ’86.  He was never able to lead us to an NBA title but he played in one of the greatest era’s ever in a conference with Bird, Jordan and the Pistons.  He came close in ’88, losing to Bird and the Celtics in Game 7 of the Semi-finals, 116-114.  He put up 43 in that losing effort.  I was fortunate enough to meet him at a NASCAR race in Atlanta and he signed my program.  I also got a photo with him and it looks like I’m with a giant.  I love Dominique Wilkins as every Georgia Boy should!2007 Gridiron Gear Adrian Peterson Autographed Plate – This was one of my first “big” purchases.  I have always stuck to packs and boxes and hoped for hits but I saw this in a shop in Panama City one summer and had a little extra change in my pocket so I splurged.  At the time, AP was the unquestioned #1 RB in the NFL and a threat to be the greatest ever so the card may have lost some of its initial luster but it still holds special meaning for me.  I also wrestled for a while over its authenticity even though it has all the appropriate stickers and markings.  His autograph has just changed quite a bit and he has also been a big target for fakes over the years.  This one might even be fake but I went so far as to have JSA authenticate it for me and I have a letter stating it’s legit so I’m going to take them and the authenticity stickers at their word.  I was just paranoid after I bought it.  It really doesn’t matter because I don’t plan on ever selling it and for me, it’s the real deal.  And I’ll always remember the day I bought it.  It was a beautiful summer at the beach and I was looking at sports cards.  It doesn’t get much better than that!2016 Panini Classics Hines Ward Auto #d 7/25 – Speaking of buying packs and boxes and hoping for a solid hit, this was a huge one last year.  I loaded up on Panini Classics from DA Cardworld last year because they were around $30 a box and you were guaranteed an auto with a solid chance of the auto being a retired player.  Sign me up for that all day.  I scored several solid retired guys like Harold Carmichael and Mike Quick but when I hit this one, which was a redemption, I completely lost my mind.  Hines is obviously an NFL legend and in my eyes, a certain Hall of Famer.  But he’s also a Damn Good Georgia Bulldog!  He’s near the top (2 or 3) for most fans my age when asked who their favorite all time Dawgs are.  Hines played QB, RB and WR at UGA and played his heart out much like he did in Pittsburgh.  So while he’s a Super Bowl MVP in Pittsburgh, he’ll always be a Dawg in my heart.  And I love his autograph.  He looks like he spends time on it, which is more than can be said for a lot of today’s stars.  The icing on the cake for this was that it came in numbered to 25.  The redemption didn’t reveal that information but it was a sweet surprise!Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball – Well, here it is folks.  This is the prize of my entire collection and one that will likely never be topped.  Believe it or not, this was actually a gift from a wonderful friend of mine.  He’s a little older than me and went to some shows in Atlanta from time to time.  He scored this (a couple actually) along with Whitey Ford many years ago and had it in a safe deposit box.  He’s also got Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and some other vintage stars.  I’ll never be able to compete with his collection but he certainly pumped up my collection with this truly once in a lifetime addition.  When I look at it, I feel like the kid in “The Sandlot” looking at the Babe Ruth ball.  I hope my daughter doesn’t grab it to play in the yard one day!  This is the piece that actually led to my purchase of the fireproof to begin with.  I will preserve this one until I see my last baseball game and pass it on to my daughter.

So there you have it – The Dub Mentality Fireproof.  There is still room to add to this one but if I keep collecting like I have for the last 30 years, I’ll need another one sooner or later.  I’ve added a lot over the last 12 months alone as I’ve finally started adding lifelong wants to the collection.  There are still some that I’d like to add too.  I’ve never owned a Ken Griffey Jr. Auto, except for the fake that my friend traded me when we were 13.  I’d also like to add a Frank Thomas.  There are plenty of football players I’d love to add like Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Deion, Dan Marino, John Elway, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning.  In basketball, there’s David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Lebron and Curry.  Yeah, I can tell now that I’m going to need a bigger box.  I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what’s in the fireproof over the last few weeks.  Thanks for being interested in my collection and for being a part of the hobby with me.  Until the next post, I hope you add something awesome to your PC!

