Card Show #2: Keep Atlanta Odd

The cool and the cognescenti started converging on Austin, Texas, this past weekend for the South by Southwest Conference.  What started in the 1980s as a music festival for new and emerging bands has morphed into a massive 10-day music, technology, film, health, and education conference sponsored by Miller Lite, esurance, McDonalds, Pepsi, AT&T, Philips, Capital One, Mazda, Monster Energy Drink, and IFC.  Seriously.

Austin itself is a paradox of sorts as well. It's the liberal-leaning state capital in the middle of a buttoned-down, conservative state. Of course that is painting with a broad brush, but it is one of two major cities that touts itself in a way that urges locals and visitors to "Keep Austin Weird."  Portland is the other -- a point perhaps proven or at least caricatured by Portlandia (a show which not at all coincidentally is shown on IFC).

I don't think Atlanta could ever be a "weird" city.  It has its pockets of weirdness and slackers and hipsters and the like -- as does any city.  But, perhaps, it is an odd city for us collectors -- or at least, in my world, it's an oddball city.  I gravitate towards oddballs and weird stuff that I haven't seen before, or that others might ignore.  

Take, for instance, my trip to McDonough to the card show on the South Side of Atlanta from last weekend.  It was a little disappointing -- only one vendor with true dime boxes, and those were not very full.  But, the oddballs were great, including a "$2 each, 20 items for $20 table."  

Of course that is where I went.  Here's what I found.  All of these were $1:

1.  A Box of 24-year-old Candy

Huh?

In fact, this box held all the wrappers and a complete set of all 36 Topps Superstar Standups. I've featured the empty Robin Yount candy container here before.  Now, though, I have a nearly complete set (and it's only "nearly" complete because I've already started sending some of these out to folks in trade packages).

Here's the checklist and an example of the wrapper:

I'm keeping the Yount, but ask me if you're interested in, say, Barry Bonds

George Brett

or Roger Clemens.

Yes, 36 candy dispensers with candy older than Bryce Harper for just $1.

2.  How Much Was that Card Worth in 1990?

I relied on Krausse Publications over Beckett or anyone else when I was a kid for my card "values." Why? Because they were from Wisconsin (Iola, in fact) just like me.  I should have bought the whole stack of these old price guides and hobby magazines.  

I bought this one because, as you can see, "NEW CARD SET PREMIERES!"

The cards are still inside the magazine, too.  Here they are:

Sorry about the bad scan on Clemens.  I bought this for the Paul Molitor card.  And, I admit it -- I'm still a little bit torn as to whether I keep the magazine intact or cut out the cards. Since I need the Molitor for my player collection, I'm good either way, but I'm leaning toward cutting them up.  Who wants the rest?

Even better than the cards, though, is this TOTALLY 1990-sounding promotion:

From All 50 States!  14,000 Incoming Lines!  Touch-Tone or Rotary-Dial Phone Access!  No Busy Signals!  And, Kids..Ask Mom or Dad Before You Call!

Imagine eBay, but where you pay $1 a minute to hear the auctions....yikes...no wonder those 900 numbers went away.

3.  A Franken-Relic

Haven't the foggiest idea about this thing, except that it's from one of those repacking companies, Vintage Sports Cards, and claims to include an "Authentic Jersey" obtained from The Upper Deck Company.  Not sure why the fabric is a Brewers' pinstripe and the card is a Minnesota away jersey.  It doesn't matter.

Couldn't care less if it's real or not. For $1, I'll take that chance.  It's a nice addition to the Molitor collection.

4.  A Topps 60 Relic
This one is a TON cooler than the Molitor pinstripe.

That little wool swatch with a white thread, ostensibly from a "game-used" item, is pretty awesome to me.  Again, for $1, the price was right, especially for one of my least added-to player collections, jokester Lew Burdette.

5.  A Gem Mint Sticker Album that Clearly Appreciated

I am 100% sure that I have this 1982 Topps Sticker Album with Gary Carter on the cover at my mom's house with nearly all of the stickers in the album.  It also looks like a ten-year-old owed the sticker album (which, of course, I was).  This thirty-three year-old album definitely appreciated in value though -- up 400% in 33 years.  

Here's hoping I'm around to see it when I'm 76 so I can sell it for another 400% profit -- $4, of course.

6.  Quickly Dwindling Trade Bait

The entire 1991 Sportflics/Kellogg's Corn Flakes Baseball Greats set also cost me $1.  I've already sent out about 2/3 of this set in trade packages.  I'm keeping Warren, though.  I have only 4 left of these.  Let me know if you need some.

7.  A Serial-Numbered to 99 Hall of Famer

Normally, I pay little attention to Michael Jack Schmidt's cards.  This is mainly because I have never traded with and do not know -- despite trying -- any of the Phillies bloggers out there.  So, I ask you Phillies guys -- anyone want this?

Or, if you trade with a Phillies guy, maybe someone else wants it?

8.  Last one for now -- More 3D!
At the show I talked about yesterday, I got an unopened box of the 1985 Topps 3D cards for just $5. It felt like a steal.

Then, I get a complete set of the 1986 Topps 3D cards at this show.  For $1.  Below is the wrapper.  There are still 3 or 4 unopened packs, in fact.

Here's the checklist:

I'm keeping the Carter for my PC of him, and I have plans for a couple of the others in trade packages.  The funny thing was that I got this box home and found some cards stuck to the bottom:

It was an intact 4-card box bottom from the 1986 Topps set.  I decided to cut this one up (the scans are off center...not my cutting!) because, well, you can tell how the panel ended up stuck to the 3D card box by looking at Guidry.

Let me know, though, if you want any one or many of these.

Being the oddball in a group of oddballs is not easy.  I enjoy finding these random products from my youth -- whether I saw them back in the 1980s or not.  

Even though I'm odd, I hope my love for the odd is not one that I alone share.