I’m not a book collector, but I tell you, there are some mighty gems hidden in the book section of your local thrift stores.  Among all the out-dated text books, well-loved self-help offerings and trashy novels are some real finds that should not be resting among the stale stench of donated items.

I’ve had good luck in the past in this often-overlooked section.  I’ve found books signed by famed OJ Simpson Lawyer Johnnie Cochrane, Former First Lady Barbara Bush, Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and even President Bill Clinton.  Seriously.  I’ve sold all except for the Clinton.

And in one book I actually located a pair of mint Super Bowl XIX tickets, a game that featured the  San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins in 1985.

So you can’t blame me if I keep checking out this section.

Well, last week I came away with some nice finds in this section again, albeit no where near the level of the aforementioned pieces.

Here we have first edition hardback copies of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays biographies, and a book my Rudy Ruettiger, the subject of  legendary sports movie “Rudy.”

Even if you’re not a book reader, the Mays and Aaron books make for great decorative pieces in a man cave.  The Ruettiger book, on the other hand, was a must-own because …

… it’s signed!

The moment I saw the signature, I instantly regretted not purchasing something I had seen just two months ago.  It was a book signed by Sean Astin, the actor who portrayed Ruettiger in “Rudy.”

And to answer your question as to why I passed on the Astin signed book … I didn’t want to buy a book about him being a Hobbit.

Total cost of these Treasures: $11.97

To see more Thrift Treasures posts, click HERE.

This entry was posted on July 9, 2012 at 8:55 am and is filed under Thrift Treasures with tags baseball, baseball cards, Bill Clinton, Books, Hank Aaron, Johnnie Cochrane, OJ Simpson, Rudt Ruettiger, Thrift Treasures, Willie Mays. 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.