Turning into a kid again...

[Taco John]

So I'm in the checkout at the store picking up some stuff for a camping trip I'm taking. As usual, I'm checking out all the little gadgets and mints and stuff they try to sell you on your way out the door. I usually pick up wintergreen Altoids for my little girl who is addicted to them like crack cocaine. Suddenly my eye catches a pack of football cards with Peyton Manning on the cover. Suddenly I'm warped back in time in my head - I'm a 12 year old standing in front of the pack like a gambler in front of a slot machine. It's a special pack with 40 cards in it, and I'm thinking this gives me 20% on landing a Peyton Manning Denver Broncos card. I haven't bought a pack of cards in almost two decades, but I'm standing there and I can't resist. It was sick how powerless I was.

I bought it. Didn't land a Peyton Manning, but I did nab a Champ Bailey and a Von Miller, so I consider it a win. But the problem is, I'm having gamblers shock right now. I know that If I buy another pack, I've got a good shot. If I buy two packs, I'm looking close to 50/50.

This is going to be a fun season.

[CBF1]

This is how it all starts.... JUNKIE

[Kaylore]

I don't blame you. I have never collected that kind of stuff real seriously. However I do understand the significance considering what's coming.

This season will be historic. It might be good, bad, average, whatever - it will be historic any way it goes. I want to really enjoy it.

[GoHAM]

Originally Posted by Taco John

... Suddenly my eye catches a pack of football cards with Peyton Manning on the cover. Suddenly I'm warped back in time in my head - I'm a 12 year old standing in front of the pack like a gambler in front of a slot machine. It's a special pack with 40 cards in it, and I'm thinking this gives me 20% on landing a Peyton Manning Denver Broncos card. I haven't bought a pack of cards in almost two decades, but I'm standing there and I can't resist. It was sick how powerless I was...

This is going to be a fun season.

Totally took me back to 1985/1986 riding my Huffy BMX Lightning bike down to Silver's Drug Store every time I had $1.00 in my pocket. Buying 2 packs of Topps Football cards ( the ones with the green border and white yard markers around the outside) you know, the ones with the hard, stale stick of bubblegum. I'd buy 2-3 or however many I could afford and ride across the intersection to The Green. I'd find the nearest unoccupied bench or picnic table and rip open the first pack. I'd stuff the hard stick of bubble gum and index through the pack. Total crack high if I got a Bronco, yet oddly disappointed if the player was pictured in the white away jersey. Always hoped for an Elway but never got one that year. Did get a Bo Jackson Rookie card w/ the Raiders.

Man those are some good memories. Help Mrs. Davies next door raking the leaves and earn $2 for a good 2 hours of work, feeling like the king of the world! Just knowing you have essentially 4 unopened packs of Topps Football cards in your pocket. Magical.

[GoHAM]

Also, I'm so glad I have season tickets to witness this memorable season (the only redeeming quality of McKid, his ineptitude cut down my season ticket waiting time by 5 years).

[SouthStndJunkie]

As you get older, anything you can do to rekindle the feelings of childhood should be embraced.

Life gets more hectic and serious as you get older, so it's good to find things that make you feel like a kid again.

When I was kid, I was a baseball and football card junkie and would spend any money I had on cards.

Getting together with your buds to trade cards and try and complete sets was a blast. The rush of opening a pack and getting that hot rookie or players from your team was a rush.

I still collected cards into the late 90s, but by that time, I concentrated on trying to collect every John Elway card made, which was easy in the early days, but by the mid 90s there were so many companies, insert cards, jersey cards, autographed cards etc....that is was impossible to collect them all.

I still have my entire collection, but haven't really looked at them in years.

I bet I have 400 different John Elway cards in albums. I have about 1/3 of a spare room filled to the ceiling with cards.

My most valuable cards are locked up in a safe to keep them from being stolen or damaged.

Mostly baseball and football, but some basketball as well. I was lucky enough to be in a test market when the 1986-1987 Fleer basketball cards were introduced and have a lot of rookie cards, including some Michael Jordan rookies that are worth quite a bit of money. They hadn't made basketball cards for a few years when that set was released, so it was the rookie card for a lot of players.

My John Elway collection is pretty awesome, but the influx of companies and insert cards diluted the market and kind of ruined the nostalgia for me.

If I got back into collecting, I would try and complete all the Denver Broncos card sets from 1960 to the early 90s or mid 90s before the market was saturated.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

I know what you mean. Just one more Matt Cassel card and I can complete my voodoo shrine. Then The Ritual will begin.

[SouthStndJunkie]

Originally Posted by Bob's your Information Minister

I know what you mean. Just one more Matt Cassel card and I can complete my voodoo shrine. Then The Ritual will begin.

