I should go to the LCS more

I live about 15 minutes away from a small shop called Skybox Cards. It's been there 30 years.

I should go there more, but I always make an excuse not to. That I'm too busy or have something going on. However, on Saturday I found myself with about an hour of free time, so I hopped in the car and made the drive.

The store is like many you've been in, overcrowded shelves, boxes, memorabilia everywhere. While the actual space to maneuver is narrow, the store is actually very charming.

I asked the owner if he had any new Yanks I could thumb through, and he handed me a loose stack. I I stood at the counter and eventually pulled out eight cards, including these. I didn't ask for a price - I figured he'd be fair and I decided to support the local business. I was glad to pick up a few Stantons as well, as I feel like he's going to have a huge year. It happens all the time in NY, where a player has a terrific second year after adjusting in year one.

While there, I saw a father come in with his daughter and inquire about a stack of cards he had. I definitely eavesdropped, trying to see if he pulled out some big-time cards, or what most of us expected...overproduced cards.

It was the latter. I don't think he was disappointed, as I think he came into possession of them through a family member. I believe the best card was a Bo Jackson RC. But I can't imagine how many times the shop owner has had that discussion with people who wander into the store.

I also tried my luck with a jumbo pack of 2019 Topps, as the box looked fresh and I figured I might be able to luck into one of the three hits. As expected, I did not.

All in all, I was charged $20 for the jumbo and the eight cards. Not bad at all.

A lesson learned through Hot Wheels

Earlier in this summer, my family and I made our annual trip to New Hampshire for a week-long vacation. Each time I'm there, I try to stop at a local card shop (All Sports Cards) that is about 15 minutes from where we stay.

This year, I dragged my son along. He needed to get out of the house, so I told him him if he came and he was good, that we would stop at a thrift store I found earlier that week and he could get a Hot Wheels. They had a ton of unopened ones when I was in the in the shop, as I went in to browse around while I waited for a takeout order next door.

They were all marked at $.50, so I told him he could spend a dollar.

Anyhow, we spent about 30 minutes in the card shop. We were the only ones there, but the owner said business was good because of Ohtani, Torres, and Acuna. I was glad to hear it.

I ended up spending $13, which isn't much. Less than a blaster. But it's in Red Sox country so there aren't a ton of Yankee singles. I bought a few packs of Series 2 for $2 each, as well as several of the $1 (buy one, get one free) grab bags I've previously blogged about. More on the contents of those below.

On the way back, we did stop at the thrift shop, only to find it was closed for the afternoon. My little buddy was disappointed, so I said we could drive to a Walmart that was five minutes away and he could spend his $1 on a Hot Wheels there.

Once we got there, we headed to the Hot Wheels aisle. They were all marked as $.94, so he could get one. He sat there deliberating, but then turned his attention to the hot wheels blind bags that were also $.94. He chose one of those.

I tried to talk him out of it. I asked why he wouldn't rather spend his $1 on a car he knows he'll like versus rolling the dice on one that might be a duplicate or one that he might not like as much as one he could pick out himself? He could control his own Hot Wheels destiny.

As I was explaining to him the pros and cons, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Why didn't I follow my own advice as it relates to cards? This is literally the exact scenario I just encountered at the card shop. Like him, I chose to "gamble" on blind bags...in this case, packs of cards and grab bags.

I could have taken that same $13 and got a card or two that I probably would have liked more than anything I pulled. I'm sure I could have found a neat card or two for my $13 that I would be more memorable than what's below.

It really affected me quite a bit, to the point where I really haven't bought any packs this summer other than a single pack of Big League and a Walgreen's repack. I know I'm not done buying packs forever, it's too ingrained in me as a card collector. However, it is about spending my money more wisely and not gambling on packs as much. $20 on a blaster, or $20 on a few Yankees cards that have a better place in my collection? While I feel I have the financial means to not be as frugal, this is a hobby for me and I try and stay on a fairly strict budget. I have a family to support and life goals to save for, after all.

