November 26th was much anticipated this year. After a wonderful Thanksgiving with all the trimmings, and a perfect time in between to peak the collecting appetite, the St Leander's, (now Ryan O'Connel Hall), sports collector's show finally came, Saturday!!
The morning began with a fruitless wait at the auto repair shop. Apparently, they forgot to post a message informing us peons that they were off for the holiday weekend. No matter, it couldn't dampen my spirits...not when I'm taking a short trip down the 880 to my favorite Fall happening.
I always have to think about what I am after the night before I go to a card show. I go through phases, as you might expect. Friday night, I was taken with a '33 Goudey Charlie Gehringer, with it's beautiful purple back ground. The 1933 Goudeys can be so compelling. They have it all. There are the fabled players, like Gehrig and Ruth, (2 for Lou and 4 poses for Babe, $$$!). And the gritty NSB peak 'old timers' performers, HOF'ers Ott, Foxx, Hornsby and Terry, all put together with those beautiful artistic renderings...no photos on these cards. The set is 239 cards and is mostly all rookie cards! It books for $25,000 to 40,000 depending on condition of course. The Ruths can fetch up to $5,000! Well, since my ATM limit is $300, I can't expect any of those treasures, however, there are some collectors at the show who defintely have great stuff. I've been going for about 10 years, and so I've gotten to know a few.
Ron always has an amazing amount of worthwhile cards. He's usually down near the cafeteria in the gym where the show takes place. There are probably 50 or so tables and. I usually head to him first, but today, I had to stop off for Ben to check out some Giants pins. He got his first experience 'haggling' with this guy who got a kick out of bargaining with a fifth grader! He chose three pins, one which opened to reveal an opening day logo for the 2008 season. Cool. On our way to Ron from there, I got sidetracked by some low-priced '50's-'70's Topps cards for under $10. The seller was familiar, but we don't know each other. I just know that he sells at this show every year. I don't introduce myself, but let Ben's welcome presence at my side break the ice. We say 'Hi', and I browse. When I see the'71 Clemente, I bury it in the stack quickly. The '71's are black bordered and very sleek. The Clemente is special because the picture is of him kinda 'sighting' the bat he is holding out in front of his body with a very serious look on his beard-grizzled face. It's my favorite in the set. I begin to pull out some interesting cards to get together for a group price deal ,secretly ignoring the one I want. I hand him the stack and wait for his price. He checks them from his inventory list and says, “How 'bout $24.” Now's my chance. I pull out the Clemenete. It's probably exmt which is in my ballpark and books for $150.This guy has it marked for $45, so I say, “I am really eyeing this.” He pauses and returns, “I can do 'em all for $60.” Yep! I quickly pull the 3 twenties from my wallet and hand them over. Ben and I walk away with a nice haul., including a '73 Yazstremski, '63 Joe Adcock, 2 '67 Leaders cards, a sweet '69 hi series Tony Oliva dead centered, and a '67 Yankees team card w/ Mickey standing third from the left in the second row. A worthwhile diversion before Ron's table.
When I buy my display case for gigs like this, I'll get one which comes off the table like a storefront pastry case. Nice natural wood and plexiglass. Even better, it should have a glass shelf inside to put the memoribilia closer to the buyer. Ron's case is like this, just without the shelf. Most others are flat and easy to dismiss. So, as I approach the table through the side of the case, I begin to see all the mounds of cards he's got the cards fastened with rubber bands by set in this case. He is talking to the owner of one of the biggest card stores in the South bay, an unassuming, medium-built but intense-looking man about 5'7” with blond hair combed back in an short pompadour, named Kevin. His eyes lift acknowledging me. I greet both of them, and let him know I'm checking out his '33 Goudeys and tell him I'll be back after I eat breakfast in the kitchen. When we return, I request the stacks, but I don't see the Gehringer so I ask. “Nope', he says with a wry smile. He's a big guy a few years my senior. 6'2” or so with silver hair in the same style as Kevin, but a tad longer. He's got a welcoming smile which Kevin lacks, kinda carefree and easy to smile back at. He pulls out the '52 Topps, mistaking that I mean them and not the Bowmans. I pull out the Klu and a sweet #131, a pink-backrounded portrait of Dick Sisler, the famed .400 hitter's son. And then I spy a real attractive 1954 Red Heart Stan Musial. It's a short print from a regional issue put out by a dog food company from the MidWest, a sudsidiary of Morell Meat Company. Last show it happened the same way with a 1941 Double Play Ted Williams. I wasn't even there to find a Ted card, but there he was, absolutely not to be dismissed! So I asked. His voice went up and he pulled it out. It had a crease horizontally through the eyes, and a coupla of wrinkles on the back, but through the protective case, neither could be seen at all!! He had it at $146, which I knew I wouldn't be able to stretch to. He talked about his wife giving him the perfect gift of a Musial Biography for an anniversary gift as I pondered the pricing and fell more deeply for the card. Musial was contracted with Rawlings, not Topps, so during the height of his career 1954-58, cards with him were very rare and prized and this was one of the most valuable. He mentioned $200 for four cards, three '52 Topps and the Red devil. I ask about a '60 Mantle AS he's got listed for $46 and he shoots back “$240.” I feel stuck. He sees it in my face, and for some reason wants me to have the Musial...he's a wonderful guy, so he lets me go with the Mantle and the Musial and the Sisler which is just beautiful, for $160 and six forever stamps. I feel like a kid in a candy store!! I think he likes me, maybe because he knows I'm working in the school system. I'm real happy!! ...and completely tapped out. Another friend is just up the isle...so we drift up to him.
Bill is the sweetest guy, and he has the greatest stories, and a lot of high-value cards, however he deals in a bit more obscure cards and his taste isn't always matching mine. I ask about the Gehringer, knowing that if he has one I like, I'll need to run to the machine and go over budget. Thankfully, the one he has is not up to the condition I want. I show him the Musial and he tells me about a time he met the Man. It was in a furniture store, he begins, for some private signing event. “Stan must've been in his eighties in a wheelchair,” he says. Bill's a great storyteller. His expression and timing are immaculate! perfectly. So I get up to him and have him sign a picture, he continues, and I say to him, “Stan, do you think you can hit and play with these young guys today?” He waits and tells that the great hall of famer answers, “Well I can still hit, but who's gonna run 'em out for me?” Classic. Stories like these make me want to get something from his collection, but I don't today...still giving and receiving a warm handshake farewell. Ben has been the most patient, so I hand over my last $5 and he runs back to the pin guy to get the last pin he's been in my ear for. Then we break camp and go.
