My sister clipped this comic from the newspaper and gave it to me. I think we all can relate to Charlie Brown here. I know I can.
Ironically, it was my sister who always got the one card I wanted-needed-had-to-have when we were kids. Whoever was my personal “Joe Shlabotnik” at the time. Looking back is a bit fuzzy, but I remember two occurrences of this phenomenon:
#1 – 1989-90 Topps Pittsburgh Penguin sticker
In my freshman year of high school, I bought a box of 1989-90 Topps (36 packs), got the complete 198-card set but was 1 sticker shy of completing the 33-sticker set.
My sister bought 4 packs and got the one sticker I was missing: #16 – Pittsburgh Penguins.
I probably traded 20 or so various 1980s Penguins cards for this logo sticker. Negotiation was not my strong suit when I was a kid. Fortunately, I was in honors algebra that year, because 2 years later…
#2 – 1991-92 Upper Deck Eric Lindros Canada Cup
Bad luck struck again in fall of 1991. Now a Junior in high school, I bought 2 boxes (72 packs) of 1991-92 Upper Deck hockey cards. The one card I did not get was this short-printed card of Eric Lindros, which had a high Beckett value of $15 at the time.
My sister bought one pack and got this card. I am not exaggerating.
Both my sister and I were in honors math classes, but I’m 2 years older. I saved all my honors Algebra homework from my freshmen year, and ended up trading a semester’s worth for this card. I got to complete my set, and my sister got all the answers.
My sister and I talked during the Sharks-Canucks game last night. She could not remember any specific times when she got a card that I needed–she just remembered that this was a regular occurrence when we were kids.
Question: What card was your “Joe Shlabotnik” when you were young? Did you have to overpay–or trade too much–to get it?