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Polka and Cards are a great combo!!

10/31/2012

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Sunday, October 21, 2011, Serb Hall, Milwaukee, WI -- My apologies, this blog is horribly late. I was delayed from dealing with the death of my buddy then my wife had to go out to Arizona for a funeral for one of her close friends. I played Mr. Mom for five days and that was extremely hectic. I gotta give that girl credit. Getting those kids to all the places they have to be in addition to making sure they're fed, homework done, clean, in bed for the night, dealing with the dog and assorted chores -- I'm wiped out!  Good thing the wife is back home and things are getting back to normal.

So the Serb Hall show back on October 21 turned out to be a real nice show. We had a nice crowd early on and I had some decent sales. But the thing I liked most about the show was the polka music. Yes, polka music. Around noon, a polka band started playing German and American polka songs in the room next door.  I really like polka music. Before the days of digital music, I purchased quite a few vinyl polka records.  I love all the classics like "Who Ate The Keishka" and "I don't want her, you can have her, she's too fat for me."

Polka music is the happiest music on the planet. When you hear it, you can't help but smile. I've seen quite a few live polka bands over the years and what always strikes me is the incredible musicianship. Some of these guys can turn a basic polka line into a free-form jazz sound. I love hearing a polka trumpeter or clarinetist who can really fly.  To me, those kind of guys are like Charlie Parker or John Coltrane.

Then there's polka punk rock. In the 1980s, I discovered punk rock polka bands like Polkacide, that take polka to another level. My favorite punk rock polka band is the Polkaholics, a Chicago band that's a lot less hard-edge than Polkacide and much more fun.  The Polkaholics regularly play in Chicago nightclubs and always bring a good time.  Through the Polkaholics, I learned about Li'l Wally, a Chicago polka legend. Li'l Wally wrote the song for the "Go-Go" Chicago White Sox of 1959, the team that lost to Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series. Originally from Chicago, Li'l Wally had retired to Florida when the Polkaholics brought him back to the city for a concert in the late 1990s. That concert was AMAZING! Li'l Wally, who died in 2006, was the most unique polka singer.  He sang with a heart and soul that will never be duplicated.

An incredibly nice guy, I became friends with Li'l Wally after the concert and he used to regularly call me from Florida. I always knew it was Li'l Wally when he called because I'd answer the phone and on the other end I would hear a booming "Happy Birthday!!" Every single time he called there was an earthquake decibel "Happy Birthday!"

I was also friends with L'il Richard before he died in the late 1990s. Not to be confused with the 1950's rock and roll star, this Li'l Richard was all polka and performed Chicago polka all over the world.  Old Chicago mayor Richard Daley, from the 1968 Democratic Convention fame, dubbed L'll Richard "Chicago's Polka General." I'm usually the only person named "Tony" when I go see polka bands. Li'l Richard loved that fact and would always play for me the "Pasta Polka."

So, I was pumped up when a polka band started burning it up in the adjoining room today at the Serb Hall baseball card show.  These guys were really good. They had a saxophone player, which I haven't seen before in a polka band.  They played all the American and German standards.  They didn't cover any of the Polish polka I'm used to hearing in Chicago. They had quite an audience and I was amazed that so many people were skipping the Packers game to dance a little polka.  Viewing that polka crowd brought to mind another reason I like polka -- I'm usually the youngest person by 20 years at a polka dance/concert. The polka band at Serb Hall didn't draw anyone under age 60. Awesome!

Before the polka band started playing, things were busy at the card show.  Jeff got things going with a large pile of 1957 Topps baseball and 1969 Topps baseball. Mark pulled out a large pile of 1960's baseball and football from my binders.  A regular customer found some mid-1970's hockey.  Another regular pulled some 1970's baseball and football cards. I sold my 1964 Topps Hank Aaron to another regular.

