30 Minutes At The Card Show: Part 2 SPxtastic

Have you ever been to a card show and by the time you get home, ask yourself, "Self, why didn't you buy those cards?"  Usually the answer is I don't need it or I didn't really want it or most commonly, that dealer wants 10 times the price I would pay online.  However, last month I left behind a stack of cards in a quarter box which made no sense to me.

Thinking I was going to miss this show, I was concerned in two months' time the cards I wanted would be gone.  Of course, to think that cards from a quarter box would be gone, especially hockey cards is a critical failure in understanding the marketplace.

Rounding the corner from my initial purchase, I breeze past the selection of overpriced vintage cards where I occasionally find a card of interest, but in a hurry, have no time to gamble on such an occurrence happening.  Finally, walking past the binders, I reach the quarter boxes, which to my surprise are also five cards for $1 as well.  Looking at the box, I immediately see the die-cut shapes are still there.



See, last month I saw these die-cut cards, covered in holograms and walk away.  This time, I purchase 18 1996-1997 SPx cards, though due to rushing and a complete inability to order 18 cards, purchase two Kariyas and Tkachuks, leaving me 34 cards short of completing the set, which as you probably guessed created another set of cards on my want list.  I also picked up the below regular Paul Coffey SP card as well, though I couldn't find a 20th card I wanted for no additional cost, which is better for my boxes, but not for my need to make the most of every quarter. 



The cards themselves are fine, though it did show me I need to clean my scanner.  With these cards purchased, I was all but ready to leave, but my regular dealer awaited, where I of course, made more purchases, but that will have to wait until Part 3. 

Combined Shipping: The Beginning

Last week, I placed some 2012 Topps Archives Short Prints in my watchlist. I've been on the fence about collecting this set, as I genuinely like the cards and find most of the players in the short print set quite interesting as their careers basically dovetail with the time I followed baseball most intently. 

The auction started at $0.01 with a shipping charge of $2.99. With no one else bidding, I picked up 7 short prints (2 Bake McBrides unfortunately) for $3.00. Below are some of the fine short prints I added to my set.



Of course, having won such a low cost auction and noticing that other eBay victories would only require an additional $0.50 shipping for each additional item, I clicked that taunting link of See Other Items.  Not content to let my singular purchase go as is, when I, the well-reasoned and intended buyer can lower his overall total costs by purchasing other, low-cost items I might be interested in, especially with the shipping barrier significantly lowered. 

Armed with a mouse and willingness to purchase lots of cards on the cheap, I began bidding with heart, with gusto, with alarming regularity.  Taking a purchase of just 7 cards, I ended up with nearly 70 cards in my final order.  I also ended up with a new set quest, which I had no intention of completing.  The Brendan Shanahan below is my third 2012 Goodwin Champions Hockey Relic.  Since it was less than a dollar before shipping, it was an easy purchase.  Which has led to other easy purchases, which I will show off during the next few weeks. 



Combined shipping, you are an evil mistress.