November Collect Auctions Catalog

Time for another auction catalog post.  This showed up in my mailbox a few weeks back.

Yeah, I'm a little late.  I didn't read the cover very closely.  Bidding ended on the 29th.  I thought that the auction started on the 29th.  Let's see what caught my eyes.

Title: 1914 B18 Ty Cobb Blanket
Lot #: 36
Description: This 1914 B18 Blanket features Ty Cobb is the White Infield version. It has a small hole on the bases above Cobb's head and a light stain behind Cobb's legs, but is otherwise in very nice condition.
Minimum Bid: $75
Closing Bid: $132.21
My Thoughts: A blanket from 98 years ago?  With Ty Cobb?  Why wouldn't somebody want this?

Title: Arthur Conan Doyle Signed Letter with Amazing Content (1926) (PSA/DNA)
Lot #: 383
Description: This ALS is written and signed by "A. Conan Doyle" on Feb. 2, 1926. The one-page (5.25x7) note is written to F.M. Sands of Maryland and reads, "You are very wise to stick to any faith which makes you a better man. It is one the latter point that we are judged. When you enter the other world you will find that no one worries about what you believed. But what your character is decides your position there." There is a horizontal crease and a light vertical crease, which runs through his signature and one line of text and faint mirroring of a few words, but otherwise in fine condition. Accompanined by the original mailing envelope postmarked Feb. 2, 1926. The famed author was obsessed with spiritualism and attempted to find proof of existence beyond the grave, with this letter profoundly outlining some of his beliefs of "the other world." Great historical piece with significant content, with the signature authenticated by PSA/DNA with full LOA.
Minimum Bid: $600
Closing Bid: - (Reserve not met)
My Thoughts: A letter from the creator of the world's greatest detective.  Worth whatever the reserve was?  I don't know, but it would be cool to own.

Title: Tony Stewart Signed 1998 Small Solders Die-Cast Car (PSA/DNA)
Lot #: 764
Description: This Small Solders logo die-cast Tony Stewart 1:24 scale car has been signed by Stewart on the hood. The black felt tip pen signature has been authenticated by PSA/DNA with a basic LOA. The car is a 1998 Pontiac is from an edition of 10,992.
Minimum Bid: $50
Closing Bid: $0
My Thoughts: Although I like NASCAR, I'm not really into car models, signed or not.  My brother is a Tony Stewart fan.  I'd pick this up for him.  Looking back at the bidding, I should have.  Maybe it would have sold had the auction house labeled it with the correct sponsor, Small Soldiers.  Small Solders sounds like a transistor radio.

A card from Napkin Doon

A few weeks back I sent Napkin Doon some pressed pennies that didn't fit in my collection. When I told him that I was sending them he begged me for my address. I stalled. I hemmed. I hawed. I didn't want him sending me cards. This wasn't a trade. I finally relented and to the post office he went.

 Here's what arrived.

2009 Topps Sterling
White Frame
Carl Erskine (card # 118)
numbered 01/50

Oisk!  Over the past few weeks I've been having mixed feelings about collecting.  Nothing seems to inspire me.  I didn't buy anything this last weekend even though were some good deals online.  Partly it was I didn't really know what I wanted.  I really need to get my checklists in order.  Partly it was that family was in town.  It is better to spend time with family than to sort cards.  Most times, it is.

This card is resparking my interest.  It looks good.  It is of a player I collect.  I like it.

Thanks, Napkin.

Eddie Mathews Bat Card

Some time back I won this card on ebay. I don't have the exact price, but it did fall under the $5 self imposed price limit. That includes shipping as well.

2008 Donruss Playoff Prime Cuts
Eddie Mathews (card #27, numbered 09/99)

Eddie Mathews played for 17 seasons. Most of them were with the Milwaukee Braves where he covered third base. On occasion he was known to play the outfield and sometimes first base.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978 on his fifth ballot. In nine seasons he was an All-Star, playing in 12 All-Star games. He led the National League in Home Runs in 1953 (47) and 1959 (46).

He didn't win any Gold Glove or Silver Slugger awards. Twice he came in second in the MVP voting. He did win a World Series rings with Milwaukee in 1957 and Detroit in 1968. His lifetime Batting Average was .271 with 512 Home Runs.

He was a three time Brave. The Boston Braves signed him as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season and played for them professionally in 1952. The he played for the Milwaukee Braves and followed the team to Atlanta.

Did Eddie Mathews have a Hall of Fame career? It might be hard to justify to some people, but he's in and I have one of his cards with a slice of his bat.

Guest Blogger - My Dad

David, of TribeCards.net, broke open a bunch of wax this summer. I lost count after about 50 packs. I think that he made it to 182. Not only was it fun to see the cards from sets I've never heard of, he was giving them away. I asked for the Diamondbacks, the Expos and some Hershiser. I don't collect the Diamondbacks or the Expos, but my father does.

I begged David to send our 'winnings' this week so that my dad and I could open them. He's in from Arizona, hence the D-backs. The Expos? He was raised just south of Montreal, on the US side of the border. Hometown team and all that.

I asked my Dad to select his three favorite cards from the stack that David sent. Then he had to write about them. He doesn't listen and picked four.