Sure, I miss the thrill of opening packs, but as someone who NEVER pulls rare cards, I think this move is quite a bit smarter.

All of this thanks to my son opening my eyes when deciding on what Hot Wheels to buy.

As for the $13 worth of cards from the shop, here's what I came away with:

I have to say, the foil D-Backs card is amazing. While I don't care for the team, the foil really makes the fireworks pop!

The grab bags didn't yield much either, but they are fun to open and are a great price.

The most memorable part of the shopping trip, other than the lesson learned, was getting to take my cards home in a Topps bag.

Something tells me if I spent $13 a little more wisely, I could have changed that. And I probably still would have gotten the Topps bag.

#NationalBaseballCardDay

I haven't been very good at supporting the hobby the past couple of weeks, so I decided to try and participate in National Baseball Card Day today.

The shop that is about 6 miles from my house, Skybox Cards, was participating. We had some intense storms here, but I still hopped in the car and made the 16-minute drive over.

I feel bad, but it was only my second time in the store since I moved to my current town three years ago. No excuse, really. I just don't go to card stores very frequently, especially when my preference is to buy blaster boxes with my limited card funds.

Upon entering, I spoke to Bill the owner for a bit. He said the store was packed earlier in the day (it was empty while I was there but was almost closing time), mostly because of National Baseball Card Day. Hey, whatever works to get paying customers in the door! He said he had some of the free packs left and gave me one, as well as asked if I wanted Aaron Judge or Rhys Hoskins as my free card. Enthusiastically I said "Judge!" He explained that several people before me chose Hoskins.

Bill was really great to talk to, and it turns out we both love autographs (especially TTM!). We agreed it's gotten a lot tougher to get autographs through the mail now, mostly because of the ease of pulling autographs in packs.

I only had a few bucks in my wallet and it's a cash-only store, so I wasn't able to really help business out too much. I did find two Yankee singles to buy from Bowman Platinum:

 

He also explained to me that his most popular products are autograph grab bag envelopes he has out on the counter. These are $5 each or three for $12, and are guaranteed at least two autographs per envelope, sometimes more. He has the envelopes in a stack in a box, and you give him a number between 1 and 96. I chose 24 for Tino, and my envelope ended up with four autographs! No one noteworthy, but still a fun idea.

I was only there for about 20-30 minutes, but feel I did my small part in supporting National Baseball Card Day. Thanks to Bill and Skybox Cards for the enjoyable trip to the store!

Vacation LCS visit + Contest

This past Saturday, I returned home from a week-long vacation on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. We stay in a small cottage on the west side of the lake.

Each year, I try and visit All Sports Cards, a nice card shop about 15 minutes away from the cottage we rent. I first went there in 2013 and had a very pleasant experience. I also went last year, so it's becoming a tradition I look forward to during our trip.

I always try and wait until both kids are napping to sneak out, but Joey, my 5-year-old, is pretty much over naps. He was being kind of annoying and stir crazy, so I asked him if he wanted to come with me. He said yes.

Big mistake.

Ok, so spending time with 5-year-old is not a mistake. It's the best. But you know how annoying they can be. I figured he'd give me a few minutes to browse, but he was a pest wandering around and whining to leave. It was annoying, to say the least. I barely got to converse with the shop owner, who I always enjoy talking to. I barely got to look through boxes of singles.

At one point, the shop owner goes to me, "Um, your kid just left." I turned around, and Joey had decided to walk down the stairs toward the front door.

Frustratingly, I quickly grabbed 5 packs of Series 2, as I hadn't busted any yet. I appreciated that they were priced at $2 each, which is what they should be. I feel like hobby shops always jack up the price on packs.

Here are a few of the goods from S2, although nothing special came from the packs. I was bummed he had already sold out of Archives, as I would have loved a few packs of those. I nabbed two Rediscover Topps cards in five packs, which was interesting. The Harper All-Star is pretty cool too.

