Saturday, October 26, 2019

The free table

At the local church thrift store I tend to frequent, there is a "free table" before one walks in.

Usually it's a bunch of crap. After all, if it's not good enough to make the floor at this low-end thrift store, it must be pretty bad. But I always take a quick peek when I walk in, hoping to find cards.

And today I did.

It's certainly not an all-time find, and I need this like I need another hole in the head, but I couldn't just leave this there:
Remember these? I have no idea why these card plaques existed. But I'd say they were a very early '90s thing, and the ultimate grandma gift. I had a bunch of them. I think I still have a Tino one somewhere in my collection.

I really don't have much of a use for this, but again, it was on the free table, asking for a Yankees collector to rescue it. So it'll sit in my card area for now. Maybe I'll find somewhere to display it. Maybe I'll swap out the 1990 Leaf for a '84 Topps Mattingly and display it a little more proudly.

I struck out inside the store. No binders or boxes of cards. I find them about twice a year.

But a card plaque on the "free table"? That's a first.

10 comments:

  1. 1990 Leaf, great set. free, greater, free mattingly hofer even greater

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  2. Does the time spent looking and the space it will occupy constitute as free?

    Not trying to be an a-hole this time, but that's what I ask myself everytime I get a "freebie".

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  3. '90 Leaf is an all-time great set! And sure, even if you're not all into that particular card, throw a fav Mattingly in there and hammer in onto a friendly wall for countless smiles as you pass by.

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  4. A. It's not Mattingly, but I have a Brett Favre plaque hanging up in my classroom. Pretty sure I have one of Michael Jordan sitting in a box somewhere as well. These must have been popular into the late 90's/early 2000's, because they were gifts from students.

    B. I'm with Gavin. 1990 Leaf is one of my favorite sets from the 90's.

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  5. I think you're right. I also remember those plaques being everywhere in the 1990s. EVERYWHERE! And most of them had that weird, faux-marble finish on them. Cool pick-up for free, though!

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  6. I can't see one of these plaques and not think of the 90's. They were big during that era because everything in the 90's was "collectible", and everything was going to be worth something in the future -- even ugly plaques with overproduced cards on them :)

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  7. Not sure if I still have it, but I had a 1993 Upper Deck plaque of Charlie Hayes.

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  8. I have a few of those card plaques from the era. Fred McGriff and Tom Glavine and I think one more. May have to dig those out some day. Good post.

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