Down At The Card Shop

The other day I finally had a day off from work from my jobs.  I had worked 12 straight days.  It was awful.  I needed to spend some cash on baseball cards to take myself from the gloom of work mode into the happiness of freedom.

Of course, I headed over to the card shop to spend my money.  I have been trying to stock up on my vintage collection.  I have been slowly building a solid collection of guys in the hall of fame with cards that depict them in the 60s and 70s.  I will get to the 50s eventually but that is going to be costly.  The 70s is right in my price range at the moment.

I have also been trying to get a nice collection going of Dodgers from the 60s and 70s.  I have been getting Topps cards from that era as well as trying to get some autographs as well.

Frank Howard signs in the LA area on occasion.  He usually charges around 25-30.  Luckily, I waited it out and was able to pick this up for less than half his signing fee.  This auto is from 2001 Team Topps Legends and is an on-card signature.

Howard was a masher back in the day.  He hit homers out of any ball park.  On the back of his baseball card, it lists him at 6 foot 6 inches and 245 pounds.  That is a big man in any era.  Frank Howard also has a very nice signature that is legible. 

To bolster my collection of Dodgers from the 60s, I picked up this 1969 Topps Willie Crawford card.  Crawford is a pretty big dude.  He has the shoulders of a linebacker and the forearms of Popeye.  This dude could crush redwood trees with his bare hands.

The 1969 Topps set is really nice.  I hope to be able to complete the Dodgers team set from this year.  Willie Crawford puts me one step closer to that goal.

The card shop also had a bunch of 70s cards in its dollar box.  This was a great chance for me to stock up on my hall of fame collection.  I will only show you guys a could of my favorites because I left the shop with a stack of 70s goodness.  I also don't want to bore some of you collectors that has been looking at Topps cards from the 70s since you began collecting.

I really dig this 1975 Topps Steve Carlton.  He is rocking a great mustache.  Carlton's mustache accounted for a few of his victories in 1975.  The better you look the better you play.  Mustaches always look good.  That is a fact that should be taught in high schools all across America.

I also enjoy the background of this photo.  Is Carlton playing in a spring training game?  Is he just pitching in a town that hates going to baseball games?  It is hard for me to be able to tell which ballpark this photo is from.

This is a classic card from Topps.  This is a 1977 Carlton Fisk.  Fisk is making a play at the plate against the Yanks.  I love this photo.  If I ever make a cool banner for my blog, I may have to include this card on it.  I am not a Fisk fan or a Red Sox fan but, I am a fan of a great photo.  Do you guys know who is sliding into home plate?