I don't have any Matt Cassel cards, but I've got more Bill Kenney cards than Dwayne Bowe has dropped passes.

[driver]

Originally Posted by Bob's your Information Minister

I know what you mean. Just one more Matt Cassel card and I can complete my voodoo shrine. Then The Ritual will begin.

So?
Bob, you're going to start sticking pins in you're Cassel card?

[Vegas_Bronco]

Originally Posted by GoHAM

Totally took me back to 1985/1986 riding my Huffy BMX Lightning bike down to Silver's Drug Store every time I had $1.00 in my pocket. Buying 2 packs of Topps Football cards ( the ones with the green border and white yard markers around the outside) you know, the ones with the hard, stale stick of bubblegum. I'd buy 2-3 or however many I could afford and ride across the intersection to The Green. I'd find the nearest unoccupied bench or picnic table and rip open the first pack. I'd stuff the hard stick of bubble gum and index through the pack. Total crack high if I got a Bronco, yet oddly disappointed if the player was pictured in the white away jersey. Always hoped for an Elway. but never got one that year. Did get a Bo Jackson Rookie card w/ the Raiders.

Man those are some good memories. Help Mrs. Davies next door raking the leaves and earn $2 for a good 2 hours of work, feeling like the king of the world! Just knowing you have essentially 4 unopened packs of Topps Football cards in your pocket. Magical.

I went to california that summer and nike just released the BO KNOWS tee shirts...I was the coolest kid in school for about a week.

I think these cards were dispersed in regions...I had 6 Jerry Rice RCs and could never land that damn Bo Jackson. Awesome times.

[Vegas_Bronco]

Go back TJ...but you cant buy more than 2 packs at a time. Go back. Way back...worth every penny and will definitely make the wife either roll her eyes or laugh which is an added bonus.

[Ray Finkle]

Originally Posted by Taco John

So I'm in the checkout at the store picking up some stuff for a camping trip I'm taking. As usual, I'm checking out all the little gadgets and mints and stuff they try to sell you on your way out the door. I usually pick up wintergreen Altoids for my little girl who is addicted to them like crack cocaine. Suddenly my eye catches a pack of football cards with Peyton Manning on the cover. Suddenly I'm warped back in time in my head - I'm a 12 year old standing in front of the pack like a gambler in front of a slot machine. It's a special pack with 40 cards in it, and I'm thinking this gives me 20% on landing a Peyton Manning Denver Broncos card. I haven't bought a pack of cards in almost two decades, but I'm standing there and I can't resist. It was sick how powerless I was.

I bought it. Didn't land a Peyton Manning, but I did nab a Champ Bailey and a Von Miller, so I consider it a win. But the problem is, I'm having gamblers shock right now. I know that If I buy another pack, I've got a good shot. If I buy two packs, I'm looking close to 50/50.

This is going to be a fun season.

I'm going to blame you when I now buy a pack

[TheChamp24]

Originally Posted by SouthStndJunkie

As you get older, anything you can do to rekindle the feelings of childhood should be embraced.

Life gets more hectic and serious as you get older, so it's good to find things that make you feel like a kid again.

When I was kid, I was a baseball and football card junkie and would spend any money I had on cards.

Getting together with your buds to trade cards and try and complete sets was a blast. The rush of opening a pack and getting that hot rookie or players from your team was a rush.

I still collected cards into the late 90s, but by that time, I concentrated on trying to collect every John Elway card made, which was easy in the early days, but by the mid 90s there were so many companies, insert cards, jersey cards, autographed cards etc....that is was impossible to collect them all.

I still have my entire collection, but haven't really looked at them in years.

I bet I have 400 different John Elway cards in albums. I have about 1/3 of a spare room filled to the ceiling with cards.

My most valuable cards are locked up in a safe to keep them from being stolen or damaged.

Mostly baseball and football, but some basketball as well. I was lucky enough to be in a test market when the 1986-1987 Fleer basketball cards were introduced and have a lot of rookie cards, including some Michael Jordan rookies that are worth quite a bit of money. They hadn't made basketball cards for a few years when that set was released, so it was the rookie card for a lot of players.

My John Elway collection is pretty awesome, but the influx of companies and insert cards diluted the market and kind of ruined the nostalgia for me.

If I got back into collecting, I would try and complete all the Denver Broncos card sets from 1960 to the early 90s or mid 90s before the market was saturated.

High words of advice my baseball and Bronco friend, send those Jordan RC's to get professionally graded by PSA or BGS. If they grade out as 9.5's, thats $4,000+ in value per EACH rookie card.

I'm a card collector, but collecting now a days is no way near what it was 15+ years ago.
Now, there are boxes with 1 pack, 8-9 cards in the pack, that cost $400 or more. Now its all about autographs and sweet looking patch cards than it is building a complete set of Topps or whatever.

