Posted By:
Steve DawsonI grew up in San Diego and went to the monthly shows at Parkway Bowl in El Cajon starting around 1977 or so. There were also occasional shows elsewhere in San Diego County that I'd go to. I remember seeing Tony Galovich, Steve Brunner, Will Davis, Charlie Seaver, Bill Heitman and I think Gavin Reilly at them pretty regularly. The only pre-war cards I remember seeing were Goudeys, and T205s, T206s and T207s. I bought nearly all the T206 HOFers back then in probaly around vg-ex shape. I absolutely loved the early tobacco cards and bought every HOFer I could find and afford. I don't remember seeing any 19th Century stuff until the first "San Diego Show" in 1981 or 1982, and that was from Larry Shane, who came out all the way from Philadelphia. I bought N28s of Clarkson and Keefe from him. I also remember my main interest seemed to be 1955 Topps baseball, as each one of the Parkway Bowl shows would see me head straight for Steve Brunner's table and pick through his '55s (commons were going for 25 cents each, and high #s were 75 cents each! 
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Once I got my driver's license in 1978, I'd also drive up to Escondido and visit Nelson Katz' store, along with Bill Goepner's store in downtown San Diego. I even ended up working for Bill and Nacho Arredondo for a while in the early 1980s prior to joining the Air Force in 1985.
Steve