Card Show Fun Time

I strolled home a couple of hours ago after a long day working a table at a card show.  The show was held in Culver City, CA and had an old school card show feel.  The show had an eclectic mix of dealers and a steady stream of customers.  It was also held in an auditorium that probably hasn't been remodeled in a few decades.  The setting was perfect for a card show.  Good deals were to be had and it reminded me of card shows that I used to attend as a kid when events like this were a little more common.

It was certainly a buyers market.  Prices for tables were reasonable, which is why my buddy and I jumped at the opportunity to get a spot at the show.  The reasonable table prices probably kept prices low for the consumer.  Even though, I was a vendor at this show, it was good to see collectors happy at the deals that they were finding throughout the auditorium.  The show was old school and had positive vibes.

The show also was a sort of Dodger blogger gathering as well.  It is always a grand time when Dodger bloggers get together to talk some cards and some baseball.  It's also nice to get a chance to chat with some of the members of the blogging community and helps you put a face and personality to the words that you read daily.  I got to meet Ernest from Dodgers Blue Heaven and he made an awesome purchase which I won't spoil in case he wants the honor of showing it off on his blog.  Jesse from Los Angeles Inspiration was also in the house having a good time and buying some really nice looking cardboard.  Those were a couple of my fellow bloggers that I got to spend time with this afternoon.

Culver City's favorite son, Zakwin was also in attendance at the card show.  Zakwin runs the famous, Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle blog and he brought me some presents.  Woo!

I had given Zakwin a baseball at the Dodgers Fan Fest earlier this year so,he could get it signed by rookie of the year candidate, Hyun-Jin Ryu.  I told him to just get me back later the next time we met up.  He came through big time today.

He handed me this sweet looking Ichiro bobble head that comes with a baseball card.  I am so tempted to just pop this sucker out of the plastic and display it in my room.  The card itself will also fit nicely into my Ichiro binder which has soared to almost 250 cards.

Not only was the Ichiro bobble given to me but, Zakwin also handed me a stack of baseball cards.  One of the cards that was in the team bag was this Dee Gordon card with a piece of his minor league jersey in it.  I have the Jerry Sands version from this set and am happy to now have the Gordon to go along with it.

A fourth Doyer blogger that I got to chill with today was Oscar from All Trade Bait, All The Time and he brought some cards for me as well.  Double woo!

Oscar and I had agreed upon a trade after he posted up some old Montreal Expo cards on his blog.  He had a couple cards that interested me and a swap was established.  I set aside some Dodgers and hall of famers for him.

The Expos uniform has to be one of the best of all time.  The hat was awesome and the red, white and blue color scheme always looks spiffy.  Montreal deserves to have a team again just so these uniforms can come back and grace the front of some nice cardboard.

A vendor at the show was practically giving away high end mid 90s packs.  The vendor was selling some Upper Deck SP, Topps Finest and Topps Laser.  I was very tempted to buy a bag full which some other folks at the show had done.  I show restraint at this show and only spent a dollar on a card.  My goal was to keep money and not spend it on more baseball cards.

My restraint paid off as I left the show with a pocket full of cash and Oscar had included this Topps Laser Rauul Mondesi in my trade stack.  Getting this card was just a little extra icing on a fun day.  I had made my money back plus some and got some items from members of the blogging community that fit into my collection.

It was a great time seeing some of my blogger buddies.  I look forward to the next show or game where we get to hang out again.

Glendale Card Show Review

I just made it back home from Glendale,CA.  A card show was being held at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.  They have held a few shows there over the past year.  I went to one before and was not too impressed.  The last time I was at this card show, they charged an admission for a tiny 30 table show.  I wasn't too impressed the first time.  I actually went to a sports card show with a cynical attitude.

I only went to this show because there was no admission fee but, parking was six bucks this time.  So, it kind of evened out.

The first time I attended this show, the auditorium was mostly filled with vintage and memorabilia dealers.  Nobody there was selling boxes, packs and new school cards were hard to come by.  I was curious to see if the same dealers were there.

The show this time around had pretty much the same dealers.  Tons of vintage, memorabilia, and a couple high end guys.  No hobby boxes or even dime boxes to dig through.  The promoter needs to get a better mix of dealers to attract bigger crowds.  The crowd at the show was really sparse.  There was nothing there to attract kids that want new products.

Luckily, I am okay with boosting my hall of fame vintage collection.  Since, patrons were scarce and it was the final day of the weekend show, I knew I could get some bargains.  A vintage dealer that I bought from last time was selling some cards from the 50s-70s.  Perfect!

He had a couple boxes of random graded cards.  The graded card selection included a Manny Ramirez Classic card graded to 10 and the box also had the glorious 1969 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm graded to 7.  I have been looking for some cards of Wilhelm because the dude looks like a creep.

