Winter Philly Show 2019 Part One: Down the Rabbit Hole

...So, lots to go over today.

I'd gone to a minimized version of the Philly Show, which I'd been attending since the blog's infancy, last year in Oaks, and I figured this would be the gig from there on in. Last year's show didn't feel as inspired and as interesting as previous years' had.

But a year later, back in its old home in Valley Forge, the Philly Show came back to life. From the dealers I scoured, I felt like there was cooler material than usual, as you'll find out in this post.

Heck, I got a HUNTER PENCE BOBBLEHEAD out of it all. I don't normally go for bobbleheads at cons, but 10 bucks for one of my all-time favorite Phillies? I can't not.

 Dealer #1- Nothing Too Unusual

I'm presenting this in order, for dramatic effect.

The first dealer I went to had quarter bins full of 90s stuff. AKA, your standard card show fare. I bit, though. Found a cool Maddux Tradition insert to start off.

The gang was all there- early 90s Fleer, mid-90s, Score, those cool 98 Tradition 61F inserts, and of course all four of these names. But the inclusion of 1998 Upper Deck intrigued me. 

Here was when the weirder stuff began to pique my interest. 2001 Pacific? Lofton as a Brave? That awesome Nomah throwback uni? A brick card from Topps' All-World insert set? These weren't your average quarter bin finds.

 The more ubiquitous set I pilfered from here was 1998 Score Rookies and Traded. One of those sets that inexplicably winds up in repacks to this day. Had some good photography, too, for a 'last hurrah' set for Score.

Dealer #2: Quarters Unknown

Here's where I began to get truly impressed. Another quarter bin, but these were more expansive, and a lot more interesting to leaf through. There were some Fleer Greats inserts strewn throughout, shepherded by a stray base or two, including this one of Cobra. I am writing this on Sunday, so hopefully Cobra will have gotten a phone call by the time you read this. [EDIT: ...sigh]

There was a little of everything, old and new alike, but these two Chrome Perspectives from 2017 had somehow evaded me. A shame, as both are truly great.

Some Highlight subset cards from 2008 Upper Deck, a set I thought I'd exhausted til I see new, awesome photos from it, like that JV.

And some cards that had somehow evaded me from 2017 Gallery. That Thames is a fun one, and any card of Wade Boggs as a Devil Ray is an important one.

Now things got a little more peculiar. Yes, I expected Topps inserts, but mid-2000s Topps inserts? Padres Piazza on a Hit Parade? K-Rod Owning the Game in 06?

This box also featured my first ever taste of 2017 Topps Hi-Tek. I like both the feel and the design of these sets, but I'm not sure the price point would let me really go for 'em.
Also, THESE CARDS SCAN SO WELL.

Heck, there were set needs, but not the ones I'd expected. I wasn't expecting to knock off two 2008 Trading Card History needs, nor was I expecting to catch 2 short prints from 2012 Archives.

Some solid mid-2010s inserts, like 2012 Gypsy Queen and 2011 Lineage, are always welcome.

And, most curiously of all, some gold parallels from 2008 UD Timeline, a set I've been interested by since pulling dollar store packs in 2008. That Brewers-era CC is a nice one.

A whole bunch of 2010 Turkey Red inserts, including legends? SURE! Heck, that Halladay is sharp.

 A WHOLE MESS OF 2015 SPRING FEVER CARDS?? SURE!

These boxes actually had a ton of numbered cards from high-end 2007-era products, stuff that was numbered to 699 or 999 or whatever, but I instead managed to squeak out some flagship numbered parallels, like a few 2018 golds mixed in with base cards cause I don't think the guy noticed a difference, a Kahnle from this year, and a Glavine from 06 Update.

 There was one more numbered card, a JR Murphy XRC numbered to 309, but mixed in with some 2011 Pro Debut base, including that sharp-as-hell Andrelton Simmons

There wasn't a ton of rookie action in this one, but they had a Kung Fu Panda BDP rookie for a quarter...which is pretty impressive, imo.

Dealer #3: 10 cent bins at last

This guy's dime bins confused me. A lot of the material in here seemed more fit for dollar bins, or quarter bins. Like this Chien-Ming Wang Donruss rookie. I'm not exactly sure if it's worth a dime, but it's Wang, so I went for it.

All of these were sleeved, again odd for a dime bin, but it was an eclectic mix. There was some stuff from recent years, like more tastes of 2015 Bowman's Best

And some sets I enjoy, like 2019 SC, and two cards I needed for my 2018 Archives set.

And they had some deeper cuts, like 2001 Gallery and 2001-2 Stadium Club. I didn't get as many Colon cards as I thought I would at this show.

But here, at this odd show, I saw sets I'd never thought I'd see in the wild. 2005 GALLERY! 2001 TOPPS RESERVE! Fascinating sets, and finally in my collection.
Also, the backs of the Reserve cards are some of the most well-designed card backs in history, and you can fight me on this.

Heck, the rookie selection was nice in these boxes as well- I needed Joey Church's Update rookie, and while I don't think it's his actual XRC, an extra Expos Brandon Phillips certainly helps

Scouring some of the Bowman rookies, like these from 2011, was actually a good venture, because there were a nice amount of XRCs of people who'd made it as fringe players. Villar is probably the biggest star here, though Escobar is coming off the best 2019 season. Heck, Wolters is a zero-year card, which makes this even cooler. Vogt played a few games for the Rays, I think. Wolters' lists him as a shortstop, which is an odd fit for the perennial catcher. And, as it turns out, Vogt's and Escobar's are the XRCs- Wolters has a 2010 Bowman USA card, while Villar has a Bowman card from 2010 as a...Philadelphia Phillie? I always forget they gave him up in the Roy Oswalt deal.

So I rounded the ten cent bins, and while they were minimal, they still gave a glut of solid stuff.

And then, right next to them, at the same vendor's table...they appeared.

Something I'd only heard about on the blogs, yet never expected to witness firsthand.

...nickel bins.

And we'll pick up there tomorrow.