1967 TOPPS SHAW/SUTHERLAND #587 PSA 8



Well, would you look at that...

A couple of weeks ago, I landed one of the cards near the top of my want list, at the Chantilly show down here in NOVA.

The amount and quality of vintage graded material seems to have increased at this show over the course of the last couple of years.

You've always had your big dogs with their big dollar cards at the front of the hall, but I'm finding a better selection at some of the smaller tables along the side streets and alleyways.

And as much as I hate to sully this blog with price-taggery, I also have to report that I was very happy with the deal I got on this card.

The particular dealer from whom I purchased it had a nice array of '66 and '67 high numbers, many in PSA 8 or equivalent condition. The slabs were priced prominently and clearly with a round white sticker.

My eyes fixed immediately on the Shaw/Sutherland and another '67 high number, each of which carried a $40 price tag. Now, having been a longtime eBay groupie for the Shaw/Sutherland specifically, I was thrilled-- more often than not, specimens in this condition will close in the $80-$100 range.

So I presented both cards to the person manning the table, and asked “What can you do on these?”

He was apparently just watching the booth while the real dealer was off making a deal with someone else, so he walked away. “I'll be right back.”

A couple of minutes later, he rounded a corner, and our eyes met. “$65 for both?” he asked.

Well, needless to say, I quick-drew my wallet and handed him $70. He returned the cards and a $5 bill.

And I put this up for auction the very next day...

1975 HOSTESS BUD HARRELSON #45 PSA 10





Please sir, can I have some more?

Another round of food, glorious food for you this week.

Back in the mid '70s, Hostess began printing three-card strips on the box bottoms of their various snack cakes. So if you took home some tasty Twinkies, Ho-Hos, or cream-filled CupCakes, you might be lucky enough to score a panel of, say, Garry Maddox/Carlos May/Bud Harrelson.

And if you were anything like me, your tween scissor skills were kind of erratic, and you probably ended up slicing a long gash through Bud's primo porn-star stache.

Fortunately for posterity, the card-collecting hobby was well-formed enough at this point that folks would break down the boxes and save the package flats intact.

Then at some future date, someone would cut out singles with laser-like precision, leaving us with gem-mint 10 examples such as this one.

Topps supplied the photos for these cards, but it seems pretty clear that they mostly went with their second-tier portrait shots, like this one of Bud pretending he's a left-handed hitter.

The card backs contain a five-year run of stats, a basic biography, and full player names. I'm looking at you, Derrel McKinley Harrelson.

All in all, the set is more gruel than foie gras, but we hungry orphans of the '70s knew better than to be picky, and I'm happy to have it in my collection today...