J-Dub

Cardboard and War

If you are too young to remember the trading card boom of the late 80’s, it’s hard to fully grasp just how many cards were being produced.  Everybody wanted in and they pretty much got their wish.  I’ve talked about Rite Aid, K-Mart and even Drake’s Bakery getting into the hobby with small sets of baseball cards.  Most of us already know that there are warehouses full of unopened 1988 Donruss still today.  And every 40 year old in America likely owned at least one 1989 Topps baseball card at some point in their life.  It was a wonderful time to be a teenager but also a time that ultimately crushed the hobby for a while.   But for me, as I think about Eckerd Drug Superstars and those funky sets that Jimmy Dean put out, there are a few data points in the hobby that drives home the thirst for cards that we all had at that time.One such data point that takes me back to my youth and reminds me of how many odd sets were actually floating around back then was the 1991 Pro Set Desert Storm set.   I’m going to stay away from the political angles and talk only about the nostalgic factor of this set because that is what I do here.   It’s why I still collect cards at the age of 40.   I’ve mentioned my continued love for Pro Set and still have the unopened Series I and II boxes of football that I am going to continue to tease you with.  So Pro Set is a very nostalgic card company for me and I enjoy ripping their products.   Topps also got in on the Desert Storm production and I’m not just talking about the Desert Shield cards of ‘91.  Maybe I’ll do a separate post on that set altogether but this was not a sports set at all.At the age of 14, I collected these and liked pulling the “Leader” cards most.  They also were in fact very educational with insight into artillery, geography and war tactics.   My fondest memory of this set was having my best friend’s dad autograph the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle card because that’s what he drove and worked on during the war.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I think he was honored by it as well.   My friend and I used to play around the house with small artillery that he had and we would eat MRE’s like we were actually in the war.   I remember he gave me four artillery shells from the Bradley and I was speechless.  Again, at 14, war was something that most boys played with their friends. And we were much too young to appreciate the gravity of it all.The set was 250 cards and was broken up into 7 main categories; Leaders, Military Asset, Personnel, Government, Military Skill, Geography and Intelligence file.  The box was 36 packs with 10 cards each so you have a good shot at the full set with a box.  I haven’t sorted completely yet but I know I didn’t put the entire set together.  The cards used the normal Pro Set stock of 90-91 and the top and bottom border of the card was the desert camouflage that became popular during that time.  Each card was labeled at the top with the category it fell under and had the Pro Set Desert Storm Logo.  The bottom of the card had the name of the item or person pictured and then a small flag of the Nation represented.  The backs of the cards featured another small photo like the one on the front and a description of the topic or personnel.  As you can see above, while these weren’t sports cards, Jerry Jones still found a way to get the Cowboys included.Leaders

I pulled some star power with my leader cards.  The one I did not pull that I wanted was General H. Norman Schwarzkoph.  I did pull the George Herbert Walker Bush card to go along with the ultimate villain Saddam Hussein.  I’m guessing no one got him TTM.  One of the funnier leader cards is that of Dick Cheney as he had his “Mr. Burns” from the Simpson’s look in full effect.  Of course, Colin Powell was a well decorated General and would be the future Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George W. Bush.  Finally, included in this photo is the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.  He was more well known for his previous involvement with Ronald Reagan and the Cold War.Military Asset

The next category was another favorite as it displayed some of the assets used by the various militaries.  My favorite, aside from the Bradley, was the F-117A Stealth Fighter.   That warbird was so far ahead of its time in technology and was totally badass!  The image of that plane makes one wonder if the things seen in Roswell weren’t in fact military planes.  But that is a totally different discussion for another time.  Of course, anyone who remembers Desert Storm will remember the SCUD and the Patriot missiles.  The SCUD was Iraq’s ballistic missile that was shot from the ground.  The Patriot was the US SCUD deterrent and was constantly taking them out of the sky.  The Patriot was a tremendous asset for the US Military in Desert Storm.Personnel

The personnel cards highlighted various branches of the military and foreign armed forces.  My two favorites were the Navy Seals and the U.S. Marine Warrior, pictured above.  These cards showed some of those groups in action and the foggy green Marine card is exactly how I pictured war being at 14.Government

These cards were pretty boring as they depicted some government building and outlined their involvement in the operational aspect of the war.  Nothing to see here.Military Skill

I enjoyed these cards as they made me feel like a man of international intrigue.  I learned all of the lingo on the cards and even tried some of the hand signals from the aircraft carrier card.  I’m A Dork, remember?Geography

