Mondays with Hoyt, Episode II

1988 Pacific Legends #76 Hoyt Wilhelm

One of the things I enjoy most about collecting are the memories that certain cards can trigger.

For the most part, I've found that I can remember where and when a lot of my cards came from. I'm not sure if that's something that you'll find across all hobbyists, or if it's just me.

Some cards produce general memories (i.e. "This card came from a dime box a few years ago at that one show"). However, there are a few special cards that specifically stick out, and I can tell you the backstory of it, where and when I got it, and why it was so great.

This is one of those special few. Every time I look at it, I go back...

My dad and I usually attend every local card show together. I cannot say enough about how great it is to have a family that supports my hobby, and have a father who enjoys it about as much as I do. It's always great to have someone to show my "finds" to at each show. He helps me dig through vintage boxes (as he's got a great grasp on who I collect), and he even helps me count how many dime cards I have at each table so the vendors don't have to go through and count them. (Although a few have gone ahead and re-counted them anyways.)

There's usually two giant shows a year in town. One in spring, and the other in the fall. I've attended each one for a good four years now. And I've been to all of them with my dad.

Except one.

My dad happened to be on vacation for last spring's show. While I wished he was with me, it wasn't going to stop me from attending. It definitely felt a little weird paying the admission fee and walking through the first few aisles without him, but then I found something that ended up being a great "cure" for the slight bit of nervousness I was feeling.

A dime box.

While I've mentioned this particular dime box before, I haven't yet revealed the greatest card I found in it. Until now, that is.

I've found thousands upon thousands of cards for my collection by the way of dime boxes over the years, and I treasure each and every one of them. But to find a Hoyt Wilhelm card I didn't already have for a dime?

That's about as good as it gets.

I can specifically remember my eyes lighting up when I first saw it. What I like most about this particular card is that Pacific chose to feature a shot of Hoyt in an Angels uniform, the sixth of nine teams he would play for in his career. It's still the only non-airbrushed card I own of him in an Angels jersey. (And the picture is a thousand times better than the one Topps chose to use for his 1969 issue.)

Finding this card in that dime box quickly eliminated any nervous feelings I had at that show. While I wished my dad was there, I still had a fantastic time walking through each and every aisle, and sifting through each and every card in each and every dime box.

It's just what I do at card shows. I'll never know if I'm leaving behind a possible "white whale" unless I actually look. I'll never know if I'm leaving behind a Hoyt Wilhelm.

My mom picked me up after the show. Once I got in the car, the first card I pulled from my big bag of the day's finds was the Hoyt Wilhelm card. It was the "face" of one of the most memorable card shows I'd ever attended.

I wouldn't have it any other way.