My pal mike picked up some 1969, 1970 and 1971 Topps baseball. Mike sent me a list prior to the show and I brought the cards he needed. Please feel free to email a list and I'll be happy to pull cards for you and bring them to the show.  Mike has some disabilities and is usually accompanied by a care-taker. He's intelligent and incredibly nice, he just can't communicate very well. It's really nice when he sends me an email.  Well, at this show, he didn't have his regular care-taker. Instead he had an old friend with him who told me Mike had a large amount of cards stolen over the summer. Only the worst scum are thieves. I've been victimized by thieves many times. I'm trying to get Mike to let me know what sets he had stolen and I thought I'd donate some cards to him to get him on his way to replacing the sets he had stolen. Unfortunately, he won't let me help or tell me exactly what was stolen. I'm going to work on it and maybe we all can donate some cards. Mike is truly great guy and even though it's tough sometimes to communicate we all share the same passion for cards. I already have a new list to work on for the Nov. 11 Serb Hall show.

I made a few more sales at the show before it cleared out and folks went off to watch the Packer game.  A regular purchased some 1970s basketball.  A new customer, also named Mike, picked up some 1972s and 1973 Topps baseball. This Mike grew up in Niles, Illinois.  He went to Marquette University in Milwaukee and stayed in the city after college. He really enjoys living in Milwaukee. I love Milwaukee and think it is a great place. I could easily live in Milwaukee. If I was to live in Milwaukee, I think I'd chose the western suburbs. I love Milwaukee's lakefront area, especially the northern portion, but I prefer the open space, large lots, and trees of the western 'burbs. I know there are lots of towns around Milwaukee that people always mention at the shows. I need to explore these sometime.

I didn't do much buying today. I picked up a 1959 Topps Aaron/Mathews card. I also bought a few packs of new cards. I don't really collect new cards but I do like opening packs on occasion. I pulled an RGIII out of a pack of 2012 Topps football. There was a guy who came to my table with four or five binders of 1980s football that I wasn't interested in. I wasn't offered anything else and I didn't get a chance to walk around the room much. The dealer across from me had a nice selection of vintage. He had some 1970s Kellogg's baseball that I was considering but didn't pull the trigger. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the turn-out today.  Serb Hall can by iffy at times. Today was good. I'm looking forward to coming back on Nov. 11.  Last Sunday, I was in Orland. I still have to write that blog. This Sunday, Nov. 4, I'll be at the Best Western Plus in Schaumburg. I am looking forward to the breakfast buffet.  Orland blog coming soon!

Pictured above is Li'l Wally. Pictured below are some photos of the band in the other room at Serb Hall. I took the photos while standing at the door through a little window. The quality isn't very good.
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Thanks For The Memories, My Pal

10/26/2012

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Sorry for the delay. I know my blog has a nice following which motivates me to keep it up and get it done regularly. But after last Sunday's show at Serb Hall in Milwaukee, I learned that a long-time friend died, a pal from when I was in 8th grade up until the present day -- 30-plus years. As a result, I haven't been very motivated to do much at all.

I met my friend Larry M. when his junior high closed down and combined with my junior high in 1980. I had broken a finger that first week of school, injured while playing basketball. Larry, who I didn't know at all at the time, approached me in the lunch room and asked about my finger. Soon afterwards we were running down the hallway laughing while throwing stink bombs. We got into all sorts of trouble, always laughing.  Larry was the unofficial leader. Thirty or so guys would regularly swarm his house and in his massive backyard we would have epic football games -- until one day in high school when our friend Doug broke his collar bone.

I spent a few summers in that backyard -- that's where I learned his dad was just like him when on one particular 4th of July his dad threw cherry bombs at us, laughing hysterically.

In addition to having a funny dad and being incredibly funny himself, Larry was a great athlete. He played every sport well.  Oddly, I remember the way he ran. He never pumped his arms when he ran.  His arms were always down like he was getting under a high pop fly or something.  I always thought that was an odd way to run. Though, he never looked odd when he played hockey. Hockey was his sport of choice, his passion, and he was a member of our high school hockey team when it won the state championship in the 1980s.

