2015 NSCC #8 – Relic the Opportunity

The 2016 National Sports Collectors Convention is happening next weekend.  I won’t get to go this year.  It’s in Atlantic City and I’m not anywhere near there and my travel days are pretty much booked.

Plus Lollapalooza is always that same weekend and I am very near there and my wife bought tickets for Sunday.  And I have my brother coming up to visit the rest of that weekend.

Still, I went last year and had a great time.  I’m jealous of my collecting friends that are making the trek.  I’m sure you’ll have a blast and lighter wallets when its all said and done.

Well, it fills a need

Going in, one of my goals was to find a “ton” of relics for $5 or less.  In reality, I got so swept up in the dollar (and less) boxes that I didn’t look at too many of the relics.  On the random occasions when I would glance at that stuff, I found that many were above my $5 threshold.  Still, I was able to get a few cloth and wood fragments to add to my collection.  I think a couple got me to pay more than a Lincoln, but certainly not this bland Gwynn I’m using to start us off.

#/250

Shortly before I went to the National, I also bought some stuff from COMC as an anniversary present to myself. That package included two different Century Collection relics of Gwynn that I’ll show another time.  After nabbing this (for I think $2?), I just need two more – a 3 cent stamp relic and a 6 cent stamp relic.  Oh, and the base card.

Looks like a scratch off contest card

This is the exact kind of relic I expected to find for cheap.  The kind that’s non-descript and exists solely to add game-used to a product.

I pulled a Tom Seaver one of these in a group break I ran

National Patch Time is a little misleading. I appreciate the play on words, but it’s really more like swatch time.

More Maddux than expected

These unconventional windows are fun.  I still have some Tony Gwynns from this set to show off someday.

Missed opportunity to make this an “O” for Ovation

I feel sort of lucky that I could find so many Maddux relics in my limited time searching.  I wasn’t expecting anything too fancy in my budget and that’s exactly what I got.  Sometimes you just have to go quantity over quality.

He’s as surprised as I am

I wasn’t expecting to find a (then) current year GQ relic.  I guess I makes sense.  Either way, it was cheap when bundled with these next two from the same seller.

This is not the greatest card in the world

Here’s a nice, shiny one.  I like weird windows, but the “M” doesn’t make a lot of practical sense.  I get that it’s a milestone, but why would the cut out match the insert name?

Possibly the only card from 2005 that’s not numbered

To get us back on track, here’s a dual, and my only bat piece from the show.  That’s pretty nice, but my favorites are these next two.

#/225

How about a triple jersey with cloth from a guy named Wood?  Back in 2004, this would have been a huge deal to many more people.  Patience pays off.  Well, I guess in my case it’s not patience since I wasn’t actively collecting in 2004 and never pursued this specific card, but you know what I’m saying.

#/200 if you can believe it

Yet as cool as that is, this patch card is better.  I’m not sure which letter from the front of the jersey we’re looking at, but it’s one of the curvy ones and it’s glorious.  I honestly don’t remember what I paid anymore, but I can guarantee it wasn’t more than $10, so I’m happy.

Assuming I’m still alive and financially solvent, I should be at the 2017 NSCC where I’m sure I’ll splurge on a few more great relics.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to beat this patch, though.

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