Geography has never been a real interesting subject to me but I did learn a lot about where the countries were that were involved in Desert Storm.  That information has paid off because we are still in conflict in several areas from that time and I have a good understanding of where it is in the world.  Pictured are the U.S. and Baghdad.  Baghdad was bombed daily and was a focal point of attacks as it was the capital of Iraq.  I still remember coming home from church on a Wednesday night to see George HW Bush tell America that we had begun air strikes on Baghdad.   It was a surreal moment for a young teenager that had never seen a real war going on.  Of course, that was followed but Wolf Blitzer and Bernard Shaw reporting from under desks in a facility that was near the bombing.  They should have made a card commemorating that TV Gold.Intelligence File

These cards depicted some of the finer details of the war operations but of course, not real military intelligence.  The one pictured above is interesting.  It is about chemical/biological warfare and on the back, Pro Set calls it a scary but “overrated” concern for US troops.  First, I don’t know that I would call any military concern overrated but secondly, the threat of this type of attack has grown by leaps and bounds since 1991 and is at the forefront today.

Some additional cards of note…..Women in Combat

Speaking of growing by leaps and bounds, this is one that has changed as well.  In 1991, women were banned from direct combat roles.  While they were in the military, they were not allowed to be on the front lines of combat.  However, in 2013, the ban was removed and women have begun integrating into roles of combat.Peace

The final card in the set was a white dove and was only labeled “Peace”.  The back of the card held a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, “….let us strive on to finish the work we are in: to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”  This was a very symbolic quote in 1865 and remains so today.  We should care for all of those that have put their lives on the line for our freedom.  We should look after the families left behind.  We should always remember that men and women who grew up just like you and me are fighting everyday to keep our country safe.   Do what you can, when you can, to thank these men and women.  If you want to know what you can do as a collector, follow @Sigs4Soldiers.These cards really take me back to a particular time in my life when life was good for me but was not well across the nation.  There were many American’s fighting for us back home and these cards commemorate those efforts in some small way.  Would they be frowned upon by many in today’s society?  We all know that it is very likely.  But I look back on these cards 26 years later and remember a time when America stood as one in a battle against a tyrant.  The divide in this nation grows everyday but it sure feels like that wasn’t a problem in 1991.  Maybe it was and I was too naïve to see it.  But these cards are something I will hold on to and show my daughter and explain what Desert Storm was.  My thought is that the cards are great as a historical reference but I think they are best served as such.  I don’t want any “Enduring Freedom” cards right now but I would probably collect those in the future when the events aren’t so fresh in everyone’s minds.  What say you about this set and military cards in general?

J-Dub

Meet The Collector – Shane Salmonson

Welcome to a new weekly (sometimes twice a week) series on Dub Mentality that is going to showcase you, the collector.  I have met a ton of great people on Twitter that are very active in the hobby and share very similar backgrounds and stories with me.   I want to make sure you get a chance to meet these fine people as well.  This is also a way to try and help get some names out there for potential trades or PC searches.   Hopefully you enjoy this series as much as I will likely enjoy putting it together.  Let’s spread the word about these guys and build this network.  It’s time to meet our first collector.

Shane Salmonson was one of the first mutual follows I had on Twitter and he’s been hanging around the blog ever since.   He also has his own blog at http://projectpedropc.blogspot.com.  That obviously gives away his PC player but we’ll talk about him a little more below.  Shane has an awesome weekly feature on his blog titled “Cheap Wax Wednesday” where he breaks a cheap wax box and shares the highlights.  I enjoy following that as the cheap wax hits close to home for me but it also brings back some sets I have not thought about in quite some time.  There also isn’t much overlap in our two blogs either because I am a little older than Shane and his wheelhouse appears to be 90’s while mine is 80’s and occasionally 90-92.  Shane is also very active on Twitter and can be found @ShaneSalmonson.