I was a lot smaller than Larry and he sort of treated me like a kid brother. He was always looking out for me.  When he was around I might mouth off a little more knowing that anyone who would mess with me had Larry to contend with. As adults, he still looked out for me.  When I was in law school, he was trying to get me clients. I tried to tell him that I couldn't have clients as a law student, but that didn't stop him. He always wanted to help me.

I didn't see him much during the 1990s.  Though I remember he worked the door at a night club and I would hang out there on occasion and catch up with him.  We truly reconnected about 10 years ago. We both lived on the Northwest Side of Chicago and got together on occasional Sundays to watch NFL football. There was a bar near his house where it was junior high and high school all over again.  Larry was the king of the bar. Everyone knew him and stopped to say hello while we sat at the bar and watched a game. He had a special gift of bringing people together. During these past 10 years, I got to see a lot of people from high school thanks to Larry. Like most people, I get caught up in my own world and forget sometimes about all the great people I've had the pleasure to call friends over the years. Not Larry. He never forgot you and he always tried to get a group of old friends together.

His funeral was surreal. At the service, I kept expecting him to get up, laugh and tell us it was all a joke. Just about all our old friends were there. Others were there in spirit. Once again he brought everyone together. One of the many thoughts that crossed my mind that day was that without Larry, I don't know if I'll see these people ever again.

I've had the misfortune of attending many funerals over the years. This was the only one where I kept saying to myself "get up, get up, get up." He never got up. I take solace knowing he left us for a better place. I'm going to miss him. Rest in peace my friend.

I'm sorry, my loyal readers, to stick you with such a downer of a blog. But I know my readers are all sports nuts, and Larry was a guy you would have wanted on your team. Thanks for letting me grieve here a bit. Better days ahead! Stay healthy!! If you're currently unhealthy, i.e., drinking, smoking, couch potato, whatever, the time to change is now. I have. I drank with the best of 'em. I even wrote a book about it. Not a drop now, though. I want to be around a long time. I also much prefer writing about baseball cards. Don't give me something else to write about!!

Pictured below is me and Larry in 1980.




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Schaumburg Card Show is a Great Place to Spend a Rainy Day!!

10/15/2012

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Sunday, October 14, 2012, Best Western Plus, Schaumburg, IL -- This hotel has morphed again. I think I've been doing shows here for 10 or 11 years and it has had new ownership several times along with several remodels. I have to say the hotel looks great but it doesn't seem to have any guests. This is usually a lively hotel with guests wandering around all day. Not today. I hardly saw anyone who looked like they were staying at the hotel.  I also noticed that the restaurant is still closed. It's been closed for several months.  Today, however, they were serving breakfast in one of the banquet halls. I stopped at Micky D's on the way in thinking there wouldn't be any food. Next time, I'm eating at the hotel. I'm all about that hotel breakfast.

Set up went easy this morning. The only customer in the room prior to the official opening was a regular affectionately known as "Dan's girlfriend." I think he bought some supplies from Fred before leaving. There was a steady flow of customers in the room all day. A regular customer got things going for me today by purchasing a nice group of 1967 Topps baseball commons. Larry picked up a 1971 common and we also made a nice trade where I picked up a 1966 Topps Kaline amongst a nice group of cards and a few autographs.

Fritz found quite a few cards at my table today. He started by pulling 1961 Topps commons then moved to the 1956 binder and on to my display cases where he bought quite a few cards including a 1956 Topps Bob Feller and Duke Snider and a 1961 Topps Stan Musial. Kyle's dad picked up some 1955 Topps commons.  Another customer named Larry picked up a nice pile of 1972-73 Topps basketball.  Kevin picked up a nice pile of 1970 Topps. Willie rounded out my day with a nice pile of cards from the 1960s.

On the buying side, I picked up a nice group of 1953 Topps baseball then a grouping of 40 cards from the 1950's through 1970's including a couple of 1978 Ryans, Roses and Schmidts.

