mouschi
04-01-2019, 08:14 AM
Over the weekend, I answered an email from someone locally who had a collection of cards they were looking to sell.* I requested some pictures, and most were of the usual junk wax variety, but a lot of it was unopened, so I figured what the heck.**I wasn't looking for anything super exciting, but these are fun at the very least to display.* I drove over to his apartment, and he promptly let me in after I dialed him from the gate.* It was a nice complex, but I was NOT looking forward to making the 3 story climb back and forth with these cards.* The guy's name was Jerry, and he was completely decked out in hipster garb.* He said his dad left him with these cards and just wanted to get them out of his kitchen.* I agreed to take them if he would agree to help me bring them downstairs.
http://mycollectionofcards.com/baseballcards/040119/table.jpg
After we loaded it all up in my minivan, he started talking about almost everything under the sun (and even almost forgot to take the money!)* He told me about his Vespa that he was restoring, and how his girlfriend hates it.* After a while, he really opened up and spent literally about 30 minutes lecturing me on how the earth was flat.* He didn't crack a smile - this guy was serious, so I decided I better just smile and nod myself.
When he took a breath, I figured it was a good time to tell him that I had to get going.* Before I could, a blonde woman with a ponytail came jogging out from the walking trail behind where I was parked.* She said hi to her neighbor Jerry and joked about how he finally found a sucker to take his dad's baseball cards.
Jerry introduced me to her, and she said her name was Evie.* She turned to walk to her apartment, but then turned back around and told me she had a box of cards that her ex left behind.* Evie asked if I would be interested in buying it, because she had no desire to contact her ex (who she explained was VERY abusive and rolled up her sleeve to show a series of bruises on her arm).* I said I'd take a look, but you know the drill - when is this situation NOT a shoebox full of beat up 1988 Score?
It was not 1988 Score.
She led me into her apartment which had a very strong smell of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke (thanks to her ex) and showed me a brown box in the corner.* It appeared to be sealed and said Allen & Ginter on the side!!* I wasn't sure of the year though, but she said it was supposed to be 2018 and was a "special" case that her ex kept going on and on about.* She said she wanted $1,000, but all I had on me was $750, (having that much on me was PURE luck, as I was planning on buying something else that day which fell through.)* She agreed and I went home with it, curious about the case.
I was going to sell, but decided instead that you only live once, so I busted it wide open.* Much to my surprise, the very first pack yielded this!!!
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/ohtani-wood.jpg
I'm not sure how much this would sell for now, but man alive ... surely this would fetch a PRETTY penny a half year or so ago!
I'm not disappointed though, because something else magical happened.* Pack after pack yielded a wood mini.
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/4.jpg
After about 4 packs in I had pulled the cards above, and decided to run in wide-eyed and tell Holly.* The poor pregnant girl was sound asleep and scared the heck out of her.* She seemed more annoyed that I woke her up than excited that I had what we call in the biz a "hot box".* I told her how this was one of the great unexplained mysteries in the hobby.* No one knew what happened to these, as they simply weren't showing up in anyone's packs like they should.
I read online about them, and apparently a Topps executive said that it is possible that collation might have been messed up and some lucky people may get some boxes that are LOADED.
I got Holly and Atticus into opening the rest of the box and every one of the 24 packs in the first box had a wood mini!* My hand was SHAKING as I reached to open the next box.* What if every box was like this?* I was excited for sure, but was obviously happy that I had already scored 24 wood minis - more than the world has probably ever seen for 2018 A&G.* Atticus opened the first pack, and sure enough:
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/cole.jpg
Not a super-duper superstar, but how can we be upset with this!?* After about an hour of opening, we had a total of 288 2018 Allen & Ginter Wood minis.* I am still shell-shocked!* Had I not listened to Jerry's flat earth story, I wouldn't have met Evie who sold me the case.
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/20190324_094451.jpg
So, I'm kind of bewildered right now.* What do I do?* Sell them at auction?* Sell them off one at a time?* Do I give some / half of the profits to Evie?* I'd love to hear your thoughts.
But I also wonder what your thoughts would be if you heard that these weren't wood at all.* What if they were just images of regular minis taken from Google?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/google.jpg
Placed on top of a picture of wood...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/wood.jpg
Graphically overlaid on said wood ...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/overlay.jpg
Repeated for several others ...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/all.jpg
Tilted, shadowed and placed on a picture of my dusty table...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/singles.jpg
Shaded & brightened to match lighting variances of the table ....
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/shading.jpg
and graphically stacked to make it appear as though there are stacks of wood minis?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/piles.jpg
Nah, that can't be it.* I mean, who in their right mind would spend all that time on a gag anyway?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/back.jpg
Happy April 1st everyone!
