I just lately realized that I’ve been amassing baseball playing cards for 50 years. Loopy! I’ve been spending a variety of time currently reflecting on my card amassing journey, particularly my early years within the mid- to late- Nineteen Seventies. For me, these had been the times!
I knew card exhibits existed however didn’t know learn how to discover out the place they had been positioned and once they occurred. I first realized about card exhibits in 1976 once I watched the 5 p.m. Chicago information on TV with my mother and we noticed a function story on a card present that had occurred that day. I bear in mind being indignant that my mother didn’t take me there. Her response was that she didn’t find out about it. I used to be decided to study the place and when card exhibits occurred.
Till I may study the places of card exhibits, the pharmacy remained my fundamental supply for acquiring playing cards. I collected all 4 main sports activities.
I quickly found that playing cards had been accessible for buy on the Twin Drive-in Film Theater’s Sunday Flea Market in close by Wheeling, Illinois. My dad was a flea market junky and we went there nearly each Sunday in the summertime. My fundamental focus on the flea market was to search out toys, comedian books and sports activities playing cards then persuade my dad to purchase them for me — which was very troublesome. Dad didn’t like spending cash on me. He normally ended up shopping for me a number of pairs of socks on the flea market that will disintegrate shortly after bringing them house. He additionally crammed up our home with all kinds of junk from the flea market like previous TVs, radios, furnishings, knick knacks and stuff. In the event you wanted one thing in my home, say a baseball bat, a mitt, a motorcycle, a mattress, Dad acquired it on the flea market.
He had this mantra to by no means pay retail which I believe he realized as a child on Maxwell Avenue in Chicago. The Maxwell Avenue Market opened within the mid-1800’s on Chicago’s close to West Facet. It was an open-air market, created by Jewish immigrants from Jap Europe and mirrored the markets from the motherland. I think someday within the 1940’s, my dad frequently attended the Maxwell Avenue Market. By the 1950’s, he was organising there each Sunday, promoting odds and ends from his grandfather’s electrical provide store positioned on the close to Northwest Facet of Chicago.
As a toddler of the Despair, he grew up frugal and remained very tight together with his cash once I was rising up. Me, however, didn’t perceive cash and needed to purchase something and all the pieces — particularly sports activities playing cards.
I do know I talked about this earlier than, however I will inform it once more. The primary time I ever noticed a card older than 1968 was on the Twin Flea Market — this was across the 12 months 1977. An previous man was promoting 1955 Topps for 50-cents every. I needed them like I by no means needed the rest in my younger life. I begged my dad to purchase me some.
For dad, shopping for something on the flea market was a sport, even a 50-cent sports activities card. The sport started as I stood nervously by. Dad defined to the previous man that the playing cards had been value solely 10 cents and he was extraordinarily overpriced at 50 cents. I fearful I might not get a kind of 1955 Topps. It was so painful to observe the sport. I simply needed some playing cards!
Ultimately, dad acquired me two playing cards; I believe a Ron Jackson and a Jim Finigan. I do not bear in mind what he paid however I’m certain it was lower than one greenback. Nonetheless, earlier than he handed me the playing cards, he demanded that the previous man give me a plastic web page to retailer them. I needed to wait even longer to obtain the playing cards as dad and the previous man argued over the plastic web page. I believe I misplaced a number of kilos throughout this painfully lengthy negotiation for what I thought of the holy grail. As soon as in my arms, I shortly forgot in regards to the torturous means of acquiring the playing cards. On that heat summer season day in 1977, I held, what I believed was the good factor recognized to mankind — two 1955 Topps frequent playing cards. I used to be decided to get extra!
As 11-year-old me walked the dusty rows of the previous Twin Flea Market, the reply to my cash woes stared me proper within the face. I’m fairly certain even a lightbulb popped over my head.
I satisfied dad to let me arrange on the Twin Drive-in Flea Market so I may earn some cash to purchase sports activities playing cards. It actually didn’t take a lot convincing; he was on board the minute I made the suggestion. Earlier than lengthy, we had been reliving his days on Maxwell Avenue. We discovered a bunch of previous card tables round the home and went by the lots of junk we had within the basement and storage, priced all of it, loaded it into the station wagon and started organising on the flea market each Sunday.
