The Man With the Golden Age

In 1955, Frank Sinatra starred in the classic drama, The Man with the Golden Arm. Frank portrays a drug addict who gets clean while in prison. Once released, he struggles to stay clean. The actual drug is apparently never identified in the movie but it's believed to be heroin. I'm a fairly straight-laced gal. I've never been interested in drugs of any kind and can't begin to imagine the struggles of the drug addict.

Not you, Cowboy

If it is one, my addiction is that to which many collectors can relate. Cardboard. As some addicts say, I can quit any time.  Yeah, sure I can. Covid-umpteenth has made it much easier to say no to the new stuff but I do miss the smell of Panini Prizm.  So maybe I'm getting my new card high one piece at a time?  I won't say, but eBay is such a pusher. Still, there are other ways to get my fix. Sometimes it takes a blog pal; the man with Golden Age.

Tip Top - Bread For Energy.  Personally, I like to spend mine.

2013 Panini Golden Age. I miss this product! Golden Age managed to tickle that space in my brain dedicated to the 60s and 70s.  Goldy also included those old dead guy ballplayers I've oft mentioned. So who was it out there that sought to fill a void in my collection? Who knew I needed these cards, and quickly?  Jon Pennysleeves. He went right down my list, crossing off card after card, after card, so on and so forth, ad infinitum. Well, maybe not endlessly but as much as the mailer would allow which was 55 cards plus an oversized hero.

DeLong - for the good old days

Playing Cards - care to join me in a game of Solitaire?

All that remains is the faces and the names, of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

What a sweet fix! Every one of these cards was on my wantlist. Jon made a huge dent in this set. Those remaining are:

I've been chasing the inserts but in my heart of hearts, I know the base cards are in my future. I've decided to dedicate a binder to Golden Age. Oh yes. And where does this slippery slope lead - 2012 or 2014, the only other years for G.A.?  Is it possible for one to fall down both sides of said slope?

Even with all these ageless beauties, Jon knew it wasn't enough. So into the mailer went Bazookas.

2017 ARCHIVES  '59 Bazookas, obtained in the Covid 19 era 2020

SIX CARDS TO GO

He topped it off with confetti!!

2011 Topps Kimball Champions minis

Kimballs don't appear to be overly popular but I've loved these since I spied them at a 2015 card show. Yep, that's right. Fours years after release. I didn't return to collecting until 2012. At that time, I was asking - who is Mike Trout?  Holy moly, Jon! You are a crazy man. And for that, I am thankful!

Still a chunk left...

Let's switch gears a moment, for an announcement. It's time to follow-up on our first election battle between candidates 87 Sportflics Team Preview Set and 88 Topps Glossy Send-Ins. Of the 34 total votes, two were foreign interference, one for each candidate. I love this twist! With voting this close, it is possible our northern neighbors could actually sway an election! In this case however, the outcome would have been the same: 18 for Sportflics and 16 for Glossy.  Topps fared well and could be seen again at a later date.  Sportflics goes into the ballot box! Every voter has been recorded, along with their selection. Another opportunity is coming soon.

Sportsflics tells the Real One to stick it.

Jon's generosity is well-known. There were a lot of smiles in that mailer including an Exhibits box topper featuring 60s/70s hero, Evel Knievel. He was a crazy stunt biker who wasn't always successful. Knievel's history of crashes is the stuff of legend.  Evel's image in his red, white and blue suit with cape are burned into my memory. The jump that made him famous and nearly killed him, was over the fountains of Caesar's Palace in 1967. This card was a BIG want; a timeless image. Until I have a Golden Age binder, this will fit perfectly into the pop culture collection. Thank you, Jon!