Monday, October 22, 2018

Dad goes antiquing


Last week, I woke up from a nap to a text from my dad, a text which had me convinced I was still sleeping, still dreaming.

The text in question went something like this: I just found a box of '50s-'80s vintage from an antique store for $5, need any of these? -- and there was a picture attached with a couple cards he'd purchased (more on the cards in that photo a bit later). I knew from the text alone that my dad had stumbled across something substantial, but it wasn't until I dug through the entire thing that I realized just how much of a goldmine he'd found.

I was blown away for a couple reasons. One: antique stores are, by most accounts, places that either a) don't have baseball cards, or b) horribly overprice the ones they do have. Apparently the shop my dad found was going out of business, and the guy in charge just wanted everything gone. My dad, as usual, simply seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

There's also the sheer fact that I've never actually owned a whole box of musty, glorious vintage until now, which is pretty exciting in and of itself.




For beginners, I have no idea how a Harold Baines autograph ended up with a box of antique-store vintage -- the only post-1970's card in the lot -- but I'm not here to ask questions.

This comes from that weird Walmart-exclusive 65th Anniversary reprint set from a couple years ago, and I'm thrilled to have it in my collection since Baines is a hometown hero (plus I can't imagine he has a ton of certifieds out there).




But the vintage...

Before I start posting all the keepers, I should say that if anyone's interested in some (mostly) lower-grade '50s-'70s stuff, let me know -- this is really the first time in my life I've had a considerable amount of vintage up for trade (I've already thrown a good portion into the trade stacks for a few fellow bloggers).

I will, however, be keeping the nice stack of singles I needed for my tongue-in-cheek quest to get every card ever made of the defunct teams of the '60s and '70s, like these Senators and Colt 45s.




Some fine frankensetters and just generally cool gets from Dad's Antique Box here.

I'm never one to turn down anything of the Wally Moon (aka The Mighty Unibrow), and that's my first card of Sterling Slaughter, a man blessed with perhaps the most awesome name in the history of humankind.




I don't generally make it a point to chase vintage team cards, but I'll certainly keep any that fall into my lap.

Besides, they sure look pretty in a nine-pocket page like that.




Okay -- now we're starting to get into some serious business.

Finding vintage of defunct franchises and team cards is fine and good, but not exactly rare. Finding not one but two early '50s Bowman Andy Pafkos, on the other hand...well, that simply never happens. That's the stuff dreams are made of. (Plus now I can say I own a '52 Pafko and not be lying about it -- as long as I don't elaborate.)

But this box was so great that even vintage Bowman almost became afterthoughts to the dream...




...because the big guns just kept on coming with every stack I grabbed.

One moment I was finding new cards for my Perry Bros. collection...the next, bigtime HOFer combos...




...then came the rookies.

Some of you may have noticed a certain '72 at the front of the stack in the picture at the top of this post, and no, your eyes weren't deceiving you: that was a Carlton Fisk (and Cecil Cooper) rookie.

Also of note was a 1970 Topps rookie of a sans-fro Oscar Gamble, a card I've long wanted but had a tough time finding given its vintage highnumberness (#654).




But even those were small potatoes compared to the heaviest hitters of Dad's find.

For starters, here's a card I'd never even seen before: a '59 Topps combo featuring Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon, and yes, ROBERTO CLEMENTE. (Also a high-number at #543 in the set!)

What could be better than a vintage Clemente?




Oh, I don't know...maybe a '69 Nolan Ryan?!

This was one of the cards (along with the Baines auto) that my dad showed me in his initial text. The Ryan alone was enough to send me reeling -- even low-grade copies go for big chunks of change since it's his first solo Topps card and yet another high-number (#533). Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd one day own it...and I certainly never thought it'd come by way of an antique store.

But while I'm not sure my dad knew it at the time, there was one other card in this box that I wanted just as much as a '69 Ryan, if not more so...




...and that was a gosh-darn '57 Topps Roy Campanella, aka a card that'd been sitting on my "Keep Dreaming" want list for most of 2018.

I had a chance to buy a relatively cheap '57 Campy during COMC's Black Friday sale last year (right around $8, I think). But for some insane reason, I passed, and by the time I came to my senses, the card was gone. I haven't seen another copy under $20-$25, and it's been a kick to the crotch ever since.

But no longer. Campy is mine. And as I've said time and time again on this blog, it's all thanks to my dad. Most people, including myself, would've walked by that antique store without a second thought. But not my dad. Maybe it's more luck than anything, but there's something to be said about digging through the dusty attics and unkempt corners of the collecting world. You never know when you'll find a '57 Campy.

In the meantime, I'll just be over here googling antique stores.

22 comments:

Mike said...

Glad you got a bunch of keepers,and that you can spread the vintage love around!!

night owl said...

That is boldfaced highway robbery right there. Did they find the antique shop owner tied up in the back?

Matt Prigge said...

Holy hell!!! Congrats on this find. I hope you paid your das back that $5.

P-town Tom said...

My. Goodness. Love me some fuzzy-rounded corner goodness! Thanks for sharing the pictures!

CrazieJoe said...

Wow! Just...wow!

Nick Vossbrink said...

That's amazing holy crap congrats to your dad for hitting the jackpot.

Chris said...

Good god that's a sweet haul! I was getting ready to see some beat-up cards of semi-stars and say 'wow that Wally Moon looks sharp!' And it does. But it's like the 12th-most impressive card you scanned here. You have amazing luck, and an amazing dad. Congrats on this killer find!

Adam said...

If I were you, I'd go buy a lottery ticket or something because you're one lucky dude on your dad stumbling across that haul. Congrats on scoring some tremendous cards, those are just beautiful.

The Shlabotnik Report said...

Just a fantastic find, one I know you'll never forget. It's funny, I've had that "Corsair Trio" card on my wantlist for a year or two, but it was for my Bill Virdon collection. I was about to say something like "Oh, hey, I wouldn't mind adding that card to my collection" when I realized that Roberto Clemente is also on that card and you're not likely to give it up to someone who kinda likes Bill Virdon. :-D

Angus said...

That's awesome! Nice haul that your dad found for you!

Matt said...

Wow. Just wow.

Fuji said...

You must have been a good boy this year. The Baseball Card Gods are definitely on your side. Amazing price for an even more amazing box of cards.

Bo said...

I was so jealous when I saw this on Twitter! I would be very interested in trading for what's available. I'll be happy to send you many more cards than what you send me. Send me an email - thanks!

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

SWEET!

Doc Samson said...

That find was like being dealt four aces and then waiting for the kicker.

Jafronius said...

Awesome find! Congrats on the excellent cards!

Baltmoss68 said...

Dads are awesome! Congrats on the amazing haul!!!

GCA said...

Those are the kind of finds that you hear chorus music and the sun comes out from the clouds. Or you go running into the parking lot shouting "Start the car! Start the car!"...

I've got an extra Corsair Trio, but it has a name on the back in black marker.

Bulldog said...

Definitely one of those moments in a collector's life where you are just amazed and you'll want to talk about forever. And well you should Congratulations on such a find. Some awesome stuff here. Great post and thanks to your dad!

Henry Blanchette said...

Wow, congrats on the haul! Hard to pick out a favorite, but I'm a stickler for combo cards so I'd have to give it to the Pirates card from 1959.

Tim said...

Now that Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame this find just became even better. Your dad really got quite a deal here.

GTT said...

I normally feel a bit awkward commenting on posts from years ago, but I just wanted to mention that I think that Clemente etc. combo card was in one of my dreams last night. I dream about baseball cards almost every night, but I have no idea why I dreamt about that particular one.