There was a nice discussion about diabetes today. I've gained a bit of expertise on the subject since being diagnosed in February. I'm always happy to talk about my experiences and the things I've learned. The day went by fast. I had a nice time talking with everybody.  There was some ugly weather today and I really appreciate all those that braved the storms and came out to the show.

Next week I'm back in Milwaukee for the Serb Hall show. I'm hoping to finish that 1969 Topps binder for the show. I also have a near set of 1967 Philadelphia football ready for binder reload. I haven't been to Serb Hall since May, so I'm looking forward to the show. Hopefully we have a nice turnout.

Now I'm going to catch some SportsCenter and call it a night. I'll be up early for my real job. I hope everybody has a great week and I'll see you at Serb Hall!!

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I Hate Seeing Empty Dealer Tables! 

10/13/2012

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October 13, 2012, Orland Park Civic Center, Orland Park, IL -- What a difference a few weeks make. Two weeks ago at Orland Park there was a capacity crowd and an overflow of dealers while today the crowd was sparse and there were empty dealer tables. Where was everybody today? This was a perfect day for a card show with lousy weather, no NFL, and the better college football games scheduled for late in the afternoon. Sometimes there is just no rhyme or reason.

Even though I can live with low turnout because I still sold some cards and had a good time, there is one thing that really gets me and I've talked about it before -- empty dealer tables.  I think that the customers that made the effort to attend the show today would have had a far greater experience if all the dealer tables were filled with cards.  You have dealers, like myself, that have significant inventory and can easily fill a few extra tables with cards. There's no logical reason for a customer to walk into the room and see empty tables.  I think the first day of class at Oakton Community College's ever-popular class Baseball Card Show Promoting 101, students learn that tables are NEVER to be left empty. Somebody was asleep in class.

A couple more observations from today.  There were several dealers in the room I don't recall seeing before.  The guy set up next to me was one of those new guys and he had a table filled with Starting Line-ups.  I don't think the poor guy sold a thing. There was another new guy that had a table filled with non-sports from the 1980s and 1990s. That was kind of a weird set up.  I do think, however, he actually sold some things.  There was a new guy in the front hall that had a bunch of rock and roll memorabilia and I just happened to catch one of the side-room regular dealers bragging to the new guy that he is the president of the fan club for the band Rush. He said it's a lot of work but he does it for free because he just loves rocking out to Rush. I was hoping that there would be one of those "I'm a cooler rock fan than you" showdowns but the new dealer didn't take the bait.

Back at my table, it was slow going early on then a nice Tom Sawyer, I mean rush, at mid-morning, then a trickle the rest of the day.  A regular customer got things going by purchasing some 1962 Topps baseball commons.  Another regular picked up some 1971s. One of my many great customers named Larry purchased some 1954 Bowmans, followed by a second Larry that picked up some 1951 and 1952 Bowmans.

Me and Dave made a nice cash and trade deal where I took a little cash along with a stack of 1957 Topps, including a Duke Snider, and Dave went away with a 1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial.  Chris picked up some 1968 Topps baseball and some 1967 Topps football.  A regular customer purchased some 1968 Topps baseball.  Another regular purchased a 1962 Topps Roger Maris and a 1958 Topps Whitey Ford.

Tom picked up some 1969-79 Topps Hockey then engaged a new customer in a conversation about FedEx.  Tom recently retired from FedEx after 25 years.  The other guy still works at FedEx, regularly driving a truck from Chicago to Indianapolis.  He said he's been at FedEx for 35 years. He had some interesting stories about the 1970s at FedEx when he used to have to pull his truck into a hangar at O'Hare airport, between two planes, and somehow avoid clipping the wings.  He also said that one of his jobs was to load and unload packages from planes.  There was a period in the 1970s when his boss would only hire HoneyBear cheerleaders, the former cheerleading squad for the Bears that Mike Ditka axed in the 1980s.  The cheerleaders never did any work and he worked like a dog loading and unloading planes without any help.

