Insert Catchy Non-Quitting Phrase.

Sometimes while trying to make trades, post cards, and chat with collectors you run into people from what I like to call "The Fringe".  Meaning people who say stuff like, "I used to collect cards fifteen years ago, but I quit.  Will you buy my 1988 Topps Set for $50?"  or "I have a Kevin Maas rookie card.  Are you interested?"  Almost one hundred percent of the time you should run in the opposite direction because the person is going to have absolutely no interest in selling you any cards once you break the news to them you could find a 1988 Topps Set, factory sealed on Ebay for a $1.00 plus shipping.

Last week I was taking my son out for a walk on Saturday morning.  We have a 3 mile path that we follow through a few nearby neighborhoods.  The one street we walk down was packed and apparently having a block yard sale.  I pushed my son down the street in his stroller and passed by many of the houses.  Most had the usual assortment of bad vinyl records, dated furniture, and other odds and ends I don't need.  Finally, I saw a house with a giant sign that read: "Kick My Kids Out, Buy Their Stuff".  I had to know.  I walked up the driveway and talked to the homeowners.  There kids were apparently done with college and had left an odd assortment of "stuff" behind.  The parents did not feel like being used as a storage locker and had decided to sell their kids stuff.  So, I asked my usual garage sale question, "Do you have any baseball cards?"

"The fringe" speech started.  "Well, my son really liked baseball cards, but he picked through a bunch of boxes and left one.  He collected for about 10 years and stopped last year."  I was offered an 800 count box for $5.  I took him up on and found plenty of bad stuff from the past ten years.  The first card in the box was a Pablo Ozuna autograph and I also found a Ramon Ortiz jersey card.  I was a little down about the box until I got towards the middle and found this:

2009 Bowman Xfractor Matt Moore RC

The card generally sells for about $25 on Ebay and sells grade for north of $40 graded.  Not a bad find for walking around the neighborhood.  By the way, if you are looking for any 2005 Topps base cards...I am loaded.