By the way - feel free to check out my wife's book Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict's Wife.* Available only on April 1st! ;)
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/WIFE.jpg
(Sorry, I know this is sacred ground for pre-war stuff, but I saw another gag posted here and hoped it would be okay to post - if not, please delete!)
http://mycollectionofcards.com/baseballcards/040119/table.jpg
After we loaded it all up in my minivan, he started talking about almost everything under the sun (and even almost forgot to take the money!)* He told me about his Vespa that he was restoring, and how his girlfriend hates it.* After a while, he really opened up and spent literally about 30 minutes lecturing me on how the earth was flat.* He didn't crack a smile - this guy was serious, so I decided I better just smile and nod myself.
When he took a breath, I figured it was a good time to tell him that I had to get going.* Before I could, a blonde woman with a ponytail came jogging out from the walking trail behind where I was parked.* She said hi to her neighbor Jerry and joked about how he finally found a sucker to take his dad's baseball cards.
Jerry introduced me to her, and she said her name was Evie.* She turned to walk to her apartment, but then turned back around and told me she had a box of cards that her ex left behind.* Evie asked if I would be interested in buying it, because she had no desire to contact her ex (who she explained was VERY abusive and rolled up her sleeve to show a series of bruises on her arm).* I said I'd take a look, but you know the drill - when is this situation NOT a shoebox full of beat up 1988 Score?
It was not 1988 Score.
She led me into her apartment which had a very strong smell of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke (thanks to her ex) and showed me a brown box in the corner.* It appeared to be sealed and said Allen & Ginter on the side!!* I wasn't sure of the year though, but she said it was supposed to be 2018 and was a "special" case that her ex kept going on and on about.* She said she wanted $1,000, but all I had on me was $750, (having that much on me was PURE luck, as I was planning on buying something else that day which fell through.)* She agreed and I went home with it, curious about the case.
I was going to sell, but decided instead that you only live once, so I busted it wide open.* Much to my surprise, the very first pack yielded this!!!
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/ohtani-wood.jpg
I'm not sure how much this would sell for now, but man alive ... surely this would fetch a PRETTY penny a half year or so ago!
I'm not disappointed though, because something else magical happened.* Pack after pack yielded a wood mini.
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/4.jpg
After about 4 packs in I had pulled the cards above, and decided to run in wide-eyed and tell Holly.* The poor pregnant girl was sound asleep and scared the heck out of her.* She seemed more annoyed that I woke her up than excited that I had what we call in the biz a "hot box".* I told her how this was one of the great unexplained mysteries in the hobby.* No one knew what happened to these, as they simply weren't showing up in anyone's packs like they should.
I read online about them, and apparently a Topps executive said that it is possible that collation might have been messed up and some lucky people may get some boxes that are LOADED.
I got Holly and Atticus into opening the rest of the box and every one of the 24 packs in the first box had a wood mini!* My hand was SHAKING as I reached to open the next box.* What if every box was like this?* I was excited for sure, but was obviously happy that I had already scored 24 wood minis - more than the world has probably ever seen for 2018 A&G.* Atticus opened the first pack, and sure enough:
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/cole.jpg
Not a super-duper superstar, but how can we be upset with this!?* After about an hour of opening, we had a total of 288 2018 Allen & Ginter Wood minis.* I am still shell-shocked!* Had I not listened to Jerry's flat earth story, I wouldn't have met Evie who sold me the case.
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/20190324_094451.jpg
So, I'm kind of bewildered right now.* What do I do?* Sell them at auction?* Sell them off one at a time?* Do I give some / half of the profits to Evie?* I'd love to hear your thoughts.
But I also wonder what your thoughts would be if you heard that these weren't wood at all.* What if they were just images of regular minis taken from Google?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/google.jpg
Placed on top of a picture of wood...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/wood.jpg
Graphically overlaid on said wood ...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/overlay.jpg
Repeated for several others ...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/all.jpg
Tilted, shadowed and placed on a picture of my dusty table...
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/singles.jpg
Shaded & brightened to match lighting variances of the table ....
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/shading.jpg
and graphically stacked to make it appear as though there are stacks of wood minis?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/piles.jpg
Nah, that can't be it.* I mean, who in their right mind would spend all that time on a gag anyway?
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/back.jpg
Happy April 1st everyone!
By the way - feel free to check out my wife's book Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict's Wife.* Available only on April 1st! ;)
https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/-000//1/WIFE.jpg
(Sorry, I know this is sacred ground for pre-war stuff, but I saw another gag posted here and hoped it would be okay to post - if not, please delete!)