I've said it before and I'll say it again....my Oscar Gamble PC is the most fun project I've ever worked on in this hobby. Smile on my face - brimming wide...every single time.
I picked up 2 whole cards of his from COMC this past year (I know...impressive). The one I'm sharing with you today is a perfect example of what I love about building this player collection.
Next month will be the 10-year mark for my Oscar Gamble card chase. I'm shaking my head as I type that. Time truly flies. And while he may not have had many new cards added to the list recently, the real joy in this build comes from what has existed for years.
There are around 200 unique Oscar Gamble cards out there - microscopic when compared to the gargantuan mountain of 25,000+ cards of a player like Derek Jeter. Most of the Gamble cards he has are base or easy inserts to track down (and inexpensive)...and I've slowly done that over the years. It's no fun to just go out and buy everything in a day just to say "I'm finished".
The past couple years, scratching Oscar Gamble cards off the list has become more challenging. There are still a few that I can find easily, but if the price isn't right...I'll pass. Other cards of his just don't pop up at all - yes, there are some tougher parallels or low numbered stuff that makes this journey even more fun.
First, let's stop and enjoy this great piece of cardboard. Oscar Gamble has an absolutely infectious smile. I love the entire look of this card. The highlights hitting his face as he looks ahead to what the day might bring. Like a warm summer afternoon with nothing but good thoughts and a carefree attitude.
This Panini Golden Age card would've been released just prior to the start of my Oscar Gamble PC. In that 2014 product, there was a regular-sized base card, a Black 1/1 (which I own...but for some reason have never shared), a couple other base parallels that I still am on the hunt for as well as a plethora of mini, tobacco-sized offerings like this one.
Those mini cards have multiple versions, all differentiated by the backs. There are seven to chase (one of which is a Panini Logo-back 1/1). This card makes the sixth mini for my PC - and it was by far the toughest to track down.
The Smith's Mello-Mint back has eluded me for ten whole years. I've never seen another copy. This one showed up on COMC a number of months back and I did a hard triple-take when I initially saw it. I raced to the collection closet to snag the box containing my Oscar Gamble cards. I feverishly sifted to find the Golden Age Minis.
Croft's Swiss Milk Cocoa Back...check, Hindu Brown Back...check, Hindu Red Back...check, MONO Blue Back...check, MONO Green Back...check, Smith's Mello-Mint Back...NEED!!
I was stunned with a smile to finally see it. It's not a numbered card (and are 1:48 packs...so one in every 2 boxes), but like I said, I'd not seen an Oscar Gamble copy in all these years. I was equally floored by the $2.50 price tag attached to the card. It was an insta-buy.
Receiving my COMC cards last week, this piece of cardboard was at the top of the list in terms of excitement level. I was like a kid in a candy store ripping open the envelope and pulling out the sweet treat. I had a smile the likes of the one on the Gamble card itself when I finally had this item in my hands and flipped it over to reveal the gorgeous Smith's Mello-Mint back. Just loved it.
I think the most fun projects to build are the ones that provide a balance of enjoyment and challenge - and heightened levels of that are like an extra bonus level of fun. Oscar Gamble does that perfectly. Not every card is going to be hovering in front of me just waiting to be purchased. Time, effort, "the chase", these are things that I value when it comes to collecting.
Adding a card like this one just reinforces my enthusiasm to keep looking.
In the iconic words of Calvin and Hobbes...Let's Go Exploring!
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