The Pursuit of Organization

The monthly card show was today, but I was not able to attend it. The budget did not allow it, so I spent the weekend watching spring training games on TV (as well as the Bruins and Celtics) and organizing.

Not just cards, mind you. For years I have had a storage space, and just like everyone else, money has become tighter and tighter. I work two jobs (sometimes both the same day), and since one of them is a retail job, the hours and how many hours I get per week will vary. Some weeks I've had sixty hours between the two jobs. Some weeks I barely make forty.  My day job is full time, so I do have health insurance. But each year it costs more and more for less and less.

It was not a heated space, so everything was in plastic bins which I stacked as high as they would go. Well, about a year ago I decided that I was tired of paying the $90 a month for the space so I began paring it down to a more manageable level. What I quickly realized is that I apparently had not thrown away anything since 1987.

I kept books I would never read again, papers I would never need again....and the magazines! Billboard, Hit Parader, Playstation, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated...bins and bins of them! And baseball card magazines! Yes, bins of those too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you published a magazine about baseball cards, I bought it...and saved it.

However, I have since thrown out the majority of them. I kept a few of the older ones for sentimental reasons, and how else could I be reminded that I could have bought 100 Gregg Jefferies 1988 Donruss cards for $250?

Or that 100 Mark Grace cards would have set you back $200?

I never understood that. There is way too much risk involved for me. The only time I bought a significant amount of one card (it was nowhere near 100 cards though) was the '91 - '92 Upper Deck Hockey Gilbert Dionne.

Who is Gilbert Dionne you may ask?

Exactly. That's why I don't do that sort of thing.

I also had a lot of these:

 

 

I had a lot of football, basketball, baseball and a couple of hockey ones. These were big in the late 80's - early 90's, but there is very little interest in them now. I sold most of them at a yard sale for $1 a piece.

So for the past year or so it has looked like we were just moving in. Bins and bins everywhere. Believe it or not, this January I was able to stop paying for the storage space and move just about everything into the spare bedroom. It's a little cramped due a few bins still being in the kitchen and living room, but at least now I"m not spending money for storage or for gas to get down there.

I did sort some cards during the Red Sox spring training victory today against the Rays. The Red Sox pitchers actually had a perfect game for 8 1/3 innings, although I don't think a lot of people realized it. I didn't until it was mentioned in the ninth inning.

Everything I sorted was from the "junk wax" era. No hits here.

Some examples:

 

 

1992 Fleer Ultra. I really like this set, however I like the 1993 set better.

1992 Pinnacle. Another "worthless" set I enjoy.

 

 

I have no idea how I got this or even if I have any more. It goes with the Panini '92 Baseball album which I do not have...yet.

Finally something I didn't buy very much of, 1992 Triple Play. It wasn't because I didn't like the set, it just ended up that way. I would buy another box if it was cheap enough.

I tell you when I'm finished with all of this there is going one hell of a party. Cheap beer and 1990 Topps for everyone!

So here's to life, liberty and the pursuit of organization.