Dream on

As far as blogging goes, inspiration can come from many different places.

A lot of the time, I'll have an idea for a blog post while doing something card-related, whether it be through sorting new cards or going through my existing collection.

In a few cases, I've found inspiration from otherwise strange places. I had a couple post ideas while listening to lectures in my math class last semester.

My "cult favorites" post came after picking up an old, dusty magazine from the stack in our living room.

Outside of my own collection, the source for much of my inspiration has come from the blogosphere itself.

If I were to simply write this blog and not read any other material, I probably would've run out of ideas a long, long time ago.

Call it "inspiration", call it "piggy-backing", call it whatever you want. I genuinely enjoy building off the thoughts of the other great authors in the blogosphere a lot of the time.

After all, that's what the blogosphere is.

A never-ending circle of ideas.

Today's "inspiration" came from a post I read from "Jaybarkerfan's Junk". In it, he asked a question I've pondered many times.

"What's your cardboard dream?"

One of my dreams is very similar to what "Jaybarkerfan" detailed in his post.

Running my very own card shop.

It's been a dream of mine since I started collecting baseball cards. At least when the fiscal part is left out of it.

Given the financial collapse of most brick-and-mortar card shops these days, I think I'd actually like to simply work at a card shop rather than owning one.

I'd be around cardboard all day. And I'd actually get paid for it, too.

What could be better?

Heck, at this point in my life, I'd even take half my salary in cards. Perhaps the shop owner would even throw in a box of Topps Update with my paycheck as a "bonus".

Will it ever happen? I doubt it.

But that's what a dream is, right?

As far as individual cards go, this one is my "white whale".

It's the one piece I've always wanted to add to my Hoyt Wilhelm collection. His 1952 Topps high-number rookie card.

Trouble is, they don't come cheap.

I saw an extremely well-loved copy on Ebay for around 150 bucks a few years ago, but someone snatched it before I had the chance to think of ways to scrounge up that kind of money.

Because of the "dream-like" quality of Hoyt's rookie card, this 2001 Topps Archives reprint has always been one of my favorites.

Although reprints are awesome, they can only go so far.

I want the real thing.

For now, I'll have to keep dreaming.

Still, I'm extremely glad to say that I've realized a few of my cardboard dreams.

Just a few months ago, I finally achieved my longtime goal of finding a card of Dizzy Dean in a Cubs jersey.

I've already dubbed the acquisition of my '71 Topps Thurman Munson as "a dream come true".

For a while, I was starting to think my lifelong quest of finding an authentic tobacco card would go unfulfilled.

All the graded ones I'd see at card shows were way out of my price range. I could never quite save up the money to nab one off Ebay, either.

After a while, my hopes of acquiring a tobacco card for my collection seemed to be slipping away. Whenever the thought came into my mind, my reaction started becoming something like this.

That's when I managed to inadvertently turn a fake tobacco card into a real one, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of a fellow collector.

It is indeed a "special tale of cardboard", one that will always put a smile on my face.

Sure, there are a few dreams I haven't yet realized in this hobby.

For the most part, though, I couldn't ask for much more out of it.

I'm a part of a great community of collectors here in the blogosphere. I'm the proud owner of my very own tobacco card.

Most of all, I'm lucky enough to have a great family who does everything they can to support this fantastic hobby.

I'm living the dream.