Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
You just triggered an awful memory. I had at least three rookie Mickey Mantle cards that I used as a motor in my bicycle spokes. I guess I wasn't good with money even back then. I may still have had one left that I didn't use so callously, but another traumatic thing happened a few years later. When we moved from New York to Vermont my parents had a large yard sale. We were downsizing and they wanted to sell off everything we didn't need before we moved. Along with whatever baseball cards I had put aside she also sold my 4th place team bowling patch. The only thing I ever won when it came to even a slightly sporting event. Why anyone else would have wanted it is still a mystery, just like her failure to even ask me if I wanted to keep that stuff. A few baseball cards and a flat cloth patch would not have taken up much room. I never let her forget that parental discrepancy, but all was forgiven because other than that she was a great mom. She just threw away more valuable things (todays antiques) than you can imagine. She never saw the value in any item, not even nostalgia. Except for one thing.
I know that all of you have at least seen a picture of what was a big thing in the 50's. We had a console black and white TV in a beautiful cabinet that along with the TV also had a turntable and (rare in those day) AM/FM stereo radio. It as about 5 feet long, 3 foot high and 18 inches deep. That thing died in about 1965 and when she passed in 2005 it was still located on her sunporch because "it was to nice a piece of furniture to throw out". At that time it was still worthless in any monetary sense. You wouldn't believe how spotless she kept that thing. I guess as a child of the depression it was a very important status symbol in her mind. It looked something like this one below.
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