Fun Stories Archives - Tan Man Baseball Fan

My Journey in … Comic Book Collecting?

If you have read my book Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict, you know that I have also bought and sold perhaps 40,000 or so comic books. I never knew much about them, though. I just bought several collections at good prices and flipped them. I really did love them, though - I've flipped collections of paintings, rings, shirts, etc. Comics were on a different level for me. I love the art on the front, and superheroes. Who doesn't love superheroes, right? Here is my garage once upon a time with about 20,000 comics. It took a guy hiring an

The $107,868 Lesson, My Book, and Starting Over

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been very active anywhere online for a while. In fact, November marks the first month in SEVEN YEARS that I didn't write at least one article. There is a reason for that. In October, my family suffered a terrible loss by losing my father. Life tends to stand still when something like this happens - especially when you are as close to someone like we all were to him. While things are getting better a little day by day, dad passing away left a huge hole in all of our hearts. We are very

1987 Topps and the Hospital

If you are a child of the 80's, you know what 1987 Topps is. It was absolutely loaded with key rookies, but it was produced in such high numbers, I probably don't have enough space here to write out all of the zeroes. You may have heard that my dad has been in and out of the hospital for the past half year. It has been very tough on us all, but no one can really understand what he has been through except for him. Last night, I decided to take the family to visit him and have a little family fun:

One Year Older – My Birthday Post

Today I turn 38. For those of you who are adults, you probably remember growing up thinking MAN! There are people my age playing major league baseball now! A decade further, you think DANG! This rookie crop is a DECADE younger than I am! 10 years later, you desperately look up and down the active rosters to see ANY familiar name from when you were younger. Thank you for still being around, Bartolo Colon. Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas ... all are long gone. At 38, not only is that one step closer to 40; it

What is the Value of the 1/1 Stamp?

In 1991, Topps ran the first (known to me) buyback program. To celebrate 40 years, they randomly inserted one of every card from 1957 to 1990 in packs of 1991 Topps. (The others were redemptions, if I recall correctly.) Kids and adults alike were VERY excited to get their hands on packs, boxes and cases to join the treasure hunt. The problem? It has been said that the buybacks fell about 1 per 24 cases, unbeknownst to us back when they came out. Imagine opening nearly 500 boxes of 1991 Topps, and your prize is this: (Note: Nick Esasky is my

2017: My Year in Review of Customs, Collection Additions & Events

As 2017 winds down, I wanted to do a review on my collection, customs created and events having to do with this hobby to document the entire year. 2017 was huge for my collection - over 600 cards have been added, over 45 articles have been written and several of my favorite customs have been created. When all is said and done, I am left with the following list of notable pickups, events & customs. I have swung and missed on a number of opportunities, but you miss 100% of the pitches you don't swing at, right? This article isn't about

I’m Dreaming of a Cardboard Christmas

The best memories I have of Christmas past have to do with baseball cards. As a child, the only thing that would rival the excitement Topps, Fleer or Donruss under the tree would bring me was maybe Super Mario Brothers 2 for Nintendo. At $60, it was a HUGE price tag for my family, but to this day, ask me if I'd rather play something on the PS4 or Super Mario, I'll probably go with the moustachioed plumber. There is nothing quite like learning from Super Mario Brothers 2 that it is okay to play as the princess (when no

Vacation Wrap Up

This past month, Mrs. Mouschi and I celebrated 16 years of wedded bliss. We have been together 18 years and are rapidly approaching that magical time when we will have known each other longer than we haven't. I still remember her loving words to me many years ago: "Sometimes I wish I were you, so I could be married to such a wonderful person like me." She is so eloquent! Work has really had me burning the candle at both ends, so for the big 16...we hit Denny's. And we got this: Yes, friends. This tall glass of water came

How to Avoid Damaged Mail from Postal Workers

For this article, the neighborhood mechanic is my office, the waiting table is my desk and my phone serves as my typing apparatus. Pictured below, you can see the nose of my cardboard mobile through the door. I've had some time to think - about yesterday's mail, in particular. I was happy to get in a piece of mail that contained both a 1985 and 1986 Topps Achievement award brochures. Let me give you some history on them. From 1959 to 2004 (to my knowledge) Topps would hold a banquet for Topps all star rookie cup winners. These are neat, because

Homer at the Bat: The Untold Story of the Simpsons

Hi, I'm Troy McClure! You may recognize me from films as "Dial 'M' for Mommy" and "The Monkey Bachelor, Season 5". Everyone has seen the episode "Homer at the Bat", where all kinds of baseball superstars made guest appearances. But did you know one main superstar did NOT make the cut? Everyone is familiar with this picture. The REAL original picture was supposed to include Mouschi Baconstache. That's right, Simpsons lovers! Mike Scioscia was a fill-in for Mouschi. As the biggest star in baseball during the early 90s, (and Bart's favorite player) Mouschi had to be included. The episode was to

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