Junk Wax Dig

To many, a pile of cards strewn about three folding tables in no particular order may seem like a nuisance. It may seem like a waste of space. It may seem like kindling for your next bonfire. But to me, a stack of cards in desperate need of organization is a blessing. Here's some backstory. I may need to write this in parts, because I got emotional just thinking about this topic for a blog post. Growing up, I found baseball cards around 9 years old. It was the summer of 1996, and I remember buying a pack of Topps cards from the local convenience shop in my grandparents' small rural Wisconsin town. I don't remember much about who was in that pack - except it included two Brewers: Tim Leary and Jaime Cocanower. If you weren't alive back then - or if you didn't focus on baseball as much as me - you have no idea who those two were. That pack started me on an adventure. By 1987, I was buying packs of cards any chance I could get. I got my allowance? Cards. Mo

My return to card collecting has been slow. I've bought cards at stores here or there, but never really going full bore into it. I've stopped at Goodwill and added a lot of junk wax, and ShopKo, Walmart, Target and Walgreens has really helped me pad my collection (even if it is still in disarray). But recently, I've hit a hot streak with adding to my cards.  Twitter is to blame for my re-entry into card collecting, and it's starting to pad my card numbers. If you are on Twitter, you no doubt see the countless "Retweet to win this card" posts. Well, I admit I'm guilty of retweeting a lot of those. That leads me to my first new addition. Bong Puffer and my retirement plan There are always fun cards out there that really don't have much value. Jay Johnstone with an umbrella hat made out of Budweiser labels comes to mind. The Menendez brothers have recently popped up on a junk wax basketball card. There are always those fun cards out