Shane started his collecting habit as a kid with hot wheels.  He would take the truckload of hot wheels he owned and line them up to organize them, much like most of us would do with our ’87 Topps back in the day.  Of course, this translated right into card collecting for him.  In his early collecting days, he collected everything, including baseball, basketball, football, hockey and racing.  His collecting has streamlined more into baseball and football today.  This is a similar story to mine today.   I started collecting everything I could get my hands on but it’s just not financially possible to keep up with all sports for me in today’s market.  It was a lot easier when there were 3-4 card brands.  He still has a ton of basketball, hockey, golf and racing if anyone is looking for these sports.  They are just sitting in boxes for now so give him a jingle on the Tweeter Box.Being from NH, he loves his home town squads; Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins.  He says that he has far too many PC’s to really break them all down but is always looking for Red Sox hits to add to his collection.  As for his largest PC, it’s Pedro Martinez, as indicated in his Blog address. Pedro was a workhorse for the Red Sox from 1998-2004.  I have never been to a game at Fenway but I remember the Yankees-Sox series very vividly in 2004.  I was a huge Red Sox fan for that series and wanted to see them finally break through.   Shane said that every single start from Pedro was an event and were always can’t-miss games.  He considers Pedro one of the most dominant pitchers ever and I would have to agree.  Pedro is the only PC he has an active checklist going on.  He currently owns over 1,700 different Pedro cards and 6,700+ total. That’s a large PC my friends.Shane also actively collects autographs.  He sticks mostly to baseballs but does have quite a bit of other memorabilia such as photos, posters, bats, hats, jerseys, etc.  Most of these are stored away and are awaiting a future Salmonson Man Cave.   From the sound of the Pedro PC, his Man Cave may only leave him a bedroom while the rest of the house will be a Pedro shrine!   I’ve included photos he sent of his Pedro PC throughout this post for your viewing pleasure.Shane’s favorite set of all time is 1989 Topps though he is not 100% committed to it.  The reason this set comes to mind when asked about that subject is that it’s the first real wax box he ever bought.  The design has not resonated with him over time and is not a favorite and he acknowledges that there is very little value to the set but like all of us, there is a draw to that first product we dove into.  My first full box was 1989 Donruss and much like Topps of that year, it was produced in massive quantities and simply holds nostalgic value at this point.  But I will buy a pack or box of ’89 Donruss every time I see it!  There is just something about busting cards from you’re youth that makes you feel young again.

One of the questions I am including in my interview with everyone is, “What do you like most about the hobby?  What do you like least?”   I think this is an interesting topic of discussion for all of us.  The hobby is changing all the time and I want to know how everyone perceives the changes.  As for what Shane likes most about the hobby, “it’s the interaction with other collectors. That is the most fun of anything.  I have had a blast interacting with fellow collectors on Twitter.  It has given me an outlet to share my hobby with others.”  He met up with several collectors that he is active with on Twitter at the National last year and the experience was heightened because of it.   I have not been to the National but I can say that my experience on Twitter has been the same!

On Shane’s don’t like list is the hot button issue of “exclusive licensing.”  I think that is a crowded boat he is on with that dislike.  I know I’m there.  We both agree that it isn’t good for the collectors in general.  Shane describes the current football card sector by saying, “Panini (though they do make some nice products) has almost killed my current football collecting.  The game-used vs event-used/player-worn relics are an absolute nightmare.  The exclusive licensing just doesn’t give collectors many options.  If you are not a fan of Panini, you are pretty much out of luck when it comes to Football.   And that is a shame to me.”   Well said and totally agreed Mr. Salmonson.Shane’s favorite piece in his collection is his Ernie Banks Rookie Card, a 1954 Topps.  He bought it raw on EBay, for what he thought was a solid price, but knew it was a gamble.   He sent it in to Beckett for grading last year and it came back as a 4.  He was very happy with the grade, but was also relieved that the card came back as authentic.  You never know on eBay when you find a great deal.  This would be a “Fireproof Card” at Hustle Headquarters but he adds, “That would be a very hard card to part with for me.”  Sorry Cubs fans, Ernie has a home in New Hampshire.  At some point, Shane is hoping to start checking some Vintage HOF Rookies off of his needs list but understands that it won’t be easy.  He is also looking to add some HOF Signed Baseballs.

Finally, Shane has some words of wisdom for fellow collectors.  Most of us started as kids and many of us just went into the hobby blind because there was no Twitter or other global tool to meet collectors and learn from.  While kids have a few more resources today to gain knowledge, there is also a much bigger card world than there used to be.  So with that in mind, Shane has some sound advice for all collectors.

“The best piece of advice I could give to any collector, young or old, would be to simply enjoy the hobby.  Every collector is different.  Enjoyment is the reason to have a hobby in the first place, is it not?”

Hopefully you’ve gained a little knowledge about a fellow collector of our community.   We are truly all here to help each other enjoy this great hobby of ours.  One way to do that is to meet great new people and share our thoughts, PC’s and experiences with each other.  Shane has been a great supporter of the blog and a fine source of outside reading for yours truly.  Shane is one of the good guys in this card community and if you don’t follow him already, I would recommend you do so now.  Thanks for reading.

