Off-Topic Forum

Other than the baseball cards and non-sports cards that I have here, anything baseball related, especially magazines like the old Street & Smith's as well as Sports.  I pick up the annuals every year.

I do have a stamp collection (Canadian) as well as some coins including the complete 50 states USA quarter collection.

The other collection I have though I never consider it a collection is war books, mostly WW II. My 9x9' book case is full and they are starting to pile up around it.

I collect Cardinals bobbleheads that are stadium giveaways.  Just  picked up a sweet Yadier Moilna one over the weekend that makes #53 in my collection.  I only have room to display about 25 of them.  May decide to rotate some out for a fresh look.

Hey, Dan, we have another thing in common - CHESS SETS! Woo-hoo!

I only have three, but I've bought them from some of my world travels. The first one came from around the Mexico City area in 1975 and it's made of onyx. I had the shop owner's son run all around the market finding me replacements for a few pieces that had some minor defects. Only cost me $9.00. 

The second one also of onyx is from Honduras that I purchased a few years ago while on a cruise with my wife. It cost $25.00, and is actually a bit smaller than my first one.

The last one I bought is from Russia during a cruise we took a couple of years ago. I'd been looking for one the whole cruise and found it in the gift store next to the ship at the dock in St. Petersburg. The shop actually had no connection to the cruise line as the others did. It was run by a non-smiling Russian who was very matter of fact in his explanation of the style of the wooden chess set which was hand painted. It depicts the Hassidic era. I was able to bargain with him a little and paid $75 for the chess set. I was REALLY surprised that my wife agreed to allow me to spend that much. The man had started at $90 and I was trying to get him to at least $60. When he said $75, I resigned myself to not getting it and my wife came through knowing that I really wanted it and gave the thumbs up to get it. So I did! I shook the man's hand and thanked him for working with me. He sort of smiled, and I hope he saw me as representative of us all being alike in some ways despite social and political differences. (Visiting Russia was a bucket list trip for me and I recommend it for anyone considering it.)

Anyway, that's one of the other things I collect.

I like to collect beer steins.  I have more than my wife would care for me to have.  With the family, we collect patches.  Everywhere we go, we search the gift shops for them.  We are having a harder time finding them as they are not being produced as much.  We would like to one day create a large quilt with them documenting our experiences.  I thought it would be a good idea.

Besides sports cards, mainly Eagles and Topps sets. I have a sizable CD collection, about 1500 - 70's early 80's heavy metal, hard rock, blues rock.. Always looking for CDs of obscure bands from that era.

About halfway done with my vintage Star Wars action figure set, out of package.

Also get a silver eagle every year.

A few musical recommendations:

• Plug Me Into Something - Henry Gross (southern rock) It's rather hard to find a CD and when you do the price may be exhorbitant. I'd stay away from other releases as they're less rock in my estimation. I saw him open for the Doobie Brothers in '75 and he stole the show
• In-a-gadda-da-vida - Iron Butterfly (psychedelic rock) It's from the '60s, but I think you'll like it.
• On Time - Grand Funk Railroad (hard rock) Not obscure, but definitely a must-listen (and have). Easily found on CD.

I don't actively collect them, because I haven't gone to Brazil for years, but I have a nice collection of Brazilian pre-paid phone cards. I don't really collect anything else.

This is more what I'm into.  The day I bought my first car, I also bought a Rand McNally road atlas, and I've kept track everywhere I've been since.  I would rather do something than buy something any day.  If I can spend $15 on a nice Victor Oladipo card, or spend $15 to go watch him play in person, I'll take that game ticket any day!

Vinyl records. Rock & Blues mostly, but any record that catches my eye I'll get. I don't look at my guitars as a collection. They are a living thing in the right hands and you don't take a collectible on stage to make it roar for plusher.

Joshua, Not too bad on music choices,

I would've went with Point Blank on the southern rock, Amboy Dukes on the 60's going into maybe MC5 to the Stooges early stuff for 70's.