A Most #1derful Pull: A Local Card Store Story

After much searching, I think I may have found a local card store I like.  I left work on time today and headed over to Attack of the Baseball Cards in Union.  Braving the horrors of driving Route 22 in rush hour, I arrived at the store ready to buy cards and given most of the card stores in the area, be disappointed.  I ended up buying cards, but was not disappointed.



Looking through the cases, I found the above card, a T206 Kaiser Wilhelm Hands At Chest.  Even though I already had a Wilhelm Hands at Chest (actually, I have all of the Dodgers in the set), the card was in the price range where I buy the T206 regardless of previous ownership.  As to the Kaiser himself, Wilhelm might be the worst player to ever have two cards in a set.  Aside from 1908, where Wilhelm had a sparkling 1.87 ERA, Wilhelm was generally a below average pitcher in his career, including going 3-23 in 1905, leading to two years in the minor leagues.  Given his pitching skill, it might have made sense to call him Kaiser even without the matching last name, as his stats belied the withered arm of his namesake. 

This card alone would have been worth the trip to the card store by itself.  However, from there the trip gets even better.  Seeing a hobby box of 2012 Topps WWE cards in a pristine, undisturbed state, I decide to purchase four packs to try and fill in some of the holes in my base set.  In this respect, the cards were a bust, as I started the day needing 13 base cards and ended the day needing 13 base cards.  Fortunately, there are more than just base cards in packs, like the "Wonderful" card below.



I've never pulled an autograph from a pack of cards before, nor have I pulled a card where the odds were 1:111.  On average, there are about two Hall of Famer autographs per case or one every five boxes.  Given the checklist of stars, pulling an Orndorff alone would be the second best pull I could ask for, just below Tully Blanchard and just above Harley Race.  However, look at that signature.  Orndorff actually signs his name "Mr. #1derful".  I've never seen a cooler or more impressive signature in my life.  It works.  If I sign something like that, I'm a jerk and probably a word even worse than that.  However, if you are the master of the piledriver and worked Hulk Hogan, that is above awesome.  Pulling that in the first pack was great.  In the second pack, I pulled one of the other two box hits as well.



The gold cards come one per box and while Rosa Mendes is not the most famous of WWE superstars, I still did beat the odds on the four packs I bought.  The gold bordering looks a lot better in person and really shines.  Even without considering the great pulls, I really enjoyed the store, as it was clean, well-organized and the owner failed to either patronize me or blame me for his ills.  In fact, the owner was actually helpful, which might be a first in a card store.  In all, it was a #1derful experience.