My wife and I had the good fortune of venturing to Sacramento, Calif., this week to see the Foo Fighters perform again.  This was the second time we’d seen this band play in three weeks.

Well, Sacramento is about two hours from home, so we decided to make a day of it.  When when we decide to make a day of a trip to a new city, one of the things we like to do is venture into thrift and antique stores to to see what odd stuff we can find, and possibly bring home.

Don’t hate.  It’s what we do.

So we wound up in “Oldtown” Sacramento, which if you’ve never visited is pretty classic.  When you think of the Old West and some guys in chaps and spurs walking out of s saloon and into the dusty streets, this is EXACTLY what it is like.

Well, for about a block or so.

We walked the area, the wood creaking beneath our feet with every step. And suddenly we happened upon a tiny antique store tucked  in a store front about the size of a large janitorial closet.  It was packed with mounds of old stuff, some of which was pure crap.  The beauty though was that it really was not sorted.

As soon as I walked in I saw a Ted Williams signed baseball.  The authenticity of which I could not guarantee — or dispute. Nonetheless, the $300 he wanted was about 12 times what I paid for my Ted Williams signature.  Mine is cooler by the way.

But next to the Williams in the showcase was an old card of a well-known American — Buffalo Bill.

Was it a baseball card?  No.  But it was Goudey (1933 Indian Gum to be exact) and after holding it, I was certain the card was authentic.  I own a few 1933 Goudey cards, including Lou Gehrig’s rookie, so there was no mistaking it.

Along with the Buffalo Bill card was one of Native American Chief Powhatan.

The seller stated that they both were $25 in a guide, but he’d take $15 each.

The price had me hesitating a bit.  At one point he looked at my wife and said, “I don’t know why he is staling, he’s getting a deal.”

The term “deal” is all relative.  If you know anything about my cheap ass and my penchant for finding real deals in my hobby, I knew his price was not rock bottom.

But after staring at the cards for a few minutes, one thing rang clear to me:  Not everything has to be THE deal of the century.  Sometimes you buy something just because you like it.

Which is what I did.

The cards are not mint-mint, but they are not thrashed.  Buffalo Bill doesn’t have a single crease, and its corners are pretty decent.  Powhatan has a tiny wrinkle — not a through-and-through crease — in the center but looks awesome.

The one criticism — the Buffalo Bill card looks to be slightly smaller.  Not sure if Goudey had any variance in their cutting. Anyone know for sure?

As for value, I am not sure what these are “worth.” The guy said they were in a guide for $25,  prices are all over the place on eBay and I paid $15 each.  Honestly, it really doesn’t matter what they are worth.  They’re staying in my collection as a memento of this trip to Sacramento.

This entry was posted on November 2, 2011 at 8:51 am and is filed under Thrift Treasures with tags baseball, baseball cards, Buffalo Bill, Goudey, Indian Gum, Powhatan, Thrift Treasures, vintage cards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.