back in 1980, my dad took me to a card show in los angeles. it turned out to be the first national sports collectors convention, not that we knew that at the time. i had with me my duplicates from 1978 and 1979 topps, complete with eddie murray and bob horner rookies. i was looking to sell them, because who needed doubles? i had completed the sets, along with dodger team sets and that was all i thought i needed.
i found a couple of guys who i believe offered me $10. my dad had no idea what the value should have been, nor did i, really. i just knew that i was able to offload some cards i didn't need for some cash. my dad suggested i buy a binder and some pages to house my burgeoning dodger team set collection, and i agreed. after that, i had a few bucks left over and i stumbled upon the very first vintage bargain bin i ever saw.
there were two cards that i was enamored with, but could only afford one. in the end, i went with a weathered 1971 topps reggie jackson card
i was entering a phase of a's fandom, and reggie was a recent back-to-back world series champion (much to my disappointment), so it made sense at the time. the other card i was contemplating adding to my collection was a 1966 topps willie mays card.
my dad had seen mays play in person a few times, and i was learning quite a bit about the say hey kid. over the years, i've thought about that card i passed on, and finally decided late last year to go and get one.
I would imagine that it must be pretty weird for you to see what the National has turned in to after all of these years?
ReplyDeleteI don't even consider buying vintage unless it's "a cheap version with lots of wear." Cards don't seem vintagey to me unless they have been well loved.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finally crossing off the Mays from your wantlist.
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