Wilhelm probably racked up some strikeouts because hitters were too frightened to stare at him for too long.  This card needs to be put away fast because I am getting scared staring at his face.

I was also able to snag some 1972 Topps.  The color scheme is so genius in this set.  I need to try and collect all the hall of fame dudes in this set.  I do have a handful already but, some will take more than a few bucks to purchase.

Of course I was able to purchase some Dodgers.  I didn't go to this show with a list or even a solid game plan.  I know what I want.  I know what I collect.  I don't need no damn checklist.

I collect Dodger cards and picking up a cool Charlie Hough rookie in really good condition is what I do.  This will fit nicely into my 70s Dodger binder.  I am in the process of dividing all my Dodger binder by decades.  That will keep things in a little more order.

This was my favorite purchase of the day.  This card is showing the beast game that Charlie Neal had in the 1959 World Series.  The Dodgers beat the White Sox that year to bring the first title to Los Angeles.  Neal hit two homers in Game #2 in 1959.

If a Dodger second baseman did that in the World Series this year, I would make a statue of that individual out of a giant redwood tree.  That statue will be worshiped by all Dodger fans.  So, here's to the Dodgers making the World Series this year, Mark Ellis hitting two bombs in the World Series and me making a Mark Ellis statue out of redwood.  I wonder which one of these events is more far fetched.

One dealer at this show had a free table.  Yes, a table full of random cards that cost zero dollars.  Just a mound of scattered cards that could be had for free.  I have never seen anything like that at any other card show.

I was able to get this 1979 Topps Rich Gossage card for absolutely nothing.  I already have this card but, I don't mind getting a Yankee hall of famer for some trade bait.

A free Joey Belle rookie card!  This card probably used to get people a dollar in the 90s.  Now in 2012 it is free.  I actually have been building a Albert Belle collection recently.  Belle was a beast in the 90s.  The child version of me loved watching an angry body builder mash home runs.

One of these days I will write a post about my Belle collection.  Just so the blog world can then flood my mailbox with Albert Belle cards.

This card was also on the free table.  I am surprised that nobody else picked this up.  It is a flashy Leaf Limited card featuring hall of famer Cal Ripken Jr.  This card probably got some decent scratch back in the day.  The back of this card features some dude named Kevin Orie.  That name sounds vaguely familiar.

Either way, Kevin Orie will never be featured at the Platter.  I promise you that.

The card show was kind of weak once again.  Not much variety being sold.  This will probably be the last time I go to the Glendale Card Show.  It is kind of depressing due to the small turnout and dealers packing up hours before the end of the show.

I like the fact that a show does get put on.  The promoter just needs to get different dealers and realize what young collectors want.  I have doubts that this show will ever get better if it does come back.

Card Show Haul:Non-Dodgers Edition

I do collect players that aren't picture in Dodger uniforms.  I have a bunch of collections going on that I haven't listed on my blog. They are collections that I am not trying to focus on but, when I see a good deal, I pounce at the chance to add to it.  If I posted all of the players or categories that I collect, I would then receive too many cards from the blog world to keep track of.  I need to keep some order and have some time to organize everything.  Dodgers will always be the main focus but, here are some other cards that I bought that fit into my minor collecting goals.

I like autographs of criminal ballplayers.  I don't seek them out but, I found this one of Lenny Dykstra for a couple bucks.  How could I pass on a 2 dollar auto of a felon?

Dykstra was a solid baseball player that always played hard and was a champion on the 1986 Mets team.  He was also a beloved member of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies team that lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.

His post baseball career saw him become super rich, bankrupt and jailed.  He is only 48 and has committed crimes such as embezzlement, drug charges, grand theft auto, an accusation of exposing himself and using steroids.  Dykstra is a dude that knows how to party.

If you Google his name, you will find articles discussing his baseball career, his criminal behavior, and skipping a celebrity boxing match against Jose Canseco.  Dykstra deserves a TV movie.  That would be worth watching.

This card of Eddie Murray was also in the 2 dollar box.  I have a little Hall of Fame collection going on.  I am not completely against trading this for a game used card of a Dodger legend or a game used card featuring a piece of Eddie Murray's jersey from his Dodger days.

I think the Orioles began wearing black in there jersey in the mid-90s.  I may be wrong and an Oriole fan can correct me on that.  It must have been brutal wearing a black uniform in the humidity of Baltimore in the summer.

Shin-Soo Choo is a solid baseball player with great on-base skills, some pop and can steal some bases.  I only get to watch him play a few times a year on television and he impresses me. I keep his cards because i dig his skills.