That brings me to my other purchase, and the CONTEST. In 2013, the shop had grab bags for $1 each. However, they are buy one, get one free, so really they are $.50 each. And I remember them being a lot of fun and wishing I had gotten more. So I plucked down $3 and snagged six grab bags total - buy three, get three free. Each one has about 25 cards, with a few current issues, a few stars, and some older junk wax, as expected. I got some pretty cool cards in the five I opened, including a few '17 Archives singles, which was ironic since that's what I was hoping to bust.

You might notice I only said "the five I opened." I left one sealed. In 2013, I had regretted not buying one to give away on the blog. As tempting as it was, I didn't give in. I saved one grab to give away to YOU.

All you have to do to join is comment below. No pimping (unless you want to), no extra entries. Just a comment will do. I'll select a winner via random.org. I wouldn't expect anything too spectacular, but you never know. In 2013, I got an autograph in one. Hopefully you come away with a cool card or two, and let me know what you end up with.

The giveaway will close at 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, July 9.

Diving into vacation

For the next week and a half, I’ll be on vacation. We’re headed on our yearly trip to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

I anticipate still finding time to read blogs on my phone, but otherwise, hope to be pretty out of touch…especially with real work. As for this here blog, I’ll be on autopilot for a few days with a couple of scheduled posts (including this one), although not nearly as many as I had hoped to write.

I’m also excited to visit All Sports Cards in Laconia, NH. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive from where we stay, and I always enjoy sneaking out for a little bit toward the end of the week when I need a break from my family. I first visited the shop in 2013, and again last year. I tried to go in 2015, but I showed up before the it was open and didn't have time to stick around and wait. Oops. Feel free to check out my visit to the shop in 2013 HERE. I guess I didn't write about last year's visit.

See you in July!

Trip to a new LCS

Since moving to my new town over a year ago, I've been wanting to visit a local card shop that is just 15 minutes away. Not a bad distance at all, as many collectors don't have anything nearly that close.

I'm a little ashamed it took me over a year to get there. However, both kids went down for a nap yesterday, so I told my wife I was sneaking out for a few minutes.

I made the drive to the shop, which was about two towns over. The store is not visible from the outside, which confused me a little. However, around back there is a glass door that leads to the second floor of a small strip mall, and the card shop is on the second floor.

It was fairly small, with piles and boxes overflowing. It was sort of organized chaos, but I liked it. There was one other shopper in there, obviously a regular who spends a lot of time there, as I could gather that by their banter. The owner was very nice as well, saying he's been in business since 1988. No small feat!

He immediately asked what I was looking for and what I collect. Honestly, I didn't go in with a plan, so I just sort of blurted out "errr, Yankees." To which he replied, "Ok, but new, old, autographs, what?" I just said, "Yeah, a little of everything." The truth was, I'm also kind of guarded in these situations, as I was ready for him to sell me on the more expensive stuff. After a while, we started chatting a bit more and told him I collect Tino, and have about 800 different. The guy in the shop said he has a Frank Robinson collection like that.

I started to settle in and went though a box of Yankees, all priced between about $1 and $15. Most were a few bucks each. Pricing was pretty standard for a small shop, with cards selling for a bit more than you could find them online. I did find one Tino marked $1, so I snagged it:

Next, he showed me a box of very beat up vintage. They were all older than 1960, and all priced fairly well. I only bought one, but I think it was a decent find for $5. I've been wanting this card for a while.

Lastly, I decided I wanted a few packs. I asked if he had gotten any Bowman Draft in yet, and said he hadn't, which was disappointing. I settled on four packs of 2016 Update. I opened them on the spot, and in the last pack, I snagged a hit, which is unusual for me:

I definitely will be going back. The owner was nice and not pushy at all. It's not the most comfortable setting with the size and clutter, but still was fun to look around a bit, and if I had more time, I'm sure I could have done more damage. I'm looking forward to returning and going through a box of Yankees inserts he mentioned, but I had to go before I could check it out.