So, in alphabetical order, I present you my Dad's Top Four Cards from the Arkansas pack buster.


Moises Alou 
Tradition (father, two uncles and a cousin) kept the game going for this family. That, plus having your father as your team manager would keep you sharp. The picture is one of confidence and that was borne out with commendable numbers for BA, HR, and RBI areas.

1996 Leaf
Moises Alou (card # 182)

Miguel Montero
This relatively casual photo is a deception. He's ready for whatever the day brings. He'll call a no-hitter as quickly as he'll snuff out your hopes for getting to second base. His .286 BA this year should go up by at least a few points this next season.

2006 Topps
Miguel Montero (card # 273)

Tim Raines
The picture captures the idea of energy, and Tim used his energy on offense and defense. He was high in assists and double-plays while on the field, and a thief of high regard while a runner.

1986 Donruss All-Stars
Tim Raines (card # 20)

Brandon Webb 
In the middle of things, as this picture notes, he held a 3.54 ERA in a season (2004) when the team won only 51 games, and then won the Cy Young award two years later. Shoulder injuries have kept the spotlight off him, though there seemed great potential.

2008 Topps - Own The Game
Brandon Webb (card # OTG23)

There you go.  A bit of insight from my old man.  Thanks, David, for the cards.  Thanks, Dad, for the commentary.

Kam's OTW Cards

I've shown some cards that I purchased at Kam's OTW Cards in Evansville.  We were going to be in the area for a few days.  I searched online and found them.  I gave a call to verify the address and hours then showed up on Saturday morning.

I had no trouble find the store.  When we arrived there was just one other customer.

Unassuming gateway to hours of fun

Glen, the shopkeeper and part owner, was glad to talk. I tossed him questions for about a half hour while I looked for McHale cards.  The store does video blogging, sponsors the puck for the Evansville Icemen, is involved in the community.

Glen

Pennants seem to be big.  Well, all sorts of signage.  Clocks, license plates, tee shirts.

Pennants.  Cheap pennants.

Supplies?  He's got 'em.  Glen's big on supporting other area businesses.  He's aware that kids need to be drawn into the hobby.

My father-in-law, Jim.  He's not for sale.

 I could have stayed for a few more hours.  I never did open the NASCAR boxes.

Dime boxes.  All sports.  

So, that's the visual tour, here's the post-visit interview:

Q: How long have you been in the sports card business?
A: Going on 1 year (We have had a store in Evansville, Indiana back the 80's & 90’s)

Q: What changes have you seen in that time period?
A: Game-used and Auto’s taking the place of everybody looking for Rookie Cards!!

Q: What is the state of the hobby in southwestern Indiana? What do people collect?
A: Baseball and Football are really strong. Very little Basketball & Hockey Cards.

Q: What direction do you see the hobby going?
A: Going up (depends on Draft Class)

Q: On the visit to your shop you seem to have more of the newer cards and not so much vintage. Is there a reason why?
A: We love to turn cards quick, a lot of vintage just sits!!

Q: Do you have any card shows in the area?
A: Yes, there is a show at one of malls here…a lot vintage!!

Q: Do you collect?  What is your favorite card or piece of memorabilia?
A: NO

Q: Any advice for a new or seasoned collector?
A: The market is getting stronger, jump aboard!!!

Q: Do you sell on ebay? What's your user or store name?
A: Yes, offthewallcards


Want to know how to get in touch with Kam's OTW Cards?

Kam's OTW Cards
4903 Monroe Ave.
Evansville, IN  47714

But they're moving.  Here's their new address, still in Evansville: 825-A Greenriver Road

phone: 812-402-2231

• facebook
• YouTube
• BlogTV
• ebay

So, if  your traveling through Evansville, give Glen a call, make sure he's open and drop in.  Spend some time digging through his cards.  Support a decent shop.

Friday Night at Target

I purchased two towel racks and a gallon of distilled water.  I did carry two of the $1.59 packs of 2011 Press Pass racing cards around the store.  I thought that they might need a break from being next to a pack of Rock Camp cards.  Or stickers.  Whatever they were.

Bread for ...

Here's another post with cards I picked up at Kam's OTW Cards. I actually went there twice on Saturday. The first time I was looking for McHale cards. I passed over these two Panini Past and Present cards in the Celtics section of the big box.

Later that afternoon Caroline and I had some time to kill. We went and walked around a mall, doing some window shopping. We found our way to a Dairy Queen for a hot fudge sundae and still had some time.  Back to Kam's.  I knew right where I left them.  I walked it, put a quarter on the counter and picked these two out.  I'm not necessarily a fan of Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo, although both can play.  I really don't like the current NBA.  But I liked these cards.

2011-12 Panini Past and Present
Bread for Health
Ray Allen (card # 2)

2011-12 Panini Past and Present
Bread for Energy
Rajon Rondo (card # 41)

Of course, they are a tribute to the 1951 Fischer’s Bread Labels.

I lifted this image from a Huggins and Scott auction page. Bob Lemke wrote about these 'cards' two years ago.