Those two guys talked for quite a while and I moved on to help other customers.  Paul grabbed my notebook and wrote that he wants to be in the blog. I should have taken a photo. Thanks Paul for your patience while I slowly reload my binders.  Paul's been waiting for my 1970's binders for a while. I'm almost there. I should have 1969 reloaded shortly then I'm onto 1970.  Today Paul picked up some 1974 Topps football.

Joel picked up some 1966 Topps and 1967 Topps White Sox. A regular picked up 1956 Topps baseball. Dan picked up some 1962s.  Rick picked up a 1969-70 Topps Bill Bradly rookie, some other '69-70s and some 1972-73 Topps basketball. Dennis rounded out my day by purchasing a pile of Braves cards, including a 1961 Topps Warren Spahn All Star and a 1956 Topps Hank Aaron. Thanks everybody, I really appreciate the purchases!!

On the buying front, I picked up a nice lot of 1968 Topps football, a bunch of Bazooka cards from the 1960s, some 1961 Golden Press, and some TCMA cards from the 1970s and 1980s.

Luckily the rain died down for loading out and the construction-riddled 294 wasn't so bad today. It's a double-bill weekend. Tomorrow I'm setting up at the Best Western Plus, formerly the Radisson. No Bears game, so maybe some Bears die hards will come out.  Next week, I'm heading back up to Milwaukee for the Serb Hall show. I should have that '69 Topps book done by then. I'll probably start work on 1967 Philadelphia football as well.

Thanks for your support everybody.  I can see that there has been quite a lot of activity on my website today. I really appreciate it! Come on out to Schaumburg tomorow!!

Pictured below are my pick-ups from today.





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Busy Early + Out The Door Early = Great Day!!

10/7/2012

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Sunday, October 7, 2012, Gonzaga Hall, Milwaukee, WI -- I got to talking to PJ, the dealer who sets up next to me at the Gonzaga show.  Like me, PJ works a full-time job and also puts in full-time hours selling cards. PJ is the promoter of the monthly Serb Hall show in Milwaukee. He also maintains two sportscard websites: www.VarietyKing.com and www.PJsportscards.com.  PJ has millions of cards for sale on his websites, he sells cards on eBay and sets up twice a month at shows.  Like me, PJ puts in a tremendous effort into selling cards. Feeling weary from pricing cards all night, It was nice to talk with someone who understands the crazy thing that I do.  Interestingly, PJ told me that each card that he has listed on his websites is also a link.  So if the card shows up on a Google search, you merely click on the card and it sends you to one of his web pages where you can purchase the card.  Cool stuff!  Much more advanced than me. I'd like to one day get more cards up on this website in my store portion.  I just can't seem to find the time to do it right now though. It's on my "To Do" list and one day I'll get to it.

I was telling PJ how I spent all week going through a good 5,000 1968 Topps baseball cards to come up with a near set, 580 cards or so, to place in my show binder. It was tough work and I didn't finish until midnight on the night before Gonzaga.  As a result, I was dragging a bit this morning.  Though, I was able to set up a little sooner than usual. I made it to the show at 8 a.m. and really hustled getting all my cards out.  There was a pretty good crowd early on but it thinned out around noon as the Packer game kicked in.  The live auction seemed mobbed all morning and they had some offbeat items today like Three Stooges DVDs, a Paul McCartney concert program and KISS action figures.

Mark got things going for me early on and pulled out a large pile of 1965 and 1966 Philadelphia football and some 1962 Topps football. A new customer pulled some 1978 baseball.  A regular grabbed some 1976 Topps baseball.  Then I did a cash and trade deal with a new customer.  I got cash and some star cards from the 1960s and he got a really nice 1958 Topps Ted Williams.

Then came the rush where my table was crowded and everyone wanted to pay for their pile of cards at the same time.  I rushed to add up the cards and completed the transactions.  There were many sales in a short amount of time and I wasn't able to write them all down or remember what I sold. I do remember that Jeff took his usual large pile but I don't remember what years.  Thanks for the purchase Jeff! Tim was in from Madison and took his usual large pile.  Thanks Tim! He was telling me about his dinner last night at Lombardi's Steak House in Appleton, WI.  The restaurant is filled with Lombardi and Packer memorabilia. It sounds really cool and I need to take a drive and check this place out!

