'Antique' Cards

      Over the years that I have been collecting cards, I've had some nice finds at antique stores, although I have to say that many antique stores will present bad pricing for worthless cards. However, there is this one antique store about twenty or so minutes away from my house that often will have some very nice finds. 

    While I'm not as much of a bargain hunter, I do look for cards that spark a certain interest in me. I'm a sucker for shiny cards, so these 2022 Topps Chrome cards were just right for me. These cards were interesting to me because I like to collect newer cards, and I just like both of these players. I believe I got these for $2 apiece.    

    I also got this 2023 Bowman Aaron Judge card, complete with MVP stats on the back (sorry for the bad lighting). It's a nice card, and considering how popular Aaron Judge is, I grab as many of his cards as I can at a good price. However, I can't remember how much I got this particular card for.

   

   

     

    I really like this Topps Chrome card of Albert Pujols pitching, hence the reason I spent $4 on it, which I semi-regret. Oh well. Four bucks never killed me. Pujols made one pitching appearance in 2022, which I remember from watching the highlight video. He gave up four runs in one inning to end a win against the Giants. It's great that they were able to land a picture of that onto a card. 

    

    Along with the neat cards I've found at antique stores, I've also found a good deal of autographs selling for a decent price. 

   

                                               

    I think I got all three of these cards for a combined $7, which isn't bad considering who these players are and the condition of both the cards and the autographs. The most notable of these players is Frank Tanana, who had a solid 21 year career in which he won 240 games. The verse on it, John 3:36, is: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.
    I appreciate when a player will sign something with a Bible verse to remind us that baseball shouldn't become the number one goal. Frank Tanana actually had a bit of a conversion. He had seriously hurt his arm and was coping with the death of a teammate, Lyman Bostock. He realized that his career as a pitcher might be over, but that pitching was his life. On November 6, 1983, in a hotel room, Tanana analyzed his life, and decided to trust in God. He decided to be a 'brand new person' and entrusted his life to the Lord. It's a nice story of how a man's life turned around for the better.
    I've gotten more autographs than these,  including Rick Reuschel, which I gave to my father for Christmas last year. A lot of the autographed cards I get I'll give as presents to my family.

    And so, that wraps up this post. I've found a goldmine of cards just at that one antique store, and they always have hundreds of cards to pick through. Maybe I'll get more to post about later. God bless.