Thursday, March 23, 2006

Cards and Sticker Books

I am still a kid at heart. The following is the story of my ‘card-and-sticker-book’ collecting history.

1975 - Start my first collection of stickers. Plastic Soft Drink Bottle Top pulloffs with images representing different colours of the world.

1976 - Grandmother buys me first British Football sticker book. I am hooked for life now, on the beautiful game. Also in 1976 I complete Treasure Island Bottle Top pulloffs. Toughest Bottle top to acquire is that of Jim Hawkins, the story’s hero.

1977 - Collect rugby stickers with pictures of the World’s greatest players. Start work on my Second British Football Sticker Book.

1978 - The World Cup in Argentina is all the rage. Of course there is a sticker book for this. The hairstyles of the 70s made portrait sticker book collecting all the more fun especially those of the Mexicans.

1978 - Collect motor bike stickers. I am not a huge fan of the bikes but the sticker book collection will do for the time being.

1979 - The Guinness Book of World Records issues a sticker book documenting its many records. Guess who is amongst the first to collect? Don’t ask me where the collection is now. In the same year I start collecting Disney stickers. Why? Because they exist. I am also onto my 4th British Football sticker book.

1980 - A sticker book is released with pictures of the world’s different mammals. Yours truly swaps and negotiates himself into the field of amateur zoology. Another sticker book with the emblems of different World Football teams is released. I jump in to complete this collection as well.

1981 - Its fish this year instead of mammals. Like clockwork I am there again.

1982 - The World Cup is in Spain this year and I collect more stickers to celebrate it. British Footer collection enters its 7th Year for me.

1983- Collecting career grinds to a halt when I enter High School. Oh well it was fun when it lasted.

1991 - I am back again collecting after a nine year absence disturbed by nothing less than girls, school and real life. OK I can be a geek but so what. This time it is baseball cards. The Upper Deck Series. I complete most of he 1990 and 1991 series, buy Ken Griffey Jr’s 89 Rookie Card (the best in the series) and pick up the first year cards of Clemens, Alomar, Viola, Thomas and Sosa. Collections are supplemented by the purchase of Opeechee first year baseball card collection (Opeechee is a Canadian company that is more known for its hockey cards). Baseball card stage is short-lived. Simply put I don’t have the money. After a year I lose interest and resume my true passion, writing. As for the cards still have many of the baseball specialty ones that I will keep maybe to sell one day when the urge drives me.

1998 - Acquire English Football World Cup Upper Deck Series from a friend. There is still a bit of a card lover in me.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Should there be a Salary Cap in Football?
Personally I think there should be! It’s just getting to be stupid money in football at the top of the premiership!
It’s always the same teams at the top proving that football success is based purely on money which ruins the idea of it being a sport! They’ve done it in rugby, basketball, hockey and American football and it makes the sports more competitive and better to watch!
I do a little Spread Betting from time to time and most matches don’t hold much surprise who is going to win, its boring! I want to see a team at the bottom pulling off an amazing season beating last seasons winners in a close fought battle!
Make things fair! It shouldn’t be about money!
Plus!
All there is all that money in the premiership and barely any of it stays in the UK so it’s not even helping the economy!
From my Spread Betting, if I ever win big (which is never, I’m unlucky) it’s still nothing compared to the average premiership players weekly wage!
This Rant was brought to you by Spread Betting Spike.