I simply needed to make some cash to purchase baseball playing cards. For my dad, it was a reawakening of his internal self. It was like he was again on Maxwell Avenue circa 1952. He taught me all kinds of stuff about promoting on the flea market. We priced all the pieces. He got here up with the costs. Then he had a particular method he needed to load the station wagon. As soon as we arrange the tables, he had a particular method he needed all the pieces to be displayed.
As soon as we had been arrange and the lots walked the gravel aisle in entrance of our tables, he shouted at everybody like he was again on Maxwell Avenue, lured them over and satisfied them they wanted our junk. It was exceptional, actually. We bought all kinds of damaged, filthy, outdated junk. We quickly ran out of stock, so, he began setting me up within the morning, left me on the desk alone, then walked the flea market to purchase us extra stuff. He was an outstanding salesman and an excellent higher negotiator. He’d come again each hour or so with a field of stuff for me to promote at greater than double for what he bought it for.
The very best a part of organising on the flea market with dad, was to witness what I name “the trumpet hustle.” As a child, dad realized to play trumpet from famed Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Dad was an excellent trumpet participant however as Dizzy informed him, he could not riff, however nonetheless technically nice.
Again on the flea market, dad would purchase a damaged trumpet for a couple of bucks, take it house, repair it up, change all the key elements, and convey it again to the flea market the next Sunday. Usually these trumpets didn’t appear to be a lot. They had been dinged and discolored. He would put one out every Sunday on the desk and I might look forward to the present to start.
The curtains opened when somebody would ask him if the trumpet labored.
“Sure, it really works. Let me present you,” he would say like he was Ray Charles within the “Blues Brothers” film.
He would stroll round to the entrance of the desk, choose up the trumpet, dramatically shake out his arms, loudly press the valves that he just lately oiled, then put that factor to his lips and probably the most stunning sound would seem. Everybody round stopped of their tracks. Earlier than lengthy, a crowd would collect round our desk and take heed to dad play. He would then promote that trumpet he bought for 5 bucks for fifty to a 100-dollar revenue. He’d take the cash from the client. Give me a wink then go off to search out one other damaged trumpet. He did this each Sunday. It was a sight to behold.
He would clarify to me that you simply gotta purchase low and promote excessive. Certain, all nice in idea however he had this present, I didn’t. Apart from, I simply needed to earn just a little cash to go purchase some playing cards!
Fortunately for me, there have been a dozen or so guys promoting classic playing cards every Sunday on the Twin Flea Market within the 1970’s. With cash in my pockets, I bought a ton of playing cards every Sunday. I went again to the previous man with the 1955 Topps and purchased a ton of stuff from him. We quickly turned pleasant and he taught me learn how to promote playing cards on the flea market. By age 12, I had procured a big stock of classic playing cards however had no concept learn how to value them — there was no Beckett, no web, no technique to value playing cards, or so I assumed.
The previous man pulled out a replica of Sports activities Collectors Digest and handed it to me. I marveled in any respect the advertisements for playing cards. In these days, Sports activities Collectors Digest was like a thick e-book crammed with treasure. The previous man would choose up a card from his desk, say a 1958 Topps Willie Mays, then present me all of the advertisements in SCD for 1958 Topps Willie Mays. The previous man priced his playing cards by the advertisements. The previous man gave me a replica of SCD. I shortly subscribed.
With SCD in hand, I began to refill picture albums of playing cards and priced them by the advertisements in SCD.
I continued to marvel at dad when he would placed on his trumpet present however earlier than lengthy, dad marveled at me, as I began taking up the tables and filling them with picture albums of sports activities playing cards and drew my very own crowds. Quickly we had been competing as to who would earn more money. Dad together with his damaged junk or me with my sports activities playing cards. I began making more cash than he did. He then stopped hanging out on the flea market and would drop me off within the morning, set me up, then come get me within the afternoon and take me house. I liked exhibiting him the wad of money I took in from promoting sports activities playing cards.
The very best a part of all this was that I realized about SCD the place there was a calendar for sports activities card exhibits! Woot! I shortly joined the Chicagoland Sports activities Collectors Affiliation, a bunch that placed on three exhibits a 12 months on the Vacation Inn in Hillside, Illinois.
New downside. Dad was nonetheless not on board with the sports activities playing cards, regardless that he noticed the money I earned every Sunday on the flea market. He wouldn’t take me to the cardboard exhibits nor the cardboard store I found by SCD that was positioned on South Archer Avenue, in Chicago, a good distance from the northern burbs the place we lived.
