Flea Market Finds: Oops, I Did it Again Edition

This weekend got off to a pretty lame start.  Saturday morning, we headed up to the local flea market I've been raving about in recent weeks.  I had a card on hold from two weekends ago, and was looking forward to digging through a few more boxes.

I have no clue what was up, but more than half of the indoor vendors weren't there, including Ken, my card guy.  Just...tarps or fences over their stalls, and not a face in sight.  It was confusing since my last trip there was on a Saturday, and there was a pretty good crowd.  Kate and I walked around trying to find anything that caught our eye, but we both walked out empty handed.  I'm glad we drove a mile up the road.  Anything more, and I'd have been a little ticked off.

But I woke up this morning needing my fix.  I rolled over to Kate and asked if she wanted to drive to the flea market south of Pittsburgh.  It was a little bit of a risk - it's about an hour away, and being early in the season there wouldn't be as many vendors as peak season.  But off we went.

 We had cash, but Kate suggested we stop and get a little more out.  I was planning on keeping my budget tight, but in these circumstances it never hurts to be safe in case you find a big score.

And...you know how this one goes.  Things started slow.  I walked through 5 of the 6 rows, and had come up with nothing more than these two awesome 90's snapbacks for $3 each.  The Devil Rays hat will be perfect with the D'Rays jersey I wore to the National last year.  And while I don't have any real affinity for the Tigers (or the fashion fad of "vintage" hats...I'm just a uniform nerd), this is by far the coolest cap the Tigers have worn.

 But the big score came in the final row.  There's a vendor at this flea market who always has large stacks of jerseys for sale.  He always has a wide selection of teams, and lots of unique jerseys.  As best as I can tell, they're all legit - no China knockoffs like many flea markets.  Just old jerseys and dealer samples.  I've looked countless times, but never saw anything that caught my eye enough to buy.

But that changed when I saw this 1999 American League All-Star game jersey right near the bottom of the pile.  At first, I couldn't believe it.  Regular blog readers know Dime Box Nick and I are trying to spread the gospel of Turn Ahead the Clock jerseys to the masses.  And while the TAHTC nights get most of the love, design elements from those jerseys crept into the All-Star jersey in 1999, including rotated league names on the front and the same treatment for player names on the back.

This jersey is blank backed, unfortunately.  But it's a thing of beauty from the late 90's - telling the future and the non-future.  The vest style of this jersey was pretty much absent from the game at the time - I think the Reds wore one at this time - but would become a short lived fad over the next few years.  The sideways team nameplates?  Not so much.

 But I'm a bundler.  As much as I loved the ASG jersey, I wasn't ready to pay $30 outright for it.  And right at the top of my jersey want list for the longest time has been a teal Marlins jersey.  The Marlins were my second team from the day they started playing to the day they went all art deco and broke my heart.  So much so that I actually decided over Easter weekend to start a second (and far less intense) team collection of the Fish.

This jersey was the perfect size.  There are some loose threads on the nameplate, but I should be able to snip those.  I'm not sure if this style was ever officially worn - the Marlins wore a teal warmup jersey, but all the photos I've seen had a black team name - but I'm still very happy with the pickup.  And...bundling!

 But I wasn't done yet!  The vendor - Bob - had a stack of old baseball gloves.  I just had to ask.  They were all store models, but had some nice wear.  Vintage gloves are the one area of baseball memorabilia that I know next to nothing about.  But I was feeling impulsive.

They had a great look, and I figured could make for a nice display piece with all my other game used items at some point.  There were some nice fielder gloves, but I've always had an appreciation for catcher hardware.  My dad was a catcher, and with his birthday coming up in June, this Roy Campanella model glove just screamed out to me.  His favorite player was Yogi Berra, and Campy may have been just a little before his time, but I hope he gets a kick out of it.

 More importantly, quantity makes all the difference in bundling.  The original quoted price on the glove was $30.  But my bundling powers were in full force.  For those counting at home, individually, the three items were priced at $30 each for a grand total of $90.

 And just for the record, this is what I go through to share my pickups with you.  Waldo felt the need to walk over and lay down on each and every item I laid out to photograph.  It's a hard knock life.

