The Starting Nine.

     It would figure that I would start a blog and my main computer would immediately crap out on me.  Am I gonna let that rather nasty foreboding sign stop me?  Not on your tintype, sister! Ok, enough yakity yak, what am I driving at?  Well, I have worked hard to get the bulk of my collection down to nine card pages.  As a hopeless completest, I used to have to HAVE TO have all the cards.  Now, I try to narrow it down to the essence of a player.  I once had over 300 Dennis Eckersley cards, now he is represented in my Hall of Fame book by these nine:


These aren't the only nine Eck cards I own, but I think these nine represent him well.

As most of you do, I have/had far far too much from the junk era:

Being a Mets fan, I have a soft spot for the Doctor.  I have a whole binder full of identical nine card pages.  I call it "All work and no play..."
(and just for gits and shiggles, here's another just for Night Owl - minis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)



I have each annual Topps set represented by a nine card page:

I once meticulously built an entire master set of 1969 Topps and sold it years ago to pay the rent.  So sad to even think about...let's move on...

from 2006-09 I bought some of EVERYTHING.  I had that kind of disposible income.  Now, my disposable income being disposed of, I buy a pack or two and make a page:

Sometimes I just collect odd cards here and there and slowly put them together:


Other times, I dive into the dime boxes at shows and put together a page:

I am a dime box connoisseur.

Speaking of food, one of my minor obsessions is food issues:



I also can integrate other things into the pages, like my rare forays into TTM autographs.  Pat Neshek is a classic signer through the mail with an epic signature:


And lastly, like most of you, I love the shiny. OOooooooo....shiny...


This page includes an example of one of the cornerstones of my collection, which I will cover later this week.  You won't guess unless you know exactly what the hell I am talking about, I just like to be a little cryptic and keep my audience riveted.