The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and JolleyWrencher farewell. What's in your box?

mcolney1

JolleyWrencher got me thinking...the book suggests putting together a small box of your most cherished items with stories to go along with them - instead of leaving your family with all your stuff - get rid of it while you're alive. As none of my kids are interested in my collection I've been thinking about what I would put in that box. What would you put in it?

Short list: HR Baseball caught at 1979 All-Star Game Warm-Up off the bat of WSU's Ron Cey. Pack of 1973 football cards - my grade school friend Jimmy Yee started me collecting - my hobby really took off that fall. Also, card #134 - I watched the Immaculate Reception on our Zenith Trinitron and couldn't believe what I saw. 1955 Jackie Robinson - first big money card I ever bought at the WSSCA show at the Mountaineers Club in Seattle. 1972 Joe Namath In Action...who ever knew there was a third series of '72 Topps? - my second big ticket card. 1969 Piccolo and Sayers...watched the made for tv movie and then discovered the cards. I wanted to be Johnny Bench so the iconic 1976 card will be in there.

There's a start...sure a few more items will be added to my "small" box...what will be in your box?

jordangretzkyfan

A high grade Jordan RC and a high grade Gretzky RC….but you could probably already figure that out 🙂

or246

I like this. 1972 Roberto Clemente. One of my childhood heroes and gone way too soon. I love the photo with him flipping the ball in the air. 1961 Clemente, the highest graded card of his I have. 1968 Al Kaline, my team finally wins. 1971 Bobby Orr, when I discovered how awesome hockey is. And finally, a 1971 Terry Bradshaw. Beginning of the Steelers run.

BaltimoreYankee

I have 2 children in their 20's. Neither have any interest in baseball. I suppose when the time comes, I will eventually sell my collection but would hold onto this ratty 1952 Topps Duke Snider for my son, with the explanation that I bought it in the late 1970s and it got me back into the collecting hobby. I know veteran board members have seen this before:

BBBrkrr

No kids, and nieces & nephews are not into any of this. Maybe by the time I let it all go one of them will be interested. If not then the box will be empty...

lahmejoon

One card that would go in the small box is 1976 Topps baseball card #1 - Hank Aaron RB. This was the first actual baseball card I acquired via buying a single. My grandmother took me to a local card shop and explained to the shop owner that I was getting into collecting (before this, I started out on packs of Garbage Pail Kids and then packs of 1987 Topps). The owner asked my name (Aaron) and said I should get a Hank Aaron card. The least expensive one was the 76 Topps #1 for $5, so my grandmother bought me that one. That card sits in the set I completed several years ago and is the one I consider my first sports card.

DBesse27

This one is my favorite card and the first and maybe only card in my box. A Christmas gift from my sons, later signed and slabbed:

Cakes

My 30 year old Son and I got into a minor argument the other day about getting HIS Lebron rookie graded. He wanted to stress that his was the best quality of the 3 we pulled from packs back in the day. We had never gotten around to having them graded because we didn't foresee grading becoming so strict. I ended the argument quickly when I reminded him what the hell are you arguing about anyway, you are going to inherit this entire mess of cards and memorabilia one day anyway!