 There were a stack of well worn bats, and I asked if any were game used.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that two were - a Gary Redus and Ronny Paulino.  I usually stick to game worn jerseys, but bats always make for nice display pieces.  I had checked in on the bats when I first got to the table, and the price was $40 each.  But with my bundling Jedi powers in full force, I wasn't leaving without a bat.  I decided on the Redus - it showed better wear, and I just love the Louisville Sluggers with the stamped signature.  And I'd imagine bats from early 90's Pirates teams are in relatively shorter supply.

 I think the bat came from the 1988 season.  The handle has 21 written on it, which was Redus' number with the White Sox before a mid-season trade to the Pirates, where he took number 19.  His time in Chicago was the only point he wore number 21 in the majors, and would make sense with Bob's story that the bat came from a Pirates clubhouse attendant.  I'd imagine Redus finished off his supply of bats before ordering a fresh crop for 1989.

I felt pretty good that I had enough leverage to haggle.  I know the usual flea market shoppers, and had a pretty good idea of what kind of merchandise Bob is able to turn over and what sits.  His football jersey supply was different every time I've been there, but many of the baseball jerseys were the same ones I had seen early last summer.  And the fact that the gamer bats were sitting alongside ones little Timmy used in his back yard probably meant there wasn't any great financial or sentimental attachment.

So sticker price?  $130.  But I knew there was no way I was paying that.  Bob shot me a number of $95.  I countered at $85, and was a little surprised when he said that sounded good.  More than I had planned on spending?  Definitely.  But apparently Kate knows my collecting habits better than I do.  As I tried to gently explain why all these items were such a great deal, she cooly cut me off and said, "It's fine.  Why do you think I stopped at the ATM?  You always end up finding something."  Guess I've got myself a keeper.

Anybody familiar with old player model gloves?  I was a little surprised to be unable to find a match to the Campy glove on ebay or elsewhere online.  It's a Wilson model A2400 with some kind of interlocking webbing.  I'd imagine it's from the 50's or early 60's, but that's purely a guess.  If anyone knows of any resources or guides for glove collecting, I'd love to hear about them.  The last thing I need is another thing to collect...but...man, this glove is cool.  I can't wait to see my dad's face when I show it to him.

A Little Postseason Magic

I finally got the urge to watch the NL Wild Card game yesterday.  The Pirates post-season run, though disappointing, was by far the most magical point of my baseball watching life.  And nothing could top the excitement of the Wild Card game. 

It's been months since the game, and I finally decided it was time to watch the broadcast.  You see - I was at the game, sitting directly below the press box with a fantastic view of the field.  But ever since the game I've been waiting to watch the national tv broadcast - to see if the energy in the crowd and the thunderous Cueto chants were picked up by the tv cameras.

Unfortunately Pirate postseason memorabilia is fairly few and far between, unless you wanted to $20 tshirt with the post season logo or some not so catchy saying.  

I was doing my semi-regular game used jersey search on ebay a few months ago.   There were a good number of 2014 gamers listed, but mostly for coaches or players who were called up for a brief period.  In short - jerseys that probably had little to no actual game use.  But one jersey caught my eye.  Jeff Karstens didn't pitch all season in 2013, though he did spend a lot of time looking goofy in the dugout.  

But it wasn't the name on the back that caught my eye.  It was what was on the side of the sleeve.

I couldn't get to that BIN fast enough.  Even if it was only game-issued, the number of playoff jerseys out there is incredibly limited.  And of those, most were auctioned off at prices that I would frankly never pay.  

I can't recall if Karstens was in the dugout during the playoffs, but if he was this was certainly the jersey he would have on if he was wearing one.  If not, the postseason patch still makes this an amazing piece of Pirates history.

My game used collection has grown significantly over the last few years.  I always told myself that I would only buy jerseys that I knew were game worn - not just game issued.  But this was a rare case that seemed like it could be a once in a lifetime chance.  Of the other playoff jerseys, only the Pedro Alvarez and Jason Grilli have surfaced online, and both are listed at insane prices.

For now, this guy is going to stay bagged away.  But I can guarantee this will be one of the first pieces to be put out when the day finally comes when I have a house and mancave of my own.  Besides, what color looks better than black in Buctober?

