Monday, September 5, 2011

Baseball and Tribe Memorabilia - Thank you Good Will and Half-Priced Books

My wife and I both know we should never go there. Aisle after aisle lined with items we want to take home with us. Most are such a bargain it's hard to pass up anything. But it's so darn easy to get carried away ! If you've never been there, BEWARE ! At least, if you like books.


Half-Price Books !


We walk in and the big sign hits us.


Labor Day sale - 20% off everything.


Well, that can be good or bad.We'll either save 20% or buy 20% more than we would have.

Now I stand, drooling, in front of the baseball book section. Looking up and down at all the titles I'd like to have in my bookcase at home. Then reality sets in and this is what I ended up buying.

Mint Condition

This is a relatively new book. Copyright 2010 by Dave Jamieson. Dave is an award winning author, Livingston Award for Young Journalists and Sidney Hillman Foundation's Sidney Award. He has written for the Washington Post and other papers. He was also a baseball card collector as a young boy in the late 80's. He rediscovered his cards in 2006 and couldn't wait to cash them in. After all, they should be worth a fortune by now, right ?

We all know the answer to that. So he went on to try and figure out what happened to the hobby while he was gone. This was all in the introduction. The first chapter starts with tobacco cards. That's where I will resume reading later tonight.



Indians on the Game

This 140 page paperback is chock full of questions about all aspects of baseball. Hitting, pitching, running, being on the road, families and about 35 other categories. The answers come mostly from Cleveland Indian ball players, past and present. At least up to 2001 when it was published.It should be very interesting.

Curses !

Foiled again ! Especially after today's loss to Detroit. This book is pretty self explanatory. It may be pretty painful to read.

Autumn Glory

History of the game. That's what I really like ! Published in 2003, Autumn Glory tells the story of the first World Series games between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans in 1903. Can't wait to get started on this.


$14.00 so far, before the 20% off.


Now to Good Will !



Indians Illustrated

My wife actually found this book on one of the carts full of items waiting to be put out on the shelves. I saved one worker the time of putting this on the shelf in the book section. $6.00. Half Price Books had two copies @ $14.95. Thank you very much wifey dear !

This is a large format book. Approximately 11" x 10" and just over 200 pages with 240 BW photos in chronological order from a 1904 team photo to the Alomar brothers. This book has some incredible photos and I may have to do a separate post on it alone.



Ya Gotta' Believe

I know, I know, this isn't Tribe related. When it comes to books I read anything related to baseball. This should be a good read also. There is a pretty good story here. The cost : 4 bits ! This was in a marked down area for just 50 cents !



Next I picked up a couple of Norman Rockwell prints. There again, not Tribe related, but very rich in history. I love all of his work. Who couldn't?


But I can't see if I put that mask on !!


The old guy was a sucker for a slider on the outside corner !




The last two items were stadium give-a-ways but I was too old. My wife tried to tell them I was really just a big kid but they wouldn't buy it !





This was just a generic fielders mitt.




This was the one I really wanted !

A Victor Martinez catcher's mitt !







Well, that pretty much sums it up for this time.

I make weekly stops at three local Good Will stores searching more treasures !

3 comments:

  1. Wowee, wow, wow! Man, that totally rocks!! Man, talk about the jackpot!

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  2. I read "Mint Condition" this past spring just as I was getting back into collecting again. Let's just say it fueled me to start again. I enjoyed it greatly. I'm sure you will as well.

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  3. Jeff - I've read a couple chapters and it's hard to put down,
    kind of like "The Card".

    ReplyDelete