Properly, I may very well be an annoying %$#@ as a child and irritated dad to loss of life till he relented. First he took me to one of many card exhibits in Hillside — a wonderful affair. I felt like I discovered Valhalla. Dad was simply irritated.
We might be on the present for about quarter-hour earlier than he would ask if I used to be able to go. After all not! As soon as we did depart the present, he would take me to his workplace in Downtown Chicago and I must sit there and take a look at my playing cards for hours till we lastly went house the place I might place my new playing cards of their rightful spot in my picture album. The album was crammed with plastic pages particularly made for sports activities playing cards that I bought on the exhibits and thru advertisements in SCD. I nonetheless have that previous picture album. It holds 1978 Topps soccer playing cards today.
Ultimately, dad would drop me off on the card present within the morning, go to work, then come again for me within the afternoon. These had been a few of the finest days of my life. I would discover myself speaking to Minnie Minoso or Billy Williams who had been signing autographs totally free! I turned pleasant with tons of children on the exhibits. Nobody had transient instances, like the children at present at exhibits. All of us had shoe packing containers.
However similar to the children at present, we’d sit amongst ourselves and purchase and commerce playing cards. I nonetheless have a Joe DiMaggio autograph I purchased from a kind of youngsters for $10 in 1978. I had it authenticated at a present within the 1990’s. I used to be stunned when it got here again legit.
Man, this interest has been enjoyable. I nonetheless have as a lot enjoyable at age 58 with playing cards as I did at age 12. Dad has even come round. At age 87, he nonetheless goes to flea markets, he nonetheless buys trumpets, and even buys playing cards — although, he buys the worst stuff recognized to man. He will not take my recommendation on shopping for playing cards. There most likely is not an individual alive with extra crap playing cards in his storage than dad. Oh nicely. I’m grateful for the time spent with him within the 1970’s on the Twin Flea Market and people previous Hillside Vacation Inn card exhibits. Ultimately, I even satisfied him to take me to the cardboard store on Archer Avenue in Chicago.
I actually miss these days. Not less than I’ve card exhibits to attend at present however flea markets should not the identical. There may be nothing just like the previous Twin Flea Market. I completely liked that place.
The Twin flea market was enormous. I liked wandering round there. Most sellers bought stuff they’d saved away for years of their basements or attics. You may dig by packing containers and pull out absolute treasures. There was no vintage and collectible trade like there may be at present. No value guides. No “comps.” No You-Tube movies telling you learn how to spend money on sports activities playing cards. It was a uncooked and actual time that was extremely enjoyable.
That winter, 1978, dad discovered an indoor flea market on the Axle Curler Rink in close by Niles, Illinois. We began to arrange there. I acknowledged lots of the individuals from the Twin. Extra treasures had been available on the Axle Curler Rink. It was there that I bought my first T206 card, a John McGraw, for simply 5 bucks!
I nonetheless dwell in the identical space the place I grew up and frequently drive by the land the place the Twin as soon as stood and lament its demise. When it closed within the early Nineties, I figured some developer bought it. As I used to be on the point of write this weblog, I did some google analysis on the Twin and realized that the Palwaukee Airport, which was adjoining to the Twin, bought the land to construct some drainage ditches to maintain the runways freed from water which explains why a variety of that land continues to be empty — why cannot a smaller model of the Twin come again?!! There may be loads of room!!
The previous Axle Curler rink is lengthy gone. The constructing stays and now homes a Salvation Military thrift retailer. I certain would like to see that previous indoor flea market come again. I do not know of any indoor flea markets within the space any extra. I certain would love to search out one. My out of doors flea market of alternative today is on the Kenosha County Fairgrounds in Wilmot, Wisconsin. The Wilmot flea market is the closest factor to the previous Twin Flea Market I’ve discovered. Lots of people I do know like Wolf’s Flea Market on the Allstate Area in Rosemont, Illinois. I do not like that one in any respect. Sales space charges are too excessive. Many of the sellers there are “professionals.” You will not discover anybody dumping stuff from their attic. You bought a greater shot on the Wilmot flea market. There may be a variety of previous junk on the Wilmot Flea Market and it has a greater previous timey vibe than Wolf’s. I arrange in Wilmot each summer season. I nonetheless find it irresistible! Fifty years amassing baseball playing cards. Oh my! I’m nonetheless a card junky, a card present junky, and a flea market junky. Some issues for me won’t ever change. Man, if I may do dad’s trumpet hustle, that will be one thing!
This is some pictures I discovered on-line of the Twin:
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