Back in 1999, I started to collect Champ Bailey, and its a thrill trying to obtain new cards of his. I'm currently looking at getting a patch/auto'd card of him in a Broncos uniform.

Also, retail packs are a bad way to go. Find a card shop and get packs/boxes there.

[Requiem]

Awesome, TJ.

In April, my dad surprised me by letting me open boxes filled with all the cards I had. I thought they had got ruined or lost years ago, but I have pages, upon pages of Broncos cards, Ken Griffey Jr., and a lot of other of my favorite players. Also have a bunch of sports plaques. It's nice to get to relive the past. I'm going to go and visit my pops on Sunday and take another look.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Bronco

Go back TJ...but you cant buy more than 2 packs at a time. Go back. Way back...worth every penny and will definitely make the wife either roll her eyes or laugh which is an added bonus.

I like the cut of your jib.

[Natedogg]

In the first pack I ever bought I got a Vance Johnson. 89 Topps I believe.

[ol#7]

TJ, it sounds like you need a cold shower.

[bronco militia]

Originally Posted by SouthStndJunkie

I don't have any Matt Cassel cards, but I've got more Bill Kenney cards than Dwayne Bowe has dropped passes.

that's a **** ton of drops errrrrr worthless cards

[ludo21]

i have never understood the $ value on cards, who pays for them and why would someone pay big money for a card?

[Drunken.Broncoholic]

Originally Posted by TheChamp24

High words of advice my baseball and Bronco friend, send those Jordan RC's to get professionally graded by PSA or BGS. If they grade out as 9.5's, thats $4,000+ in value per EACH rookie card.

I'm a card collector, but collecting now a days is no way near what it was 15+ years ago.
Now, there are boxes with 1 pack, 8-9 cards in the pack, that cost $400 or more. Now its all about autographs and sweet looking patch cards than it is building a complete set of Topps or whatever.

Back in 1999, I started to collect Champ Bailey, and its a thrill trying to obtain new cards of his. I'm currently looking at getting a patch/auto'd card of him in a Broncos uniform.

Also, retail packs are a bad way to go. Find a card shop and get packs/boxes there.

I got 2 MJ rookies in a pack once. Back then my grandfather told me to buy the basketball cards cause they made far less of them than other sports cards. Also had a barry bonds addiction. Would swipe up any card he had back then. Still remember a card shop owner tell me bonds would never be good, much less steal 30 bases 30 homers in one season. Then at the height of his career before the steroid allegations, I sold most of them for lots of cash.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Walk away, TJ. Maybe we should set the intervention date now.

[broncosteven]

I used to get a 3 pack of Topps back around 1975-79ish a couple times a month if I had any pocket money. I liked the see through 3 pack's because you got more cards and gum and you could see at least 3 of the cards and if you played with the package you might get a glimpse of a couple more. I wanted an Alzado card real bad for the longest time then ended up getting one when he was a raider and threw it out.

I kept getting a bunch of Bob Thomas's cards and ended up having to toss out like 10 of them one year because I needed the room, then about 5 years ago I ended up working at the same place his son worked and kicked myself for tossing all those out. I still had 5 left so I gave Bob one, had his son keep one, his son had Bob sign the others so I gave one to a co-worker, I kept one that he signed to me as John's dad which is very cool and I gave my brother one. Funny how fate works out. The one he signed to me is framed on my desk.

[RhymesayersDU]

Originally Posted by ludo21

i have never understood the $ value on cards, who pays for them and why would someone pay big money for a card?

You could say that about sports memorabilia or classic cars or artwork or anything, really.

[ludo21]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

You could say that about sports memorabilia or classic cars or artwork or anything, really.

i feel that way about all of that... but i would drive the crap out of a classic car if i had it

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by broncosteven

I used to get a 3 pack of Topps back around 1975-79ish a couple times a month if I had any pocket money. I liked the see through 3 pack's because you got more cards and gum and you could see at least 3 of the cards and if you played with the package you might get a glimpse of a couple more. I wanted an Alzado card real bad for the longest time then ended up getting one when he was a raider and threw it out.

I kept getting a bunch of Bob Thomas's cards and ended up having to toss out like 10 of them one year because I needed the room, then about 5 years ago I ended up working at the same place his son worked and kicked myself for tossing all those out. I still had 5 left so I gave Bob one, had his son keep one, his son had Bob sign the others so I gave one to a co-worker, I kept one that he signed to me as John's dad which is very cool and I gave my brother one. Funny how fate works out. The one he signed to me is framed on my desk.

Heh, that's classic. I seemed to get a friggin' Neil Lomax in every pack I bought from 1981 forward.