Peddlers, Pete Rose, and Dutch Ovens

I Spent saturday at the flea market with the wife, kid, and another couple with kid. The game plan was to search for specific antiques for christmas presents. I promised myself I would pass them by...yup pass them right on by. Those tidy little booths with millions of toploaders stuffed into boxes; catagorized by teams, players,  latest MVPs, HOF'ers, and home town favorites. Oh yes, it took much discipline and selflessness. Like George W. Bush said " we will not tire, we will not faulter, and we will not fail". I knew i could resist card shopping...

Lets backup and get something straight...I have a golden rule...and rule of survival. I have not and will never purchase or recieve, from a flea market, any item or product that goes in your mouth or can be consumed . I mean...have you seen some of the people there? not to be rude or judgmental, go into a flea market food court and BAM! you feel much better about being you (even you CC Sabathia and Lance Berkmans neck).

Back to it....So, by this time the kids were getting hungry. I was surronded by questionable citizens with felonies and a record and the CDC (exclude baseball card and fishing booths; your cool in my book) . There I was, no christmas presents found, kids screaming, about to leave and loose my 3.00 per car parking fee. I popped into the nearest card booth, glanced through the glass cases at some nice autos, hits, cool parallels, and kickin' ol topps. Not looking to drop a alexander hamilton or Jack Black or whoever is on the twenty dollar bill, I skipped over to the misc. cards-n-toploader section. I went straight to some loose 2011 Topps base sets to break the ice, get in card mode. Sometimes I call it Carmo, but you have to say it like a suductive spainard...ahummm so there i was in carmo and began diggin through some older singles...BAM!!! it happened. No I did not find a Henry Aaron rookie or a 1953 Mantle, A HONUS WAGNER!!!!!! just kidding...The wife found a gently used dutch oven? why was this card peddling gentleman selling cookware? oh I know why...so sorry SOBs like me bring their wives around and BOOM...hook, line, and sinker. As an educated married man and veteran haggler, I saw a chance for a win-win, a compromise. I needed to find a couple quick cards to make a low-ball offer to the peddler. 30 seconds later I found some gnarly mofos. a 1976 Topps Pete Rose, 1976 Johnny Bench, 2010 Topps Sam "he dont care" Lecure, and finally a 2011 Topps Heritage Dusty Baker...The Baker card was just a place holder and bargaining chip with the forementioned peddler. I approached with four cards, dutch oven, and offer; the peddler accepted and off we were. I had spent 13$ that afternoon. 3 to park, and 10 on the dutch oven/card combo. It was a steal. The Pete Rose in better condition is booked up to 25 bucks and bench up to 15. Both cards have some flaws and a few soft corners, they are still sweet quick finds.



1976 Topps Johnny Bench #300 and Pete Rose #240