Sports Card Tour 2018 - Los Angeles

May the Fourth be with you! The Collector's Sports Card Tour returns to the Golden State. Today we're in Los Angeles.

There are six pro sports teams in L.A. (eight if you count Major League Soccer - and they definitely do) which means I've got no choice but to split the city into two posts: Dodgers and not-Dodgers. 

The Dodgers are defending National League champions; the 2017 World Series was their first appearance in the fall classic since defeating Oakland for the title in 1988. I was cheering for them to beat Houston last year, but the Astros won in seven games. 

When did you become a baseball card collector? I'm sure if you asked a hundred people (Family Feud-style) the number one answer would be 1988. Topps singles from this set are the definition of overproduced "junk wax" but the affordability and availability (especially compared to today's products) made many of us collectors for life. Well played, Topps.

Kirk Gibson's heroic home run was the first memorable baseball moment I ever watched. As great a play-by-play man as Vin Scully was - and he was the greatest in my lifetime - dismissing Gibson's availability was what motivated him to grind it out for one magical at-bat.

The Dodgers won just one World Series in their 70+ years in Brooklyn (they weren't called 'Dem Bums fer nuthin') then added three more championships to their total within the first eight years of moving to L.A.

Clem Labine and Carl Furillo were among the many players who won rings in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. I bought both of these cards ungraded on COMC for less than $5, then submitted them to PSA.

Don Zimmer was part of that group, too. I kind of feel like he should be a Hall of Famer - not for his playing career, but for a lifelong contribution to the game of baseball.

Then again, he did go charging after Pedro Martinez. Don't forget that - he went after Pedro.

Zimmer apologized, of course. And I can't recall how Pedro addressed it at the time, but when he was elected to the Hall of Fame he told Bob Costas that the Zimmer incident was the biggest regret of his career.

I also bought this Jim Gilliam card on COMC, for about $1.15. It's too off-center to submit for grading, but I'm happy with it.

Gilliam was from the town next over from me. My father-in-law told me he passed by "Junior" 's house back in the day. Not sure if Pop ever met him.

The rest of my Brooklyn-to-L.A. legends. The Reese is a "Cards Your Mom Thew Out" insert, which is certainly possible for Pop. [edit: it's not a CYMTO, it's a 60 Years of Topps]

This Ron Fairly is one of my favorites from the stack of 1963 Topps cards P-Town Tom traded to me.

One of my favorite card-related stories concerns another '63 Dodger, Don Drysdale:

Growing up I used to frequent a few cards stores in town - one in particular called "Who's On First". Eventually I ended up working there, and the owner paid my salary in cards. Which was just perfect for me; I could clean offices for my mom if I needed cash - and I probably would have spent it on cards anyway.

After a while the owner lost his interest in the store and showed up less and less while trying to sell the business. I had been picking out cards on "payday" and showing him what I wanted, but after four or five times he told me that this was unnecessary. Bad idea.

The owner had a few random boxes behind the counter. One of these had a small stack of cards marked for grading. This was the first I had ever heard of PSA or any card appraisal services. I examined two of the cards - they looked immaculate. I had never seen any vintage cards that looked so pack-fresh.

I waited a week. My boss/dealer didn't submit them. And so I put them in a stack with some other cards I wanted to take home. I offered to show him the stack but he declined. And that's how I got a near-mint Don Drysdale (and a Warren Spahn that got a NM7 - stained) just for working in a card shop.

I trace my love of vintage and PSA-grading back to that day at my LCS. Thanks, Harvey!

I'll never be able to complete the 1968 Topps set - in any grade - but I do enjoy picking up high-grade singles whenever I can. This Claude Osteen was part of a COMC purchase that also included Gary Peters and Dennis Ribant. I think the threesome cost about $35 total.

Which is about what I paid for this Mike Piazza rookie card on 4 Sharp Corners. For some reason the Fleer Update XRC is the more "valuable" Piazza but I would prefer this card no matter the price.

It wouldn't shock me if Piazza did use PEDs at some point in his career - but he strongly denies using anything stronger than Andro, and his HOF acceptance speech was so powerful and passionate that I was convinced he respected the game too much to cheat. (Then again, I believed Ryan Braun, so...)

I was fifteen when Nomo-mania swept the nation. His tornado-like windup was fun to watch (and that splitter/forkball was nasty) I had a decent Nomo collection for a while. There was a blue #16 jersey hanging in my closet for a long time. If I still have it, I will find it this month when I do some Spring cleaning.

Which reminds me - COMC's Spring Cleaning sale starts Monday. Hope you all find some great deals. (If you're selling on the site, link your port in comments and I'll check it out.)

There wasn't a whole lot of cards that jumped out at me during their Fall/Black Friday preview sale, so I bought this triple relic for about $12. I offered it up as tradebait, but no one bit. Probably not the best time to trade or sell it right now.

Corey Seager is out for the year and will need Tommy John surgery. Julio Urias is slowly working his way back from shoulder surgery. He's still got potential, but the young lefty probably won't pitch again for at least a couple more months. 

Let that be a lesson, kids. Never invest in pitching prospects. Unless they share your birthday... or they're Clayton Kershaw.

I haven't checked the value of this Kershaw RC but it's been sitting in my Bowman Chrome set for years. His first-year cards are well out of my price range. 

Bowman Chrome might have more prestige as a RC/prospect brand, but I absolutely had to have this Upper Deck Rookie Edition card of "The Claw" which recreates the ground-breaking 1993 SP foil subset.

Two more of my favorite Kershaw cards. The Atomic Refractor was acquired in a trade with Henry (Cardboard Greats) while the Topps Heritage was pulled from my 5-box break. All of the Action Image variations in 2017 Heritage were parallel to short-printed singles - except this one.

The rest of my Kershaw singles. Someday I'll get an oversized version of the '91-style Archives card. Perhaps that day will be Monday. ;)

Fernando Valenzuela pitched Saturday. Not scheduled to pitch till Wednesday. 

Some Dodgers cards I saved from the eBay mystery box. I'm probably keeping about 200 cards and the rest of the 4,000 or so will be available for trade packages and/or contest prizes. 

This was the guaranteed relic in a Fairfield repack I bought a couple years ago. Sure could do worse than Shawn Green.

Refractor faves. I think I got the Nomar on COMC, though it might have come in a trade. The Starling Heredia was the only 'hit' in one of a handful of Bowman packs I bought from Target.

This Rick Rhoden also came from a pack I bought at Target; there was one original Topps card (not a stamped buyback) in packs of 2008 Topps I found in the discount bin a couple years later. Bill Bene was the one card missing from Pop's 1989 set build; he used to tell me how that card always eluded him until he found three copies at a nearby card shop. 

Raul Mondesi was my high school best friend's favorite player (he used to call Mike Piazza "Michael Pizza Paya") Paul LoDuca is the baseball representative of my 'Debtor Hall of Shame'. Glenn Burke invented the high-five..or so the legend goes. 

Dodgers card I'd like to own: This 2009 O-Pee-Chee checklist card depicting Dodger Stadium.

I've been to Fenway Park, old Yankee Stadium, new Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, the Skydome, and Wrigley Field. But the one ballpark on my 'bucket list' is Chavez Ravine.

Favorite Dodgers player (all-time) : Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider (Jackie Robinson never played in L.A.)

Favorite Dodgers player (current) : Clayton Kershaw

Next tour stop: The rest of L.A.'s sports teams


Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for reading!

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