Now, today, a box - 350 count, 400 count, I don't know - came in the mail to complete my first 2013 deal (several more are happening now). It was a doozy for me.
I received dozens and dozens of cards from three of the treasured sets of my youth - 1978 (the first cards I ever saw and thus critically important to me); 1981 Topps and a very healthy load of 1983 Topps (the last set from which I actively bought cards before discovering girls).
Major thanks to Paul at Carl Crawford Cards for the generosity. I sent him cards from his want list last week and he had previously notified me that he had a lot for me in return. We knew it was lopsided so I sent him a wee bit to cover shipping. I believe he ended up spending more than he realized and I hope to keep tabs on his blog and hopefully get him something extra one of these days.
Because so many cards were involved, and because I'm so thrilled to complete a deal after being away from the blog for six months, I'm breaking this trade post into a few short parts.
For my first post, a few of the beloved 1978s. I wrote a bit about just how beloved - three cards in particular - in this post some time ago.
Paul sent me 47 from the set, meaning I need just 127 to complete the set. From 76 percent complete to 83 percent in just one deal.
He signed a card for me though, so for that I'll feature his card here. You're welcome, Stan. This card reminds me that I miss the Expos.
It's funny how a bunch of commons can mean different things for different collectors. In the case of one card, it reminded me of a very specific and happy memory with my grandparents.
When I was in fifth grade - I think that's right, not 100 percent - my grandparents took me to meet two Cincinnati Reds at a mall in small town Ohio. This was a huge thrill for a young Reds fan who had already spent several years trekking to Riverfront Stadium with the family and forming lifelong team loyalty as a result. One of the players was Doug Bair.
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| Before he was Red. |
Today I'd fume over the cheapness of it all. But back then, Doug Bair and the other player instantly became heroes. I had those sheets of paper for two decades but they must have been lost to my mom's basement flood.
Yes, at some point in the early '90s, when I was out of college and working in West Texas, my mom's basement flooded. Many of my cards - long abandoned but not thrown out - perished that day. My '78s suffered greatly. My '79s were nearly decimated - so much so that years later I haven't even begun to decide if I should rebuild and add them to the late '70s/early '80s sets I aim to finish.
Oh, and if you're still reading and wondering who the other player was that I met that day long ago, take a guess in the comments. (One guess per person please.) The first correct guess wins a small prize. Nothing grand or anything - probably some choices among a few numbered cards and relics and hopefully I can offer up a few cards from a set you're collecting or some players you like. If you're a fan of some teams, where I have some excess, I'd love to be able to ship a chunk of cards your way - but I know not everyone wants that.
This should be an interesting experiment for me to see if anyone found their way back to my blog this month!
Meanwhile, I'll leave you with some more 1978 magic.
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| Players really need to bring back this look. |
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| The Astros really should bring back that logo. ;) |
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| This is just a chap I always enjoyed rooting for. Love the uni. |
Glad you enjoyed the cards and I agree, the Grimsley is pretty sweet! And we're straight on my end!
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