Saturday is Card Show Day: A Vintage Cardboard Retrospective

No card show for me today (there is one happening, I just have other things going on this weekend), but Tony's post from Off-Hiatus got me thinking about the Twin Cities Card Shows and how much my collection has matured, focused, and exponentially grown since I started going.

 My first ever card show purchase - the 1957 Topps Elmer Valo.

 Oddball alert, Berk Ross Minnie Minoso! This card was held for me by the vintage guy - one of the perks of having a card show and attending regularly is that the vendors will help you build your collection.

 Just plain Odd - a pair of Killebrews with decals stuck on them.

 Just a quarter for this D-I-Y Topps Traded Bob Uecker - the well loved vintage bins often hold hidden gems like this one.

 A heavy hitter. I started the 1956 Topps set this year, and cards like this one are definitely worth seeking out at a show rather than trying your luck online. No bidding against people that will overpay, and the buyer has a chance to examine the flaws in person to make an informed judgment call. Teddy Ballgame is pretty beat up, but it still meets the criteria for this collector.

 Mini comes up big at the National (that's a card show too)

 Also from the National, these International gems from Japan - I probably would never have even seen these particular cards anywhere else.

 But number one has to be this Stan Musial Rookie Card. This was another instance of a vendor helping out a collector. I was able to communicate a price range (and a price limit), and the vendor found this one for me and held it for almost a month while I squirreled away the cash to acquire it.

Before I started to attend the card shows in town, my oldest card was probably from 1977. I'm now closing in on complete sets from 1965 and 1948! All in the last year and a half or so. It's been quite a ride.