The Topps 60 cards that came out this past year crack me up.  The cards often list a specific catagory and the picture a player that you would think, would have led the league in that stat.  On the particular card, the stat is 2010 AL SLG% Leaders with Runners in Scoring Position.  That category seems so specific that Choo must be the top dog of 2010 in that stat.  Well, Topps has deceived us again.  Choo was actually ranked 7th in that catagory in 2010.

Choo also has one of the better names in baseball.  I wish the Cleveland Indians would trade this guy to the Dodgers so, I can shout Chooooooooo from the bleachers in left field every time this dude makes a great play or comes to the plate or makes a routine catch on a fly ball or adjusts his cup.  Choooooooooooo!

Please Cleveland, trade him to LA for some beard shavings from Casey Blake that have been clogging the drains since last summer.  You guys kind of owe us, right?  Dodger fans know what I mean.

My buddy who I went to the card show with traded this Gaylord Perry autograph to me.  I have been tring to stockpile HOF autos and this will fit right in.  This signature is also from unknown origins.  It is probably a TTM auto but, he knows it is legit and came from a good source.  He traded this to me for some of the basketball game used cards that I am getting from the blog world.  This deal works because Perry is in Cooperstown and it is his signature on a card of him as an Indian.  If he was pictured in a dirty Giant uniform, I would have declined.

That wraps up the baseball portion of my card show pick-ups.  I may show some of the UCLA autos that I picked up.  I will probably go to a card show in a couple weeks or so.  We shall see....

My Dodger Haul From A Card Show

My friend and I made a trip down to our local card show called Frank and Sons in the City of Industry,CA.  They hold a twice a week show there with a mix of sports cards, memorabilia, action figures and other collectibles.  I usually try to roll down to the show every other month.  I don't go as often as I like due to money constraints.

Most of the other times that I go, I pick up a hobby box plus some singles.  But, this is a new year and a new way of collecting for me.  I decided to get down on boxes, blasters and packs so, I can put all my collecting dollars more towards cards that fit my needs.  By, spending money more on singles as opposed to playing a game of chance with a pack of cards.  This should build my personal collection a lot more easily and cut down on having random clutter.

One guy at the show had a box of hits for 2 bucks apiece.  That price is right in my budget wheelhouse.  I was able to get some Dodgers as well as some trade bait.  Most of the trade bait that I bought today will be going out shortly to some traders of the blog world.

I love game specific relic cards.  I will keep on saying that every time that I find one to show off at the Platter.  This card contains a piece of jersey that Paul Lo Duca wore during the 2003 All-Star game.  Lo Duca was one of my favorite Dodgers a decade ago.  His name was tarnished by being mentioned in the Mitchell Report.  But, I don't care too much about that, he was still a Dodger and his cards will always fit into my collection.

See, I told you that I don't care about the Mitchell Report.  Lo Duca cards are welcomed into my home.  Oddly, this is my first certified Lo Duca autograph.  I guess that he didn't have too many back in his prime during the 2000s.  I splurged a little and picked this one out of the 5 dollar box.  Since, I was buying in bulk, this card came out to a little less than that.

I thought that my first Lo Duca auto card should be high end.  This card comes from 2004 Leaf Certified and is numbered out of 50.  This card is also super shiny which is a plus.

Back to the finds in the 2 dollar box, I found a game used Steve Garvey that I didn't have.  I dig the young looking photo that they used of Garvey.  He looks like the innocent, golden boy that everyone thought he was in the 70s.

This card is from a SP Authentic set called Cooperstown Calling.  I don't see Cooperstown ever calling Garvey.  He had a really good career but, probably will fall short in his bid to the Hall of Fame.  The only people that may be calling Garvey these days are the I.R.S, an ex-wife/girlfriend seeking child support payments or some middle aged women claiming he is the fathered her child back in '85.

I have a decent sized Andy LaRoche autograph collection going.  This card was probably a big hit to pull out of 2005 Bowman's Best back then.  I am still a fan of LaRoche and don't fully understand how he didn't pan out into something special.  He had great numbers in the minors and good genes because he has other family members that were also big league ball players.  LaRoche just never made the next step in the majors to become big time.  

I love collecting autos of failed Dodger prospects.  LaRoche is my favorite of them all.  I thought he was going to be the cornerstone at the hot corner for the Dodgers.  I followed his minor league and major league career.  I think that is why he is my favorite failed prospect to collect.  He also has many cards and autographs from the mid-2000s.  That gives me plenty of autos to chase.

The card show today was fun.  Spending my limited funds mostly on singles that I want seemed to work out great.  I was also able to pick up some cheap autos of some UCLA football players that I may show off at another time.  So, long to pack ripping for now because I want to see where this next step of collecting takes me.