Some Vintage Set Help from mrhaverkamp

I have two major regrets about missing this year's National Sportscard convention.  The first was not being able to search for some reasonably priced vintage cards to help with my set quests.  The second was missing out on a chance to connect with my friend Jim (aka mrhaverkamp), still the only person from the blogging community that I have met face to face.  Jim is a good guy and fellow Giants fan - it would have been nice to commiserate a little bit about this dreadful season.

You may recall that I got a killer starter set of 1969 Topps cards and decided to work on this set in parallel (and in reality ahead of) my 1972 Topps set.  Jim was the first to comment on that post and ended up shooting a nice batch of cards my way to help out.

First up was a nice looking Seattle Pilots rookie stars card featuring Lou Pinella.  The presence of the Pilots is one of the reasons I wanted to go after this set next.  The other 3 cards are variations.  I happened to have a few variations already in my collection so I decided to go after them - with the exception of the White Letter variation.

Also included was a little bit of star power.  Tony Oliva is favorite of mine.  His peak was just a tad before my time but during all my readings and all the stories I have heard, I have built up a ton of respect for the man.  By all accounts he was one of the best hitters, had a few great years and was a fringe HOFer but didn't quite make it.

Speaking of star power - how about a quad of Hall of Famers!  I have always been a fan of the Carew card - it has been featured in a couple reprint sets.  I had the Perry in my Giants binder and glad to add it to my set.  The Sporting News All Stars from this set are perhaps my favorite design and the Bench has to be one of the best due to his awesome Reds uni.  The Gibson checklist is obviously marked and beat up but it will hold a place in my set regardless.  No need seeing out condition upgrades until I get one of each card.

Jim also included these awesome Kellogg's cards.  After tracking one down I decided to go after the set.  I was guessing the trip to the National would allow me to make some progress but the family trip to California got in the way this year.  These four are awesome additions and in great shape.

Thanks Jim for the care package, I appreciate it.  I was hoping to connect in Chicago and maybe track down a few cards to return the favor.  I am trying to decided between Cleveland this year and Chicago next.  Chicago is a lot closer to KC but I am not sure I can wait another year.  Let me know your plans and maybe we can meet up at your next National.