I think that Jon over at Community Gum is collecting the Panini set.  I need to take a closer look at his want list.  Then I need to invite him to Got it. Got it. Need it.  Actually, I'll invite everyone over to GiGiNi.  Heck, even I need to update my lists.  I'll do that over lunch.

More Kevin McHale cards

These are two of the cards that I picked up at Kam's OTW Cards. There were boxes and boxes of dime cards. I selected 25 McHale cards. I was under a self imposed rush to get out of the shop and back with my family, so I got some duplicates.

1991-92 Fleer
Kevin McHale (card # 13)

I picked up about four extra cards. Dupes of what I'd already selected. And after I got home and did some sorting, I realized that I only added nine new cards to the rather thin binder.

1992-93 Fleer
Kevin McHale (card # 17)

I already had both of these cards, so up on Listia they went.  I haven't had much luck selling there lately.  I guess I need to put more items up.  That, or nobody wants to buy McHale cards. 

One of the nice things about scanning cards is that the output is used in multiple places.  Listia.  Zistle.  Blog.

Still more scanning to be done later.

I'm back

The family and I arrived home late last night from our trek to southwestern Indiana. We went to see friends and family and for my wife's job. She's the worship director at our church and she's supposed to visit other churches to see how they 'do' stuff and what we can learn from them.

I had a bit of time so I sought out a card shop.  Kam's OTW Cards is in Evansville.  I'm working on a post about the shop so I'll leave the shop talk until later.

I was able to pick up a pocket schedule for the Evansville Icemen, a member of the ECHL.  Kam's is the official puck sponsor for the Icemen, so the pucks have a baseball on them.

Yes, I picked up some cards.  I'll show them in the future.  I'm still doing laundry and trying to catch up on my sleep.  Leave me alone.

Dick Butkus custom card

1971 Topps Football Game
Dick Butkus (fictitious card # 1)

That's all I've got.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee custom card

1992 Impel Olympics
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (fictitious card #HP7) )

I'm still on a mini vacation.  Deal with it.

Reggie Jackson Custom Card

1981 Donruss
Reggie Jackson (fictitious card # 228)

Yeah, another quick card creation.  Look, I'm headed out of town for the weekend.  I'll post anything.

Larry Bird Custom Card

1991-92 Upper Deck
Larry Bird (fictitious card # 344)

I like to think that I'm not tethered to my television.  I will have it on in the background at times and my wife and I enjoy watching a few shows together.  Duck Dynasty.  Castle.  The Middle.  Modern Family.  We tried The Neighbors and found it delightfully quirky.  I didn't give it more than four episodes before some studio executive yanked it.  It might have found some viewership because it is still on.

Aliens come to earth.  To fit in, they took names of sports stars.  The leader of the aliens is named Larry Bird.  His wife?  Jackie Joyner-Kersee.  Their sons?  Reggie Jackson and Dick Butkus.

So, I hadn't done a fictitious card in a while.  Stunning?  No, not really, but I feel good about it.  I'm working on some others.

2012-13 Panini Hoops Kevin McHale

2012-13 Panini Hoops
Kevin McHale (card # 51)

I picked this one up on ebay last week.  I had some 81 cents in ebay bucks that were set to expire.  So, this card made it to my house on Monday, costing me a whopping 19 cents (delivered).

Okay kids, it is very easy to confuse cards.  Not all of them are marked plainly.  The card below is not the card above.

1965 Fleer McHale's Navy
Remember, If I Think I'm Going To Crash ... (card # 51)
image lifted from this ebay auction

1986 Fritsch Negro League Baseball Stars sample cards

Here are the last of the cards that the Night Owl, sent in a recent package. See how I dragged that out? At my current rate of posting my guess is I got a good month's worth of blogging out of that.  Thanks, Greg.

1986 Fritsch Negro League Baseball Stars
Ray Dandridge (card # 7) - Sample

Although I like card that depict Negro League players, I don't actually have that many of them.  I didn't have any of the Fritsch cards, much less sample cards.  These sample cards are different than others I've encountered.  It is a totally different print set up.  No, I don't know the printing technical terms, but they didn't just grab some cards and over print them.

1986 Fritsch Negro League Baseball Stars
Satchel Paige (card # 10) - Sample

The 2009 edition of  the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists the following as sample cards:
10 Satchel Paige
30 Josh Gibson
89 Monte Irvin

I don't know if all cards had sample copies.  But now we can add cards 7 and 20 to that list.

1986 Fritsch Negro League Baseball Stars
Lou Dials (card # 20) - Sample

Basketball Time

I'm not a big fan of the NBA. In my opinion the game has grown too self centered and thuggish. The rules aren't being enforced (how many steps can a player take before it is actually called traveling?). I'll watch the finals and I always enjoy the highlights, but watching regular season games? Not so much.

My wife is a fan of the mid-1980s Celtics, particularly Kevin McHale. I started a small collection of his cards. I don't have much more than 30, probably about 25 or so.

Greg, the Night Owl, sent this one over in his last package to my mailbox.

1991 Hoops
Boston Celtics (card # 275)

So, in the coming months you'll see some more of one third of the Big Three. He needs a nickname. Any suggestions?