Checking In

If it seems to you like I haven't been posting here as frequently as I once did, that's because it's true.  My career is in the IT industry, and the job has been particularly busy/stressful/challenging lately, leaving me less time for my hobbies than I once enjoyed.  To compound the problem, when I do get some free time, using a screen and keyboard is about the last thing I feel like doing.

Anyway, I'm still around and I'm still collecting.  I apologize to the folks whose generous trade packages I haven't managed to feature yet (Oscar, Douglas, Nick, Gavin, and probably others), I will get to them soon.  In the meantime, just figured I'd check in.  Here are five random singles I've picked up, just to leave you with some cardboard at least...

Love this beautiful Brooklyn Dodgers card from '57 Topps.  I'll never pass up a '50s Brooklyn card for less than a couple bucks, especially in this kind of shape.  Cards like this one are why I love the '57 set so much, it might have the best background scenery of any set from the decade.  There's a reason I got this one so cheap though...

Pen marks!  My best guess at what happened here is that some kid placed the card face down and used the top edge like a ruler to draw a straight line with a pen on something.  Whatever, doesn't bother me all that much, a perfectly fine placeholder card in a set that I have a few dozen cards from now.

Always on the lookout for these '92-93 Ultra buybacks from Fleer Showcase.  I've got a saved eBay search for them that emails me daily, and when this one popped up recently I snagged it right away.  Not only is it nice to land another HOFer for my small collection of these, but this is also my first Nordiques card from the set.  Love those sweaters with the fleur-de-lis shoulder patches!

Obligatory look at one of the best-designed card backs of all-time!

I mentioned in my last post that I've been picking up a few soccer cards of late, as well as watching a ton of World Cup action.  The Pele card that I featured in that post was nice in that I now have the greatest player of all-time in my soccer collection, but I also wanted to add some more cards of the greatest current players in the world.

I got this extremely bright and shiny Ronaldo for around $4 on eBay, which is actually a very solid price given the following that he has.  This one's definitely in contention for shiniest soccer card in my collection.

The floating heads checklist cards from 1967 Topps are some of my favorite checklists ever produced.  While I've never made an effort to actively seek them out, I was helpless when I stumbled across this Jim Kaat, in really good condition and priced at just 67 cents, during a recent COMC sale.  Paying 67 cents for a 1967 Topps card just felt right I guess.

Here's the last card I have for today, a sweet 1967-68 Topps Red Berenson of the Rangers.  I'm interested in any Topps hockey card from 1972 and earlier that I don't already have, however I don't run across them all that often.  I snagged this one on COMC for a mere $1.50.  How could that be?!?!

Well, this is how.  If I ever have a chance to upgrade this on the cheap I will, but in the meantime this one works for me.  Better than an empty binder page pocket.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy your Sunday.

I'm going back to doing things like this...