My playing days are nearing an end

I wouldn't expect anyone reading this to remember that there was a time, probably more than a few years ago now, when I more than slightly enamoured with all things Panini Golden Age. I can't say that I was going for master sets from all three years worth of releases, as each set had over 300 1/1's, but I had been looking to complete the base sets, most of the mini sets, the insert sets, and the autograph and relic sets. 

I think I was starting to fall out of love with this idea right around the time the boom started, but can't say whether or not the boom was completely responsible for my giving up the attempt. I do know that one of the deciding factors was that a number of the autographs shot up in price, and while I was at about the halfway point on each of the autograph sets, I had no interest paying multiple times more for the one's that I still didn't have, nor was I interested in waiting the 5-10 years that I predicted (publicly) the boom would last before the prices would come back down to Earth. I ended up giving my base sets, and some of the more common inserts, to a couple of people who were very interested in receiving them, grouped my mini's together in a couple of lots and sold them, and after pulling out the one's that actually meant something to me, sold the rest of the autographs and relics via the eBay (getting a lot more for them than I should've).

Despite the purge, I did, in the hopes of someday completing them, hold onto the cards I had from the two insert sets that I liked the most; those being the 2012 Batter-Up, and 2013 Playing Cards. I'm down to needing just two cards from the Batter-Up set, but haven't been able to find either of them for a reasonable price. I have however been able to add a few new additions to the Playing Cards over the last year or so, and as you may be able to guess, am about to show them.

Panini used the upper portion of this image for a few sets back in 2013 and 2014, but I believe that this was the only card they produced that features the full photo. It's pretty basic bat-on-the-shoulder Evers photo (I don't think Johnny cared much for having his picture taken), but it's still a nice photo nonetheless.

Speaking of nice photos! I could've swore I had this card already, but after carefully going through my set a couple of times found that I didn't (it's always weird when you think you have a card, but don't). Now I do.

This is my second copy of this card, as I had moved my earlier one over to the Perry Mason collection.

Arky is one of those HOFers you don't hear talked about much these days, or at least I don't. I've always thought it was odd that, given his accolades, and people's long-time opinion that he was the second best shortstop ever to play (I'm sure that some of those opinions have changed in recent decades though), that it took a vote from the Veteran's Committee to finally get him enshrined.

And speaking of Arky Vaughan...

... this seems like a good time to show off a really nifty Wheaties panel that I got earlier this year:

Arky appeared on a number of Wheaties boxes during the 30's, this one being from 1937 (the so-called sixth series). Prior to this year, I hadn't really ever paid much attention to these old panels, but for whatever reason, have been doing so this year. After seeing how many neat one's are out there, I feel like I've really been missing out all of these years; and am now trying to make up for lost time. I've been able to get three so far this year, and would very much like to try and increase that number by a couple of more before the calendar changes over to 2025.

Of the Playing Card photos in this post, this one is my favorite. The angle of the photo over the diamond creates a really interesting effect. Sort of optical illusion-y, but sort of not.

I hate this oft-used photo of Hack Wilson. It's been used on a number of cards over the years, for reasons I can't begin to fathom. It's just so awkward looking. It's a good thing that this one might be the cheapest card in the whole set, because I found it hard to even pay what I did to get it.

I'm now down to needing just nine cards for this set. Ideally, I'll be able to get at least 4-5 more during COMC's fast approaching Black Friday sale (and hopefully at least one of those two needed Batter-Up's as well), and then be able to finish the set sometime next year.

And while I'm here talking about playing cards, I might as well squeeze in one more...

My days of wrestling fandom are long passed, but I do still get a card from time to time that reminds me of that old childhood interest (obsession?). I was big fan of heel wrestlers as a kid, and the Million Dollar Man was right up there amongst my favorites (I'm still of the opinion too that the Million Dollar belt was the coolest title belt ever). I noticed during COMC's last BF sale that someone had a bunch of cheap WWF playing cards, including all four colors for Ted DiBiase. I just wanted one though. Green seemed like the most appropriate color for the character, so here it is.

On a final, and completely unrelated, note, I quietly added a free stuff page to the blog back in June that I thought was gonna go over better than it has thus far. I really thought I was gonna spend the Summer making a bunch of mailboxes happy, but I've only been able to do so for three folks as of this writing (of course, those three people would be the three that I'd expect to find the page on their own). Three people since June is not a good ratio, and while I'd like to say that this is an example of how far the blog's have fallen, I think it's more of a case for how far I've fallen as a blogger. Years ago people would've been around here enough to have found the page organically, as I had intended, but I guess now it's gotten to the point where I've got to practically beg folks to take my unwanted stuff. I already had bunch of stuff to add to this page at the time of its creation and have since unloaded multiple binders and therefore now have even more to give away, so if you're inclined to want to get some free cards, this is me asking you to please take a look at the page.