2023 National - A Couple Random Auto Pickups

Navigating the National is often like looking for a needle in a haystack.  Especially when the show is so crowded, you can barely get to any tables.  Fast forward to the last day of the show, and I finally had time and access to a table with albums of signed cards by set.  There were maybe 3 different dealers at the show with this setup, and the other two had very slim pickings for 1987 Topps.  One of them has a very helpful checklist of signed cards by year; I buy from that guy all of the time, it seems.  This year, his list said he had a signed 1987 Topps Orel Hershiser.  When I asked about it "oh that sold already, I need.to cross that out." Darn.

Well, on Sunday, this table DID have an 87 Topps that I needed, the above Eric King.  So, it took all show, but I did knock an 87 Topps off of my list.

I looked through their other albums and found a couple other vintage Topps cards to add to the album, just for fun.  I missed an opportunity to send to Spook Jacobs before he passed away, so I was glad to find this one, and picked it up.  I also saw the 1956 Topps Enos Slaughter at a good price, and added it to the album, as well.

I probably could have added a lot more vintage cards to the album, but I had to meet up with someone prior to heading over to the autograph pavilion for the list signers at the show.  Still, I'm happy with what I got, and I'm one card closer on my 87 set.

1955 Topps #61 - Spook Jacobs

Forrest 'Spook' Jacobs (b. 1925) played from 1954 to 1956 for the A's and Pirates. He had 164 hits and 0 home runs in his career. He earned the nickname 'Spook' because of his speed. Jacobs was a teammate of Tommy Lasorda's on the 1956 A's and found himself opposing and being thrown at by Lasorda while in the minor leagues in 1957. After Lasorda knocked Jacobs down, Jacobs charged the mound, going after Lasorda, then turned his attention to the opposing second baseman, Sparky Anderson.