La Coleccion de Mi Padre

[BambinoShuffle]

It’s been about a month since I joined. I grew up in my father’s admiration of sport to balance out his father’s determination of his son’s education.

You see, my grandfather, John (Juan) naturalized Filipino American citizen and WW2 survivor of the Bataan Death March, was determined to have his seed thrive in the greatest nation the world has ever socially experimented into reality. I believed he saw this great nation as the source of national collaboration under freedom of wit and sprit… and I carry his beliefs with me everyday. Education was of paramount importance, as my father would be trained and eventually become an Aerospace circuit engineer; helping to send the first generation of communication satellites into orbit. Even to this day, the processes my father helped bible for a career, would be re-tread and evolved, spread throughout the world, and make the devices we use today interconnect eachother in real time.

Along with his endeavors, my father would find treasured time with me and my sister balancing our studies with the extracurricular arts of sport and competition. We would learn invaluable skills of team building, collaboration, initiative, grace in defeat, and strategic command through lessons learned, and apply this to a fairly well rounded lifestyle. This is the beauty of sport. This is the pursuit of a life worth living. To accomplish goals constantly and to find enjoyment in triumphs and battling obstacles. It satisfies everything good about ourselves in terms of ego and humility.

Needless to say, my father enjoys this hobby as well. Since childhood, he has been able to make good trades with a community of like minded fans. He would teach me how to approach professional athletes with respect. “Don’t call him Bo, ask Mr. Jackson to sign this card with respect, and say thank you Mr. Jackson”.

Through the years, we would set build together. Topps, Score, Donruss, Sportflix, Pacific, Gameday, Hoops, Upperdeck, Proset. We would cherry-pick the best centered, and stow away the doubles in 5 rows. We would buy Becketts only from the LCS - Dave’s Dugout in the Bay Area, and would frequent the Moscone center for the larger shows.

It’s this background that would have me in so much nostalgia coming back home to clear out the storage years later, as my parents would eventually move east to Norther Virginia.

The cards would age… the trends of the hobby seemingly unrecognizable, my father now trades in vintage. Seeking the gems that have stood the test of time. I love the new stuff, but can’t seem to get into an investment mindset when it comes to collecting. I’ve joy the trade game in IG. It’s fun to get something someone values less for something I value less. It’s fun to hear that someone is happy with a trade. It’s fun to TRADE and COLLECT.

Anyway, I look forward to sinking into this forum and community, and getting know everyone around.

[Archangel1775]

Welcome to the boards! I'm originally from the Bay Area myself. It sounds like you and your father enjoy the hobby in your own way. Some great stories, thanks for sharing! If he's into vintage, I'd recommend him to join the Facebook group Vintage Wax and Packs. Also, don't be afraid to bust unopened vintage! Happy collecting!