Net54baseball.com Forums - 365 Days of Roberto Clemente

Thanks for bearing with a longer story - just need to build up a 30 year search!!

My “collecting life” began very early perhaps when I was about 8 or 9 (I’m 53 as I write this) when I started actively collecting comic book back issues and started reading and studying the Overstreet price guide. Baseball cards were purchased for me as early as 5 years old – they however were only for flipping and scaling in school and with friends. While I kept them for a number of years, many ended up traded at a comic book show for comic books. I did start saving “sets” at 10 years old in 1977. As best I remember I was turned onto “collecting” baseball cards when my favorite comic book shop (the original Incredible Pulp in Baldwin Long Island) opened up space in the back of his store to showcase a huge 1950’s card collection he had purchased and was offering for sale. Shortly after he sublet space to a baseball card dealer. I was quite mesmerized. I started picking up a couple of older cards (like a Nolan Ryan rookie for $5). I learned that there was a baseball card show held monthly at the Coliseum Motor Inn in Hempstead Long Island, NY. I believe I was 13 when I attended my first show there. I was blown away and a bit overwhelmed by all the “old cards”. From my comic book store, I was already familiar with CPU (Card Prices Update) price guide. I must have made my way around the room a dozen times taking in as much as I could. There was a dealer with a bunch of 1955 Topps in his display case. To this day I can’t explain why, but the Clemente rookie practically jumped out of the case at me. I saw he had it priced at $68 – I looked it up in the CPU and saw it was “valued” at $86. An important piece of information is that I had never spent more than about $5 on a baseball card before then (I did own comic books that may have been in the $20-$40 range). Further, my great Aunt was the biggest financial supporter of my collecting efforts. My mom who “didn’t get it” had taken me to the card show. What felt like an hour of begging, pleading, crying and manipulation later – my mom shelled out $48 for my Clemente rookie (Yes I still own it!). Soon after, I got a copy of the Sport Americana baseball card price guide and started learning about the collecting world of baseball cards. The food issue and test issue sets stood out as very intriguing and challenging (the idea of a challenge always enticed me) – I imagined myself one day owning them. As finances at the time were limited to the generosity of my relatives there was no way I could realistically start collecting them. In looking through them I noticed Roberto Clemente was represented in many of them – that’s how I would start!! I had the rookie already, so I could collect just the Clemente’s and have examples from all the challenging food, regional and test sets! That plan was put mostly on hold as I entered high school and college. After college I picked up collecting with a vengeance and started dealing part time at shows. I quickly started building my Clemente collection – sometimes by buying complete sets, keeping the Clemente’s and selling the others to other player collectors.

Complete Bazooka boxes with the cards intact became a sub-specialty. For those familiar – quite the challenge! With a handful of exceptions there are only single digit populations of most boxes – often times just 1, 2 or 3. Over the past 30 years I have been privileged to be the steward of complete sets of boxes from 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971 and 2 sets of 1971 numbered panels. I was able to find every Bazooka box that Clemente appeared on………….except 1960. I asked every dealer at every show I went to over all the years going to shows. I probably spoke to every major dealer in the country on multiple occasions – not only did none of them have a 1960 Clemente box, most were certain they had never seen one. I checked all major (and some minor) auction catalogs. I connected with some of the most advanced collectors in the country – still no word of a 1960 Clemente Bazooka box. A close call – about 10 years ago a dealer told me he had a 1960 Clemente and would have it at the national – I showed up excited beyond belief – ready to pay handsomely for the treasure…. He takes it out and it is a 1962 (ironically one of the easier Clemente’s to find – he DID have a 1960 Aaron box which I quickly snapped up). I noticed over the years that boxes from 1960, 1961 and 1962 (Excepting the 62 Clemente) were virtually non existent. I got a copy of and looked through the catalog for the famed Copeland collection – for those who don’t know, Copeland had one of the most incredible collections I’ve ever seen - with many super rare and one of a kind items from the nineteenth century to post war, many the finest condition of their kind. He had an amazing assortment of Bazooka boxes – complete box sets from 1962-1971 (unheard of today) – only a few (6?) boxes form 1960 – no Clemente!! For years I have offered $100 to anyone who could produce a color photo or photocopy of a real 1960 box with Clemente. Still nothing. I acquired a 60 Bazooka proof sheet and 2 1960 boxes with other players – leaving me with proof of hope that a Clemente could exist. Somewhat recently a huge collection with many bazooka boxes was auctioned….. half a 1960 set!! NO CLEMENETE! Along the way I also made mental note that along with Clemente, I had never run across a 1960 complete box with Mantle or Mays either!

Friday July 24th, 2020 – I’m going through a multitude of E commerce emails I get daily with search matches and see one with a 1960 Bazooka box – not Clemente – but any 1960 box is quite rare (as of my writing there are only 9 total known (6 unique) – likely originating from the Copeland collection- graded by any grading company. I sent off the compulsory “Do you happen to have any other items” email usually responded to with the equally familiar – “sorry – that’s it”. Well, not this time – I get an email back saying “I have a whole set” – Mic drop! For those who have had a big “find” – you know what I felt like – I’m not sure I can find the words to adequately describe it. Before getting too excited, I requested pictures and expressed interest in purchasing. A few minutes later I was looking at pictures of not just a 1960 Clemente Bazooka box, but an entire set of 1960 Bazooka boxes including 6 that had not yet been confirmed to exist!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart was pounding – my mind was racing – my eyes kept going back to look at the pictures in disbelief. Along with the pictures was a note of hesitancy to sell the whole set. Negotiation ensued over what felt like months but was really only a week (One of the longest weeks in my life!).
Friday July 31st - We made a deal for me to purchase the Clemente and Mantle boxes (I have a mini collection of them too) and are currently in talks for me to broker the sale of the rest of the boxes.
Saturday August 1st – I receive tracking information that my package is en route
Monday August 3rd 7:43AM– I get tracking information that the package is waiting for me at the post office!
Monday August 3, 2020 12:54 PM - I get back from the post office with my package – open it up and stare, still in disbelief that I now own a Clemente box for which I have been searching the past 30 years!!! Still on a cloud.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcv123 (Post 2005562)

CONGRATULATIONS Howard on that monumental achievement!!! I know You had been searching for a looooonnnggg time. It certainly belongs in your collection. Very happy for you!!