I could have both players wrong … what with well over 47 years gone by, but I vividly recall the race to finish the 1977 baseball set before the first packs of football cards started showing up at Marty’s Friendly Market. What I can’t remember is if I’m conflating this with the desperate race to finish the 1978 set before summer vacation started. In both cases I was down to one card, so buying packs was just throwing quarters away. I want to say Steve bailed me out in 1977 … and I think it was an Eric Soderholm card … and in 1978 Ricky bailed me out with one of his extra cards of Bake McBride.
I'm just not able to buy packs anymore, reserving my money for specific cards, but occasionally I'll buy something if the whim and pocket cash align. So I landed a nice Altuve insert, and while I don't care about him or the Astros (this was after the revelation of their cheating), I did have a friend's 11yo son, who was big time into baseball cards, bigger time into the Astros, and biggest time into Altuve.
So I gave it to him and said, "I'll trade you this for a Braves card," but I really just meant it as a gift. He was so ecstatic and even awed at this insert that a week or so later, he came up and handed me a few Braves cards. He apologized for not having anything worthy of the Altuve, but there was a nice Freddie card, a Dansby, and this Luiz Gohara Donruss Optics Card (Rated Rookie): https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61O93wLgk-L._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg
Gohara's career was already over at this point and I've never liked unlicensed airbrushed cards, but because I got it from a young fan, it holds some value to me.
The '82 Kmart set mostly gets a bad rap these days but it was pivotal in enhancing my understanding and appreciation of baseball history as a young fan and collector.
I could have both players wrong … what with well over 47 years gone by, but I vividly recall the race to finish the 1977 baseball set before the first packs of football cards started showing up at Marty’s Friendly Market. What I can’t remember is if I’m conflating this with the desperate race to finish the 1978 set before summer vacation started. In both cases I was down to one card, so buying packs was just throwing quarters away. I want to say Steve bailed me out in 1977 … and I think it was an Eric Soderholm card … and in 1978 Ricky bailed me out with one of his extra cards of Bake McBride.
Wow, completing sets back then was a monumental task. Great job! And sounds like you had some solid hobby friends.
The trading has never been so good as it was in 5th and 6th grade.
That was exactly my sweetspot for trades, too. Had a brief revival eighth grade.
I'm just not able to buy packs anymore, reserving my money for specific cards, but occasionally I'll buy something if the whim and pocket cash align. So I landed a nice Altuve insert, and while I don't care about him or the Astros (this was after the revelation of their cheating), I did have a friend's 11yo son, who was big time into baseball cards, bigger time into the Astros, and biggest time into Altuve.
So I gave it to him and said, "I'll trade you this for a Braves card," but I really just meant it as a gift. He was so ecstatic and even awed at this insert that a week or so later, he came up and handed me a few Braves cards. He apologized for not having anything worthy of the Altuve, but there was a nice Freddie card, a Dansby, and this Luiz Gohara Donruss Optics Card (Rated Rookie): https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61O93wLgk-L._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg
Gohara's career was already over at this point and I've never liked unlicensed airbrushed cards, but because I got it from a young fan, it holds some value to me.
That is an awesome story! Way to go making a young collector’s day, and coming away with a pretty sweet cardboard memory of your own. Love it!
The '82 Kmart set mostly gets a bad rap these days but it was pivotal in enhancing my understanding and appreciation of baseball history as a young fan and collector.