April CSA Show Part 3 - "Big" Money Cards

I hit the April CSA card show the weekend before last and I've been trying to get caught up on scanning and cropping. Today's cards are from the "big" money table I hit, AKA dollar boxes.

I consider myself a frugal collector and am always looking for a deal but as I mentioned in my Two Random Rynos post, I've come to terms with spending a buck on an insert or PC card I know I don't have. Even if I managed to find one online for cheaper, I'd usually end up spending more on shipping. And this way, I feel like I'm supporting a few local dealers too.

I ended up with 28 cards from this table for a bulk discounted rate of $20. Some are below, I've already shown some of the Ryne Sandbergs and the rest are spread around to other collectors.

Let's go oldest to newest.

I didn't know anything about this Ernie Banks card, and still don't really. Cramer Baseball Legends was a running set from 1980 through 1983. There was a new set each of those years but he numbering continued from the previous season.

I was more or less done with cards in 1997 so I was unfamiliar with the TSC Matrix parallel in 1997 Stadium Club. It didn't scan very well but it is a standard card with "effects" to make in interesting. These were a 1:12 odds pull. Grace joins Ryne Sandberg and Sammy Sosa in the Cubs team checklist but I have neither.

I've said it before and I'll say it here, Sammy sosa is the biggest gap in my Cubs collection. He played in those prime years where I was not collecting. Despite having nearly 8,000 cards according to the TradingCardDB, I'd be surprised if I have 100 yet. This card is standard size, but clear around the letter I. The shadows are because it didn't lie flat on the scanner and while sometimes I will put something on top of a card to flatten it, I didn't do that with the clear card.

This is one that probably falls into the overpay category, a base card out of 2015 Topps Update. But can you really pass up a rookie card of an All-Star/World Champion for a buck? While I wasn't completely out of the hobby in 2015, I wasn't quite in it either and this one had escaped my grasp. For some reason, this Rookie Debut doesn't carry the same value as the straight rookie, despite being in the same set.

A shiny Ben Zobrist out of last year's Bowman's Best.

Can't go wrong adding a Hawk to the collection, although I think this photo has been used a lot.

A quick search and yes, this is the only card in my collection labeled as a Peach parallel. This one is numbered out of 199.

I've gone on record with the unpopular opinion of saying I prefer Gypsy Queen to Heritage and Allen & Ginter but even I will admit that some of their parallels are ridiculous. Missing blackplate? Silly. Cards like this can find me but I won't seek them out.

And to bring things full circle, we have both the oldest and newest card of the bunch. A 2017 Topps Heritage 1968 50th Anniversary buyback. This card is 10 years older than me and it is a beaut. The edges and corners are sharp and the centering is very good. I wish I could find one without the stamp in this condition for just a buck!