Cards are my internal GPS

One of the coolest things about collecting cards is that many of us remember exactly where we were when we pulled a certain card. Similar to the way that a song can bring us back to a certain time in life, so too can cards.

I can’t remember certain things about my personal life. I forget birthday. I have no clue what I had for dinner yesterday. But I can remember where I was when I pulled a card 25 years ago.

That’s sort of messed up.

Take this Michael Jordan, for instance. I pulled this 1993-94 Fleer Michael Jordan Sharpshooters from a Series 2 Fleer pack in the spring of 1994. My mom had dropped me off earlier in the day (it was a Saturday) at the local card shot while she ran some errands. I bought a few packs, and opened them in the card on the way home. I remember the exact location of where I was on Schubert Street, down to the intersection, where this card fell out of the pack.

I remember then examining the pack to see the odds of pulling one of these inserts.

That was 23 years ago.

A second MJ card comes with a story. Although I’m still not as clear on this one, I do remember bits and pieces.

I was traveling to Ohio with my dad and my uncle, and we stopped at a gas station. I went in to pee, and also saw a few packs of ’93-’94 Fleer Ultra basketball. I remember taking out my black Velcro wallet to pay, and that I didn’t have enough money to cover the pack. Luckily my dad was right near me and covered me.

But what I remember most was a stranger standing nearby, and him saying, “That’s sad. These cost so much now that youngsters can’t afford to buy them.” That comment has really stuck with me over the years, and might be a reason why I’ll always gravitate towards low-end packs.

Luckily, that jumbo pack of Ultra had this cool Jordan Inside Outside insert.

It's crazy the things you remember sometimes, isn't it?