Jim purchased a 1955 Topps Eddie Stanky.  A new customer purchased some 1961s.  Another new customer purchased some 1976-77 Topps Hockey.  A regular picked up some 1979 Topps baseball.  Another regular was the first to go through that 1968 binder and found some cards. A new customer, one of two customers today wearing San Francisco Giants gear, purchased some 1963s.  My regular who usually buys Italian ballplayers picked up some 1955 Topps and some cards out of my 50-cent box.

A dealer, who I haven't seen in a while, came in and purchased both of my 50-cent boxes.  It's a lot of work making those boxes and I probably won't have a new one out for some time. A regular capped my day by purchasing my 1960 Topps Stan Musial, 1963 Topps Nellie Fox and 1961 Topps Ernie Banks MVP.  I had a bunch more sales but they all seemed to come at once and I'm getting too old to remember. Seems like early onset of Alzheimers.

On the buying front, a real nice lady came in with a pile of candy wrappers.  She discovered the wrappers behind a wall in her home while having some work done.  The bulk of the wrappers are 1955 Bowman baseball.  I bought all the 1955 Bowmans.  Now that I have time to think about it, I should have bought the other candy wrappers too. At the time, I had no idea what to offer for them and I also didn't have much money on me.  A big thank you goes out to Keith for his assistance in this transaction. I quickly sold some of the wrappers to Mark, who picked up a few for his brother.

I bought some 1971 Topps scratch offs from Scotty.  From Rolf, I purchased a poster-sized Hank Aaron that sort of looked like his 1954 Topps rookie card.  The poster is already up in my baseball card room at Casa Del Fat Daddy. Rolf is going to be promoting some shows next year in Milwaukee. I've always thought Milwaukee could use another show. Hopefully I can find some time to set up at the show. I also purchased some random pre-War from George along with three 1956 Topps Minnie Minoso cards.

Overall, a real nice show at Gonzaga today. Next week is a double bill weekend with Orland on Saturday and Schaumburg on Sunday. My projects this week are 1967 Topps football and 1969 Topps baseball. I'll also have a new pile of cards for my display cases. A big thank you to everybody at Gonzaga today!! I had a great time!!!  And even better, I have tomorrow off of work!! Yes!!!!

Pictured above is today's live auction at Gonzaga.  Pictured below are a couple more photos of the auction, some binders and boxes from PJ's table, a photo of Jim and Scott Ziegert, two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, some photos of memorabilia on the table of Mears Auction Co., and lastly, some of my pickups from today.

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Monday Night Bears Game Helps Sunday Card Show

10/1/2012

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Sunday, September 30, 2012, Orland Park, IL -- So this is how my mind works... I had jury duty all last week in Waukegan, Illinois. The first thing that came into my mind when I thought of Waukegan was Jim & Steve's card shop.  I've known Steve for a while now from seeing him at various card shows but I've never been to his shop.  So while I was in Waukegan last week sitting in the jury waiting room, all I wanted to do was go to the card shop. I was never picked for a jury and when I was released each day in the late morning, I, unfortunately, had to race to work in Downtown Chicago. So on Saturday, I made sure I was going to this card shop.  I took my daughter on a little drive up the 294. Jim & Steve's is real easy to get to. It's just a mile or so off I294, east on Grand Avenue at the Gurnee/Waukegan border. The outside of the shop looks like an old 711 or White Hen convenience store. The parking lot was full when we arrived and there were a dozen or so people inside.