Game Used Gold

 My collecting habits have tailed off across the board of late.  But one of my favorite elements of my growing collection has been my array of game-worn jerseys.  I've largely focused on more unique pieces - throwback jerseys, commemorative patches, Jackie Robinson Day.

But a trip to the flea market last weekend caused me to stretch my collecting scope a bit broader.  While digging through a dime cards of one vendor I regularly buy from, I ran into a box right in front of me.  A sheet of paper on top said Pirate Jerseys - $30.

I quickly took a glance at the box, expecting to find some China knockoff jerseys or at best some jerseys of guys who left Pittsburgh that the vendor was able to score on clearance elsewhere.  I was quite surprised to find a box full of Spring Training jerseys complete with MLB hologram and decent signs of use.

I flipped through the box, but no players stood.  Lots of non-roster Spring cannon fodder - Brandon Boggs, Rick Vandenhurk, Logan Kensing.  I already have more stuff than I can display, so I figured best to just get my $5 in dime cards and be on my way.

And I did, all the way to the parking lot.  Until I made an abrupt U-turn.  These gold ST jerseys are by far one of my favorites from recent memory.  They only lasted for a couple seasons before being phased out by a black on black abomination this year.  For a mere $30 I'd be kicking myself for passing on these jerseys somewhere down the road.

Another dig through the box found the best of the bunch - Jeff Clement, who appeared in 23 games for the Bucs in 2012 late in the year.  And heck, he's only one letter off from a much more famous Pirate.  But the icing on the cake?  Clement came to the Bucs as part of the Jack Wilson trade with the Mariners, so there's a semi-valid connection there.

One jersey closer to acquiring an example of every jersey style the Bucs have worn during my lifetime.  And still a long, long way to go.

How's This for a Relic? (Throwback Tuesday Style)

It seems that my large purchases always seem to pile up around this time of year.  I don't know if it's spring cleaning, strange timing, or what.  Heck, in the past week alone two 2003 Jack Wilson autographs I didn't have popped up on ebay, one /50 and one /25.  I have never seen a copy of either card surface online or at a show since 2004, yet here they both were from different sellers.  Fortunately both are now en route to my mailbox.

But this post is about something that's a little large for the mailbox.

I've written on more than one occasion that relic cards just don't really interest me, except to check another card off my master checklist.  If I can get them in the $1 range, great.  But they aren't something I go out of my way for.  And a large part of that has to do with my growing (full sized) game used collection.

I may never own a Arky Vaughn bat or Andrew McCutchen jersey.  But lower tiers of players are definitely in play.  Even for guys named McCutchen.

I've written about how much I love the Pirates mix and match late 70's style jerseys.  The black top is probably my least favorite of the three, but when popped up for auction at a reasonable price, it was too good to pass up.

Of course this isn't an authentic 70's jersey (those are a bit out of my price range), but rather a throwback that the team wore in 2011 during a series in Oakland.

And it may not be Andrew, but it just so happens to be from the next best McCutchen.


Unfortunately I just got the jersey, though the full uniform looks fantastic.

It goes nicely with the 70's pinstripe throwback I added a few months back.

Now I just need to find a gold jersey to complete the retro "set."

Turn Back the Clock Tuesday

I'm still behind on scanning some new additions, but in the mean time here is a recent non-card pickup that instantly became one of my favorite pieces in my collection.

I've been slowly expanding my collection to include more game used items, and at the top of my wantlist have been the various styles of turn back the clock jerseys the Pirates have worn over the past few years.  The Pirates wore this jersey in the Sept. 9, 2009 game at PNC Park against the Reds, who also wore their late 70's style gray pullovers.

Cedeno started at shortstop in the game, though he put up an unimpressive 0-4 statline with one K.

The jersey is an example of the late 70's mix-and-match jerseys, and thought the Pirates have also worn both the black and yellow tops in TBTC games in recent years, the pinstriped is by far my favorite.  To date, the Pirates have only worn the pinstriped tops twice, in the 2009 game and previously in 2004.

Though Cedeno wasn't a player I was particularly fond of, both because of his inconsistent play and the fact that he replaced my all-time favorite player, Jack Wilson, at shortstop.  Still, this jersey is a rare piece, and looks amazing in person.  I haven't been able to find a photo of Cedeno from, but hopefully I can track one down soon.