“well-loved”–adj.
A description applied to collectables when their physical condition implies a lack of material or monetary value, but remains valuable on a personal or emotional level.
Yeah, this 1954 Bowman Charley Trippi has had the crap kicked out of it. But after seventy-two years, you have to wonder how it survived that long. But, you also wonder what kind of a life it has led up to now.
I bought it on eBay from a Texas card shop, and they made it clear that it was in “poor condition”. And it is. This is the definition of “rounded corners”. And it is badly scraped. Then, there’s the back. Stains, pencil marks, and that “x” in blue ink…
This was a treasured card. It had to have been in some Texas boy’s back pocket countless times, and probably was shoved in some cigar box or shoe box. It probably survived a few “card flipping” marathons as well. How many times did this boy set this card in a single wing formation, with other ‘54 Bowmans, and ran imaginary plays on the floor of his bedroom?
And that blue X… was that the way the boy kept track of his cards?
Trippi was a helluva player–he remains the only HOF player to have over a thousand yards rushing, passing and receiving. So, this card deserved the attention. Especially when Texas failed several times to hold onto a pro franchise. The Dallas Texans had just failed, and the Cowboys and AFL Oilers and Texans were six years away. Trippi was a player whom the collector had to read about in the Monday newspaper or a football magazine, or hear on the radio.
You have to wonder… how many owners has this card been through? Did that boy put the card away and forget about it, only to have some family member sell it to that dealer half a century later? Or, has it been passed around from card show to card show, from dealer to dealer? How many times has it been a “filler” for someone collecting Bowmans?
Trippi lived to be a hundred years old. The original owner–if still alive–is probably eighty-five, if not older. I’m two months shy of sixty. And I am the owner–for now. But eventually I will sell my collection, as my daughters have no interest in them as far as inheriting my crap. And Charley will be on the move again. I can only hope it gets a little love.
