When my brother visited last week, we took a day off from work to visit Iowa's 'Great Lakes' in Okoboji. For people unfamiliar with the area, it's basically Iowa's playground. A chain of lakes covering about 12,000 acres. Coming from Minnesota, that size didn't impress me, but it seems like a big deal in Iowa. If you're familiar with Minnesota's Lake Minnetonka, that's the vibe I got. Million dollar homes and a very busy waterway.
We drove down on Thursday after work, arriving in about three and a half hours, but since everything was closed we just crashed and started our hunt early Friday. Our first stop at an antique mall was a bust but the lady at the checkout counter was kind enough to point us toward some other shops nearby. On the way we stumbled upon a pawn shop. Though I'm usually skeptical of them, my brother convinced me to step inside, claiming he has found some really good deals. So we decided to give it a shot.
The pawn shop was dim inside, with an older woman sitting behind the counter. We were the only ones there, so she noticed us the second we walked in. It had all the usual stuff—electronics, instruments, and a few mostly empty display cases. In one of them, I spotted two autographed baseballs: Tom Seaver and Robin Roberts. Judging by how grimy the holders were, they’d clearly been sitting there for years; the lady even admitted she didn't know how to open them. I checked the Roberts ball first—signed on a Bartlett Giamatti ball—but the signature was too faded, so I passed. Then I opened the Seaver ball. Aside from a few tiny age spots, it was in incredible shape with a bold signature. It was on a Bill White NL ball, which makes me think he signed it not long after retiring. I offered $40, we settled at $45, and now I’ve got a fantastic Seaver ball for my collection. That gross old holder, though? Definitely going in the trash..
After the pawn shop visit we stopped at a second antique mall. I didn't find anything for my collection but my brother added to his comics collection with this:
Apparently this is a controversial cover but you be the judge.
At the final (third) antique mall, I found some fun stuff, like this acetate Incredible Hulk, from the 2003 Topps Marvel Characters release. It's not my typical card purchase but for a buck, why not?
I thought this 1991 Impel card of Sugar Ray Leonard would pair up nicely with this:
Yep it's an autographed Sugar Ray Leonard glove. I don't follow boxing much but I do remember how dominate Sugar Ray was in his prime. My brother found this glove at a local thrift shop for a song.
Back to the antique shop...I found this 1997 Skybox Premium Reebok Allen Iverson "The Answer" promo card. It's eye catching and the embossing is cool.
My final purchase at the antique shop were two 1989 Fleer hangers for $5 apiece. Can I find a Billy Ripken? I'll save that for another post.
Of course, while in Iowa we searched for card shops. We didn't find any in Okoboji but just down the road in Spencer, Iowa we found Spencer Sport Cards and Comics. It was a nice shop with a mix of both current and some vintage.
Of course, while in Iowa we searched for card shops. We didn't find any in Okoboji but just down the road in Spencer, Iowa we found Spencer Sport Cards and Comics. It was a nice shop with a mix of both current and some vintage.
One of the first cards I noticed was this '62 Post of Roger Maris. This will make a nice upgrade from my current card.
Even better was seeing this Roger Maris card from Life Magazine! I didn't realize the cards from the magazine were basically paper thin so I might just cut this down to the appropriate dimensions.
Of course I had to check if there were any '73s and sure enough, there was a small stack in a display. I found these beauties and had to take them with me. I think the guy in the shop enjoyed my story of building the 'best worst' 1973 set possible.
After that stop, we started the long haul back. Luckily, my brother spotted a card shop we’d never visited before right on our route. Hubmen Sports Cards in Jordan, MN, is a newer spot, packed with plenty of 'new and shiny' modern cards. While there wasn't much vintage to sift through, three cards in the display case immediately caught my eye. One was a 1929 Babe Ruth—it was incredibly cool just to hold. Even with a $2,500 price tag, I was tempted to find a way to bring it home, but it was just too far out of my budget. I’m still kicking myself for not at least grabbing a photo of it.
Another card was this 1947-64 Exhibit card of Hank Aaron. I couldn't let this sit in a case, and now it sits in my collection.
These road trips are always fun, since you just never know what you'll find. Hopefully I'll be making more trips soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
That Aaron is ridiculous. Beautiful pickup.
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