The layout of the shop is a large rectangle with the outside lined with shelves filled with autographs, wax, photos, and posters.  Sitting in front of the shelves are large display cases.  There is also a smaller rectangle of display cases in the middle of the room. To my surprise, the bulk of the items in the display cases are vintage cards.  Most card shops I've been to have very few vintage cards.  Here, unlike those others, there are lots and lots of COOL vintage cards. There were T206s, Goudeys, Bowmans, and Topps. There's bins of vintage cards separated by year and by Chicago sports teams for all sports.  Just a terrific display.  There were customers sitting in front of these cases with their lists out and building their vintage sets.  So I was thinking that I was in heaven... until Steve showed me his warehouse.  Oh my freakin' god! Two thousand square feet or so filled floor to ceiling with cards  -- more cards than I have ever seen. This, my friends, is the greatest card shop ever!!

Steve was telling me he opened up the shop in 1981. I regularly see him at shows buying cards. So I was wondering how does he know what to buy when he has millions upon millions of cards.  He said he has a buying problem. I can relate. I'm definitely coming back soon.

I picked up some supplies at Jim & Steve's to help finish up reloading my 1967 Topps baseball binder and to price cards for my display cases. I was rather productive this week. I finished up the 1967 binder, created a new binder for 1969-70 Topps hockey, priced a nice pile of star cards, and some 1964 Topps coins.  The drive to and from Orland was less than productive today.  There is construction on the 294 south of O'Hare and it was slow going heading south in the morning.  After the show, things came to a halt northbound near Hinsdale.  I got off at Ogden and meandered my way home for an hour and a half.  The drive is normally just 45 minutes. Ugh!

Road construction aside, the show was real nice today.  There was a nice turnout of both dealers and customers.  For the first time in months, the front hall, main room and side hall were all filled with dealers. I think having the Bears game on Monday night helped with the customer turn out.

A new customer got things going for me today with a purchase of some 1963 Topps baseball.  A regular picked up some 1940 Play Ball, including a Bobby Doer.  Another regular purchased some 1971 Topps baseball.  Aaron picked up some 1969-70 Topps hockey and some 1967 Topps baseball.  A regular picked up a 1964 Topps Coins Eddie Mathews.  Another regular picked up some 1964 Topps Giants and some 1962 Post.  Then I had a regular pull a nice stack of 1968 Topps baseball.  Another regular purchased my 1961 Topps MVP Mickey Mantle.

Rick purchased my 1934 Goudey Charley Gehringer, 1973 Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson.  Larry picked up my 1976 Topps Terry Bradshaw along with some 1977 and 1978 football commons.  A younger guy purchased my 1941 Play Ball Frank Demaree.  My guy who collects Mets pulled some 1964 Topps today.  Dave bought my 1965 Philadelphia Paul Hornung.  I enjoyed hearing about Dave's recent trip to Budapest, Prague and Vienna. A regular purchased some 1965 Philadelphia football.  Leroy bought my 1948 Leaf Kid Chocolate boxing card.  Will rounded out my day with a nice pile of 1957 Topps baseball.

On the buying front, I picked up a small grouping of 1960 Bazooka, including an Aaron and Clemente.  I also picked up a few 1940 Play Ball including a Casey Stengel and Earl Combs.  I purchased a small grouping of 1977 Topps baseball.  I also picked up a pile of 1964 and 1971 Topps coins.  Included in the coin group was a pile from the 1980s which I never knew Topps had made.  They're pretty much worthless but I think they're kind of cool looking.  I turned down a bunch of other stuff because I just didn't have the funds.  There was lots of good stuff in the room today.

Next week, I'm heading to the Gonzaga show in Milwaukee.  There are quite a few binders that I'd like to reload before the show but realistically, I'll probably just get my 1968 Topps baseball done.  Hopefully, I'll have some time to fill 1967 Topps football. I'm going to try and get to the show a little earlier because the Packers are playing at noon. Hopefully, we'll have a nice turn out in the morning before the game.

A big thank you to everybody at Orland today. I had a real nice time.  I really appreciate all the positive comments that came in about my blog. Have a great week everybody!!  I hope to see a big crowd at Gonzaga!!!! 
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    Tony Gordon

    Vintage Sports Cards Addict

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