J-Dub

 

 

Thank You ’89 Donruss!

I’ve written a lot about sports card collecting but I don’t know if I’ve ever just taken the time to explain what this hobby really means to me.  I hope my love for it shines through in my other posts but I think it deserves its own designated article as well.  Sports cards are the most important “material” object in my life and have been for a great part of it.  And while it started out as a potential money maker just like most collections did, it is so much more than that now.  The money is no longer even a factor except for the occasional replenishing of funds to buy more cards.  I will flip some non-pc items to buy more boxes or pc cards or to load up my PayPal with shipping for future randoms.  I’ve found that there is generally a collector out there for everything; you just have to find them.

I started collecting full time in 1989.  There are only a handful of things I really remember from 1989 in general but I definitely remember Jose Canseco’s 40/40 Club Donruss, Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards, Sandy Alomar Jr., Gregg Jefferies and my first big pull, Gary Sheffield.   I guess you could say that the hobby is a time machine for me and ’89 Donruss is my DeLorean.   I am very fond of my childhood and was very fortunate to experience happy times.  I enjoy revisiting those times when I can.  And no matter how advanced we get with our technology and card designs, I can go to some old wax and instantly be taken back to a memory from my youth.  I can visualize myself scouring Beckett for the prices of the ’89 Score cards I just ripped.   I remember what my comforter looked like as I was getting that .50 value for the Luis De Los Santos RC.  I remember some of the specific cards on the hot list from time to time such as the aforementioned Gregg Jefferies.  I can see that nerf hoop hanging up on my closet door waiting for me to get done with the cardboard.  I can hear the Super Mario theme song while my Nintendo is idle.I remember pulling all-nighters at my cousin’s house with cards spread out all over the bedroom floor as we both re-sorted our binders, removing busts and adding new prospects.  We would pull off trades all night as we compared duplicates from each others collection.  I remember Canseco was the first player in my binder, followed by Ken Griffey Jr and then Nolan Ryan.   I remember the 1990 Topps set my parents bought me for Christmas when I was 13.  Not knowing what to do with complete sets, I went through and took out the stars and put them in the binder.  My binder was my show piece so I didn’t want them sitting in a box in the closet.   In that closet, I had a copy paper box stacked to the top with baseball cards that didn’t make the cut for the binder.  I would rummage through the box periodically to make sure somebody hadn’t resurrected their career, thus needing to be placed back in the binder.

