i no longer have to choose

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.

obviously i went for a cheap version with lots of wear. it's still a great card, and one that i am happy to finally have join that reggie in my 'cards of significance' collection!