Friendly competition + unemployment = lots of cards

Some weeks ago I cultivated a relationship with someone else in this world that collects Hank Greenberg cards.

You might be thinking, "what, someone else collects this stuff?"  In fact, yes. they do.

While speaking with him and comparing our collections, I think it fueled a bit of a fire in me to best his collection. He has a ton of high end cut autographs, low numbered cards, bat cards and some vintage.  Nothing short of a great collection.

I really enjoy talking with him (almost daily) and asking for advice on purchases, prices etc. If you don't know someone who collects the same way you do, I highly recommend you reach out to them for their friendship, guidance and knowledge.

So I've been buying.  Also probably aided by my being unemployed since early January. With time comes opportunity.  And with opportunity, comes a hot streak.

Everything below is what I've acquired since early January, with two more cards coming this and next week:

Happy birthday to me [23]

This post Sunday (6/9) marked my 23rd birthday.

Gifts always surprise me. Although I don't trust those responsible of gifting me to gift me cards, I was rather surprised and impressed this year. 

My Mom is part of the board of trustees for the temple (1st VP) and while at a meeting, the Rabbi, and avid reader presented the group with two books, one being John Rosengren's Hank Greenberg : The Hero of Heroes.  Mom conveyed that she needed to get this book for me.

Later that week she saw the Rabbi again, and he said that this was the best book on Hank Greenberg he had ever read. This sold her, as if she wasn't going to get it for me in the first place.

I'm not much of a reader, but I have already completed one chapter. The first chapter, titled Leshono Toivo stories Greenberg's struggle with his decision of playing or not playing his rookie year on Rosh Hashanah day in 1933.  I did not realize how the city of Detroit was so invested in this decision. As I was reading, I was envisioning how this decision would pan out in modern times. Would it be a big deal? 

I'd like to do a book review when I finish it, whenever that will be.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, look out for more about the book and about the collection as I always look to add to it.