I remember taking those non-star cards and playing baseball games in my bedroom.  I would take the cards and draft two teams using each position and then place them on an imaginary field at those positions.  I would then go through the cards and formulate a lineup based off of the stats on the back.  I put the speed at the top, power in the middle and utility at the end, just like a regular lineup.  I would then use a notebook to keep stats of a make believe game happening in my mind’s eye.   I specifically remember Jerry Browne, Ron Washington and Mel Hall being in that stack of floor game cards.  I didn’t use my stars because I knew not to damage them.  How else would someone remember Jerry Browne from 1989?  Even more nostalgic, that card game was played on nice blue shag carpeting!I remember my neighbor and I creating grab bags with 50 cards (mostly base) and a star or two and selling them at a yard sale his mom was having.  Our other neighbor wound up buying all 10 bags and was not thrilled that there were so many base cards.   The catch was that one of the bags contained an ’89 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. so I would say he got his $10 worth but he also took a lot of junk cards off of our hands.  He said we would have been better off just asking him to buy the Jr. for $10 but what fun would that have been?  Then he wouldn’t have had all those Dion James and Mike Gallego cards!  That same friend got me back a couple of years later with the now infamous Ken Griffey Jr. autograph he traded me. I wrote about that one here.
I remember getting baseball cards for every occasion.  I even got them for Halloween one year instead of candy from my grandmother.  It was ’90 Fleer and the one card I remember pulling was the Mark McGwire.  I still love that card because of the sentimental value it has to me.  Who else remembers what they got for Halloween 27 years ago?  Sports cards are better for the mind than Ginkgo Biloba.  I got them for my birthday, Christmas, in my Easter Basket, you name it.  I think the only person that ever dropped the ball on getting me cards was the Tooth Fairy.One of my best friends in high school, David, pulled an Andre Dawson Elite one year and that was the first time I remember getting really jealous about someone else’s pull.  Now I get jealous all the time because he sends me photos of Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota autographs.  For the past month, he has sent me a solid autograph pull every 3-4 days!  He travels with his job so has more access to card shops than I do in my 90 mile radius.  He was also a big Twins fan because he was originally from Minnesota and he had the 1987 Wheaties box in a plexi-glass case.   I remember wanting to burn that box in 1991 but David was 6’8 and could have squashed me like a bug.My parents had a weekend getaway camper at Fort Gaines and I even have card memories from those trips.  The classic Orel Hershiser grounding happened on the way to the lake.  But also, we would have to travel over to Eufaula to get groceries from Wal-Mart from time to time and I always picked up some cards there.  I remember getting my first look at ’89 Bowman on one of those trips.   I remember when you could pick up packs in Wal-Mart and they weren’t “retail”.  Those were the days when you could get packs almost anywhere.  I got them at Suwannee Swifty, Big B Drugs, Piggly Wiggly and Eckerd.  Even small little curb stores in the middle of nowhere likely had some Donruss gathering dust on a shelf.  I specifically remember that ’89 Donruss wax pack being everywhere I went.You see, I’m a very nostalgic person.   I think we all are to a large degree but I live in the neon lights of the late 80’s and early 90’s.  The movies, the music and pop culture in general just take me back to a time when I thought I had life all figured out but was too naïve to know that I didn’t.  Now, I know I don’t have it figured out, imagine I won’t ever figure it out and wonder if it’s even worth figuring out sometimes.  Life has a way of being overbearing sometimes.  Work is a constant stress, I spend every waking moment concerned for the well being of my kids and wife and making sure that they always have what they need and the bills never seem to stop.  So when I want to clear my mind, I don’t buy National Treasures or Flawless.  I go buy a $10 box of 1990 Pro Set and I’m immediately back in my old bedroom, scanning the Beckett Price Guide and looking for Emmitt Smith and Percy Snow rookies.  I actually have a box of Pro Set that came in last week so you’ll be getting a retro review in the next few days!

I’m now the old man that asks kids to stay off my lawn when it comes to newfangled products.  I’m the “back in my day guy”.  I find myself being more like Hank Hill than Boomhauer these days with my rigid, by the book personality.  That all melts away when I have a chance to sit down at the kitchen table and start looking through my cards.   I like the new stuff but it’s more about value than I prefer.  The value is higher but so is the cost.   I enjoy opening boxes that have potential autos or printing plates but it doesn’t help the rigors of adulting melt away like a couple of packs of 1989 Bowman.  When I’m done with a box of classic wax, I know that I got my money’s worth.  When I’m done with a new product, there is a good chance that I didn’t come close.  And that really boils down to the value I place on cards now.  I like a flashy auto but if I can buy 540 cards that will send me down memory lane to a day when my biggest concern was whether I was going to play baseball in the yard or Tecmo in the bedroom, that is priceless.This is why I love this hobby.  This is why I am so passionate about the cards and the community.  I want others to experience cards the way I do.  I know that isn’t entirely possible but I want to try and relay those feelings in my writing.  I may never be a famous writer or anything like that but I never have to worry about not having a passion for what I’m writing about.  I love cards and I love this community.   I random cards because I want my blog shared with like minded collectors.  I also random cards because I want to share some of those meaningful cards with my readers.  Some people may not think that four packs of ’89 Bowman is a very valuable.  Some people scoff at the thought of having to rip a pack of ’90 Hoops.  But realize this, when I send someone those unopened packs, it’s like I’m sending a little piece of my childhood to share with you.  Even if you open them and throw them in the trash, take a minute to soak in the players and the sets that I grew up with.  Most likely, you grew up with them too.

If people are going to use Twitter and Facebook to argue about politics and social issues, then I am going to try and spread as much positive vibes as I can.  Thank you sincerely for following me and reading this blog.  I really appreciate every comment, every RT, every like.  It is an awesome feeling to write something that engages even the slightest bit of discussion.  This is my extension to the hobby world from small town Georgia.  It has connected me to so many great people around North America.  I don’t own a shop or have a podcast or own a big time break company.   But I do have a passion for the industry and a thirst for wanting to get to know more people like me.  Sports Cards are a natural unifier of people regardless of your background or religious preference or political party.  From time to time, we all should stop and think about how we got here and why we are still in this hobby.   Odds are we all owe it a tremendous debt of gratitude.

J-Dub