Card Show Post I: Setting the Table
I’m going to forgo the last update from our trip to Nashville for a moment in order to try and knock out some more recent additions to my collection. Plus, it requires a little more photoshop work for me, as I need to clean up some scans.
Leaving Nashville is always a bit sad, but I had something to look forward to upon returning home – there was a little card show on the horizon. This one was of the thirty to forty table variety of which I recall attending several with my father. There’s still one big card show here in town annually, and I recall the National coming through here in 1994 (I’m pretty sure), but there’s not much else going on in the card world.
I decided that I wanted to try to put some serious dents in my Astros commons needs, while keeping an eye out for a few cheap autographs of former ‘Stros whose TTM results were less than stellar.
When I walked in though, the first thing that caught my eye was a box on the very first table, filled with assorted team sets from the club – all for a buck a piece. I grabbed the ’86 Donruss right away, knowing that I didn’t have any of them. Dickie Thon looks great here.
I only found two more Mother’s Cookies sets, unfortunately – I had hoped for more, but picking up the ’95 and ’96 sets was nice. The Other Pedro Martinez pitched for us for a year – did you know there was another Pedro? It was hard to decide on which card to showcase for the ’96 set, but ultimately it came down to Todd Jones being a giant ham.
As I was making my way out of the show for the day, I passed the same table and saw a box of 1981 Topps Photo Cards. These are the 5×7 photo cards that came in sets of either one or two teams, released regionally. It should be noted that the show fell on a weekend when the Rangers were visiting town – and this particular box held single card packs of the Astros/Rangers set. You all probably know by now that if it’s an oddball, I’m bound to chase it.
I don't think I've ever found a Mother's Cookies set at a show around here. I'd be all over it if I did. Great cards!
That's a "little" card show? The last regular one that was close enough to me to bother going to shut down in December, and on a good month there were only 15 or so tables. Seems like you did very well.
I'm probably overestimating a bit – it's more likely in the 20-30 range. Tri-Star has a main office here in Houston, and the annual show they throw is the big one here. Unfortunately I missed the last show they did.