[hcv123]

It was about 1978. I was 11 years old and heavy into collecting comic books. I "flipped" baseball cards. The owner of the comic book store(The Incredible Pulp in Baldwin NY - Larry Deleo) I went to had rented space to a baseball card dealer and I was intrigued by the old cards. I bought a few cheap ones. Soon after my Mom dropped me off at the Colliseum Motor Inn baseball card show. To say I was a kid in a candy store would be an understatement. I was quickly overwhelmed by all the fantastic cardboard! While looking around - I found a dealer who had a whole bunch of 1955 Topps cards in his display case - the cards really stood out to me. I looked up the 1955 set in my newly purchased ccp(cpu?) and saw that the Clemente rookie was the most valuable in the set having a listed value of $86. The one in the case was marked only $68 - A HUGE value (at the time I hadn't spent more than $3-$5 on any single card)! I waited for my mom to arrive and the process began. Please...........it will be my presents for a year.......I will never ask for another gift again........anything, mom, what do I have to do..........Spending money on baseball cards was a foreign and silly idea to mom (at the time). The dealer saw the struggle and dropped his price to $48 - I couldn't contain myself. After a half hour of begging and pleading, Mom finally caved. My Roberto Clemente collection was born. Years of joyful collecting and great friendships began that day. I still have the card. It would probably grade a 4-4.5. Far from the most valuable card I have, but for sure the one I am most grateful for.