1957 Albino Parallel and the research that goes into my eBay shenanigans.

I got stack of 57's in the mail a while back that would make a good time to discuss how I buy lots on eBay.  Most of the time I can't afford the really big lots that have 100 cards or more (that's where you, my fans, come in). I stick to lots that are small and cheap, especially when they only have 1 year involved.  I like the variety of having 7 or 9 cards from different years on a binder page, as long as they are in the numerical order.  

I'd really love to get some more modern stuff that has been trashed but they are only sure way I know is to make wallet cards out of our slick glossy new stock and that would be cheating if I did it (hint hint).  I would think some of the Old timey sets Topps have done, like Gypsy Queen, T205/6 and Allen + Ginter, would be ripe for getting damaged by water, dirt, humidity, termites, enraged cats and bored dogs.  So far, I haven't had anything like that turn up and the junk wax years had particularly flimsy cards that should not have aged well.  Especially those in the high 400s, 500s and 600s.  This was never a "Vintage trashed card set" it's an any year/brand/player trashed card set.   But I digress.  

(I knew these 2 would be backside cards at best before I paid for them.  In Wally's case he is a 3rd wheel.  That means there were cards that were even more trashed already.)

It was nice to add some 1957s which have been beaten down and faded out.  I've had a few scattered 57s but this will give a nice representation of 1957 amongst the rest. It was 11 cards at a little under two bucks per, once all was said and done.  Now I do a lot of research on the whole lot before I ever take a chance on putting a bid on.  I'm cross referencing the names with their card numbers on TCDB with the numbers that are open in the binder.  I have an envelope back from the mornings mail that I'll write all the numbers on to check and circle the ones that will fit.  Then I'll check the other numbers against the master list to see what is currently sitting in that number.  

 

(Like 36 here, empty and in need of a quality card)

Sometimes I have a card taking up space until something comes or sometimes a new find is just truly a more trashed card.  You can't really do this kind of set without knowing that you could almost always find a trashier card of a bigger star or better player and it may well only end only when I stop.  

(Jim made the cut, but Chico is probably not trashed enough to be more than a placeholder)

(Dixie Slotted right in, Foster was one of the few trashed cards to bump a defaced card to the backside)

So with this lot I knew off the bat that there were 5 cards that filled open slots.  That's a pretty good ratio.  There were another 2 or 3 that ended up being the back side card for the parallel trashed set.  They were sort of equally gnarly and I didn't want to lose them just yet.  

(These 2 got backsided by epic savagely trashed cards)

So I typed up the bunch on the spreadsheet.  The spreadsheet itself is more a record of all the cards I have at each number rather than a binder record.  It's the only way I have figured out how to keep track of extra cards or things that have been replaced and are in the "Rejects Trade" box that holds cards I don't know what else to do with.  

(For now, Bobby holds down a slot, but odds are something trashier may yet come along.  Thems the rules.)

It's ironic that I will take all of your stray junky trashed out card and carefully track them and put them in a binder and then file the extras according to card number.  Since I have other Frankensets maybe I will conceive of a way to cross pollinate them and I want to make sure I can find card #459 or #287 easily.  I won't need to worry about slot #366.

(Trashed and Trimmed glory in a nice empty slot)