Christmas v2015 - More love in cardboard fashion

My wife loves me.  Or maybe she loves that I'm not frivolously spending money at Draft Kings laying $150 to win $2.  Either way, I'll take it.  For the record, I'd bet my heart and not my brain when it comes to fantasy football or any other sport for that matter.  Last year, she surprised the living bejesus out of me by buying me a couple of 1951 Topps Blue Back cards for Christmas.  Numbers 8 and 18.  If you look down a few posts, you'll get a glimpse of them.  You won't have to scroll for long as I'm not a frequent flyer when it comes to posting on my blog.  Anywho, I was floored.  Who wouldn't be, right?  If you were the fly on the wall in any conversation between she and I about my obsession of baseball cards, not to count the ever aging hockey card collection that hasn't been touched in 15 years, you'd never think she would actively participate in adding to the madness.

She did and now another year has passed and I'm curious what she worked on this year.  I'm not one to lay down 20 items on a list.  If I want it, I buy it.  So I look to Christmas as whatever I get, is good.  Shirts, Ties, Socks, whatever.  But I also drop hints on a few items that wouldn't be bad to get.  For three years, it's been the Topps Update/Chrome Update Retail only box.  This year I rec'd four boxes and have a few cards still needed to complete that set.  Hint, hint.....one tab over from the home page is my extensive and constantly growing list of wants.  By all means, peruse and drop me a message if you want to trade.  I'm always open to trading.  My list is far from complete and as time goes by, it will grow.  95% of everything on the list has doubles for trade so don't be shy.

Back to the gift giving.  The wife and I are usually last, as I suspect is the case in most houses after the kids have ripped through everything.  I get her some items that she wanted and some that she had no idea she wanted.  I believe I did good again this year.  She can attest to that though.  I start opening my gifts.  Most of the boxes are shoebox size.  Nothing that screams baseball cards but again, that's ok.  I rip open the wrapping to find another box inside, and then another and another.  I get down to my first gift and it's a 1976 Cincinnati Reds Team unmarked checklist.  That was the last card I needed for that set.  Happy for that.  Complete now fills that slot.  Next box, same thing.  Open box, another box, repeat.  I do this about 5 more times and low and behold, the last five cards needed to close out my 1979 set.  I'm liking the trend.

Next box is a little larger and a lot heavier.  Only one box inside another to find a 2015 Complete Topps set.  I've gone back and forth on complete sets over the years.  I like them but they stay sealed. No reason to open it if I'm collecting through pack ripping, right fellas?  Once I shared that tidbit of news, she was almost disappointed that she got me the set.  Oh well, scratch that off for next year.  Still some really good stuff so far.  So we move on to the next few boxes that come to me.  For reference, she is also opening gifts and it's not just about me tearing into these one right after another.  So my turn again and same event.  One box inside another inside another. Next card that pops out, a 1951 Topps Blue Back.

For what it's worth, I love this set.  I was fortunate enough to find a lot of these for sale and made out by selling the doubles and basically having 40+ cards in my collection for next to nothing.  I doubt that will happen again but I sure would enjoy it if it did next time with some red backs.  A man can dream.

Next box, same occurrence, double the result.  Sorry for the lopsided image but you get the gist. Sheer beauty of 65 year old cardboard.

I'm the kid in the candy store with these cards.  But I still have some boxes left for me.  Can this get any better. Uhhh yep.  I'll take that one all day, every day.  PSA graded and in very nice condition.

 

 

And not to drag this out, the final card.  Even better.  Ex-Mt at 65.  I can only hope I'm graded at VG-EX by that time in my life.

 

 

 

Ok, so to start the day, I only needed six cards to complete this set and she found five of them.  Her goal was to check the box on this 52 card 1951 set but alas, # 51 was not to be found after months of searching.  My dear, you have outdone yourself again and I thank you.  I better start working on some other lists before summer time so you have a few months to close out some other vintage sets on 12/25/16. ;)

 

So to close out...yo Eddie, where you at????  Mr Waitkus, please come to aisle 1 as you have 51 other friends waiting to spend eternity with you.  Where are you Mr Waitkus?  I don't have all day.  Eddie? Eddie?  EDDIE!!!!!!!!!