Spurred into action

Night Owl posted some cards that he got from Corey.  As I was looking at the pretty pictures, because who really has time to read anymore, I noticed an Orel Hershiser card I thought I had, but wasn't sure.

It was a box bottom card from 1989 Fleer.  I thought that I picked it up in my Black Friday shopping spree at COMC.  I knew that I hadn't put the cards in the binder yet, so I started looking for the padded envelope that they came in.

I looked around the computer.  Nope.  In the stack of stuff by my bed.  No.  Ah, it must be in that pile of envelopes out in the sun room.  Nope, but I did find the packing slip.  On the bookshelf?  No.  Other bookshelf.  No.  Crud.

I slept on it and this morning, being a snow day for Caroline and knowing that after spending some time doing a jigsaw puzzle, cleaning the kitchen, catching up on some correspondence, putting a few loads of laundry in the washer, I'd set out to find the cards.  I looked in one more stack of stuff and bingo, bango, bongo, I found it.

1989 Fleer Box Bottom
Orel Hershiser (card # C-14)

It wasn't just this Hershiser, but cards of some other players I collect.  Bill Wade, football player.  I had the original of this card, and the Archive edition, but the GOLD Archive?  Nope.  I do now.

1994 Topps Archives 1957 Series Gold
Bill Wade (card # 34)

This is one of those oddball cards.  I'm guessing that they're plentiful in the Chicago area, but I don't live there anymore.  Ah, Chicago, where I could, and did, go to a card show every month.  There hasn't been a card show in east Tennessee in years.

1998 Discover Card Chicago Bears Fan Convention
Bill Wade (card # BIWA)

On to Del Harris.  Del kicked around the NBA as a coach for some time.  He went to the same college my wife did.  Milligan.  So did Francis Gary Powers.  But they don't make cards of Francis.

1995-96 NBA Hoops
Del Harris (card # 182)

Boy, howdy.  Doesn't this look like an ad for some sort of hearing aid or fiber supplement?

2005-0 Topps Total
Del Harris (card # 372)

Also in the package were about another ten or so cards.  I've scanned them, but will share them later.  Probably in two different posts.  Right now I'm averaging about a post per month.  I can't get too wild.

So thanks, Greg, for spurring me into action.  I almost wrote, "You can saddle me up and spur me all night."  But I didn't.  That would be wrong.

PWE - NRA

Plain White Envelope. No Return Address.

 A few weeks ago I received a PWE in the mail. I had come home from work.  Picked up the mail on the way into the house.  Shuffled through it.  Bill.  Bill.  Ad.  PWE.

That caught my attention.  I opened it and these came out.

1969 Topps Mini Album Inserts
Cleveland Browns (Bill Wade) (card # 4)

1990-91 Skybox
Del Harris (card # 315)

1981 Detroit News Tigers Centennial
Earl Wilson (card #51)

1989 O-Pee-Chee
Orel Hershiser (card # 380)

1996 Topps Stadium Club - Virtual Reality Members Only
Orel Hershiser (card # 26)

They were all on my Elusive Eight want list.  After dinner I rushed out to some meeting or rehearsal, thinking that I'd scan and put them away later that evening.

I don't remember what happened.  I guess I forgot about them, or decided to do it later.  The cards were placed back in the envelope and set aside.

When I went looking for them later, they were not to be found.  I looked in drawers, near the computer, on my bedside table, with the other cards.  Nowhere.  A sickening feeling started to form in my stomach.  I renewed my search with vigor.  That stack of papers.  With my other cards.  With my other cards on the bookshelf.  With my other cards in a box.  Nothing.

I let it go for a few days.  Ah.  That special place where I put the important papers.  That's where I left them.  No.  Inside the cover of that book I want to read next.  Back to the stacks of paper.  Near the other bills.

My wife had noticed that I was actually doing some cleaning while looking for the cards.  That made her happy that I was decluttering, but made me sad that I still hadn't found the.

Time to retrace my steps.  I finally found the envelope.  It had fallen off the stack of a clump of papers, down near my dresser.  They had been found.  There was much rejoicing.

So, kids.  This is a true, but cautionary tale.  Get a system in place to process your cards.  Know where they are.  I don't care if you scan them, blog about them, file them a month or even a year later.  But know where they are.

So, a big thank you to whatever kind and benevolent reader took the time to go through my wantlists, procure and send me these cards.  I'll be a better steward next time.

My Del Harris Collection

Like I need another player/coach to collect. Well, I'm doing it anyhow.

Some might ask, "Why Del Harris?" or "Who is Del Harris?"

Del Haris played at Milligan College, one of the schools to which my son has been accepted.  The school from where my wife graduated. 

He has a very limited number of cards.  13 by my count.  And one of those is a Panini Sticker.  In Spanish. I don't know if I need that one. That means I'm already 25% of the way there.  Might even be able to finish this collection by the end of the year.  SportLots.com has 8 of the 9 cards I want.  Each for 18 cents.  Yeah, when I add a player, I go big.

And he's got cool hair.

1989 Hoops
Del Harris (card # 126)

1990 Hoops
Del Harris (card # 319)

1989 Hoops
Del Harris (card # 235)

Here's a link to my Del Harris checklist/wantlist page.