Twelve Questions Tuesday With... Wrigley Wax
Today marks the debut of a new segment on the One Million Cubs Project blog. This feature will highlight other bloggers, card collectors, and Cubs fans. The inaugural post ties all three together with Paul from Michigan, as you may know him as the man behind the Wrigley Wax blog.
When I made one of my returns to the hobby around 2011 I discovered Wrigley Wax. It immediately gave me the drive to create my own Cubs baseball card blog. Over the next year, I dabbled with a couple failed blogs. My problem was lack of focus, and I wasn't immersed into the hobby as I am now (I was back in school full time, traveling with a university athletics department, working two part-time jobs, and doing contract broadcast work...there wasn't much time for a hobby).
Recently, I blogged about the inspiration behind the One Million Cubs Project, and Wrigley Wax is right at the top. Many cards I add to my want list are a direct result from reading Paul's blog. Sometimes when I am looking to kill some time on the couch, I'll dig deep into his archives. He's been at it nearly 10 years and has blogged almost every day since inception. Without further ado, I introduce, "Twelve Questions Tuesday With... Wrigley Wax."
1) How long have you been a Cubs fan, and what's your first Cubs memory? I've been a Cub fan since 1969. I grew up on the south side in a White Sox family, but my grandpa was a Cub fan. The excitement of the '69 team, along with WGN, got me hooked on the Cubs. My first Cub memory would be that '69 team. I remember getting Cubs photos from Jewel. I remember watching on TV the game that Tom Seaver almost had a perfect game. I remember tremendous disappointment in September.
2) Who is your all-time favorite Cubs player, and who is your current favorite?
My all-time favorite is Billy Williams. Right now I really like the way that Anthony Rizzo does things both on and off the field. 3) When did you start collecting baseball cards?
I started collecting in 1969. I was 7½ years old at the time. My mom would bring home one or two packs (at a nickel each for five cards) from her grocery trip to the National. I would also use my own money and ride my bike to the local candy store to buy some packs. I still have most of those cards. 4) Do you remember your first pack, or your first Cubs card?
My first Cubs card came from my cousin. He gave me a handful of some of his old cards in 1968 or 1969. The cards were from 1961 and included one of Cub Frank Thomas. I wrote about it on the blog here: https://wrigleywax.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-bat-around-v-freebies-from-my.html 5) What's your favorite Cubs card in your collection, and why?
My favorite card is my 1954 Topps Ernie Banks. A Mr. Cub rookie card.... hard to get much better than that! 6) Do you have a story of finding a Cubs card you had been searching for a long time? My "finding it" stories aren't very interesting because I use Ebay as my main source. I do get excited when I get a saved search email from Ebay telling me that one of my most wanted is now listed. 7) What's the number one Cubs card on your want list? #1 on my list is a 1973 Jewel Foods Jim Hickman. I've been looking for one for over two years and have yet to see a single one surface at any of my usual sites.
8) How do you acquire Cubs for your collection? There are no card shops within an hour of my house, so I get all my cards via the web. My main sources are Ebay, Sportlots, Checkoutmycards, Card Barrel, and the Beckett Marketplace. I also purchase most of my complete Cubs sets from Brentandbecca He is a major ebay seller but also sells directly to collectors. I buy from him direct, saving him the Ebay fees and me a little off the price. Buying from Brent also saves on postage, since I'm getting everything from one source instead of several.
9) How many Cubs cards do you have in your collection? I keep very tight control of my inventory! As soon as I get new cards they are entered on a spreadsheet. I have exactly 16,050 Cubs cards!
10) Do you collect anything else besides Cubs cards?
In addition for Cubs cards, I collect Cubs media guides, scorecards, and schedules. My media guide collection goes back to 1958, the first year the Cubs put out a roster books. I go back a little further with the scorecards, back to 1947, when artwork from Otis Shepard began gracing the cover. My schedules start with the year I was born, 1961. 11) What inspired you to start blogging?
I returned to collecting around 2007 after fifteen or so years away. I discovered the blogs when I was researching cards, trying to get caught up on what I missed. I found team-specific blogs for several teams, but not the Cubs. I decided to fill that gap by starting a Cubs blog and Wrigley Wax was born. I'm happy now that there are several others blogging about their Cubs cards.
12) Who are your favorite trading card bloggers?
There are many great bloggers out there and I use Feedly to keep up with them. In no particular order, favorites include Night Owl, Dime Boxes, and Waiting Til Next Year.