Have a baseball card that’s been sitting on your want list forever? Everyone does–unless you happen to be independently wealthy or easily pleased.
Many years ago, I came across a nice little stash of 1954 Dixie Lids and decided to build the set. It was never a huge priority, but about a year ago, I got out my long-neglected list and saw I still needed Enos Slaughter and Richie Ashburn to fill out the set.
I found Slaughter pretty quickly online and that left only one to get before I could cross the set off my list for good. Usually that’s when I really get serious.
I can now report that a year’s worth of searching later and I still haven’t found one at a reasonable price. What’s the deal with this card? Anyone?
There are a lot of vintage oddball sets that have some really tough cards. The 1960 Post Cereal "woodgrain" cards are tough, too–I still need Mantle and Killebrew– but even they’re easier to find for me that a ’54 Dixie Lid Slaughter.
What’s the card that seems permanently etched into your list? Let me know and we’ll post them here. Maybe someone can help.
One other note…Chris Nerat, former writer for Sports Collectors Digest (no relation), has started his own sports memorabilia blog (http://www.collectgreenbay.com). Chris has a business buying and selling Packers memorabilia and he’s going to write about that–and the hobby as a whole.
Sorry..make that two other notes: Steve Hart, who runs Baseball Card Exchange, is blogging about his travels in search of unopened sports card packs and collections of cards. It’s always fun to read about a dealer’s constant quest to find inventory and some of the obstacles he runs into. Steve logs thousands of miles a year by land and air and there are few in the hobby who put as much into customer service (http://www.baseballcardexchange.com).
