New additions to the collection in 2023

Another year, another odd assortment of things that have found their way into my apartment. Some came during travel across the country, some came during travel closer to home, and some arrived via the online merchants of the world. But the important thing is that they all found a place to reside where they will be appreciated and loved, and that I now have the pleasure of boring other people to tears as I tell the stories of how some of them came to be in their new home. So let’s get started, shall we?

Motown business card

Last year marked the completion of my journey to see a game at all of the Major League Baseball stadiums, with two separate trips both acting as the conclusion. The first conclusion in Florida was summarized in two parts here and here, when I went to the last two stadiums on the list in Tampa Bay and Miami. The second conclusion in Detroit, where I revisited Comerica Park because I hadn’t seen a full game, was detailed here. I wrote about my side trip to Record Graveyard in Hamtramck briefly, rightly focusing on the Lil Wally polka record I bought there. But what I left out (I know, with the length of these things, it’s hard to imagine that I leave things out) is that as I was getting ready to pay for my records, I noticed that behind the slightly curmudgeonly proprietor was something the size of an index card and a sign next to it that said “Motown business cards.” Well, that seemed like something to take home from Michigan. And so I did. I forget how much I paid for it, but it wasn’t that much. And having grown up the son of a man who listened to an awful lot of Motown (a lot of it on cassettes and CDs I bought him), it feels like a good thing to have, and something my dad would approve of.

Harry Caray stationery and Jetsons bathroom cup holder

When I was a boy, I don’t know that I envisioned a future where going to antique malls would be a thing that brought me great joy. I would wager that this is the case for most boys. But some of us do wind up looking up antique malls when we take trips to places, and I’m not really sad about it. Last year found me in antique malls in New York, Pennsylvania, California, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and it was in that last state where I found myself walking through the many booths at the Volo Antique Mall in Volo (which seems like the appropriate place for the Volo Antique Mall) as the woman who made the unfortunate choice to drive to Volo upon my suggestion spent time ruing the decision. She claims we were there for three hours, but I don’t think it was quite that long. However, I accept that I might lose track of all time in an antique mall. In any case, I found the Jetsons bathroom cup holder (a natural purchase for a man who spent his childhood mornings watching The Jetsons before school) early in the excursion but—Holy cow!—found the Harry Caray stationery in a box of sports ephemera (and I would have no idea what “ephemera” was is if I hadn’t grown up to be a man who frequents antique malls) toward the end of my expedition. Why would I buy a sheet of Harry Caray stationery? What will I do with a sheet of Harry Caray stationery? Do I need a sheet of Harry Caray stationery? Enough with the questions! See you at the next antique mall!

Matt Houston crew jacket, Matt Houston pin, and signed Lee Horsley photo

I have told you about The New Year, Old Private Investigator Project, which began in 2021 and celebrated its third year with a viewing of all 67 episodes of Matt Houston. Well, after completing the viewing, I was not prepared to let Matt Houston go. So, when I saw a crew jacket from Matt Houston on eBay, a jacket that was probably too small for me and had the name “Tiger” stitched on the front, it was clear that something had to be done. And that something was spending too much money on a too small jacket on the off chance that maybe it wouldn’t be so small that I could wear it once or twice. It is too small, but I’ve worn it more than once or twice, and I am happy to be carrying on Tiger’s legacy while getting the word out about Matt Houston. Someone has to do it. Well, maybe not. But I’ll do it anyway.

And I did not stop there. While looking for more Matt Houston memorabilia (a phrase you will only read here on A Trifle Further!), I came upon the website for Queerprints, which produces many pins I have so far resisted buying (from 227, Alice, Three’s Company, and more) and one pin I was not able to refrain from purchasing—namely, the Matt Houston pin you see above. Say what you will about America, but the fact that there is a gentleman in Atlanta making enamel pins of Matt Houston that I can put on the front of my Matt Houston jacket means this is still one heckuva country.

And the final piece of this year’s Matt Houston pie came from an autograph sale by the excellent Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. Of course, I want to meet Lee Horsley some day But in case that day never comes, I am glad to have this signed 8x10.

Vega$ jigsaw puzzle

I was not done with either the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention or celebrating the New Year, Old Private Investigator Project. But this time it was the actual convention (held for the last time in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this past September; they’re heading to a new home that I hope will be near public transportation) and 2022’s series, Vega$. I bought a Vega$ iron-on transfer and had it put on a T-shirt in my post-watching euphoria last year, but I was still on the hunt for more. So, I was happy to find this jigsaw puzzle for a reasonable price at the table of one of my preferred vendors (he also had a Vega$ toy car, but I could not justify the purchase; yes, I have limits). Have I put it together? No. Will I do so eventually and then frame it? I’d rather not say. And, again, maybe cool it with the questions.

I am pleased to announce that 2024 is bringing Robert Urich back into my daily life as I continue the New Year, Old Investigator Project with 66 days of Spenser: For Hire. I don’t think I had watched more than a few seconds of the show, but I know my dad loved it and 66 was a reasonable number to commit to. It’s been quite a ride so far! Spenser kills a lot of people! Get your Spenser: For Hire merch ready for purchase. I already have my eyes on a T-shirt.

The Fastest Guitar Alive lobby card set

My love of Roy Orbison is well documented, and there is a special place in my heart for The Fastest Guitar Alive, Orbison’s 1967 foray into Elvis-like moviedom, in which Orbison plays a Confederate spy with a guitar that is also a gun (what a synopsis!). To be clear, it is not a very good movie. Orbison has a much better voice than Elvis but significantly less charisma, and he generally looks uncomfortable for large parts of the movie. But there are a few songs that aren’t bad. Here’s one:

But I don’t care that it’s not particularly good. It’s Roy Orbison in a movie, and that’s good enough for me. And its cheesiness is endearing.

I already have the movie poster framed and on my wall, so when I was idly looking through lobby cards at a convention, and one of the guys running the table asked me if I was looking for anything, I took a shot in the dark and asked if he had anything from The Fastest Guitar Alive. He asked the other guy running the table, and he told me he didn’t have anything there but was pretty sure he had a full set of lobby cards at home. He could bring them the next day if I was interested. I was most definitely interested but had no desire to come back the next day, but I told him I’d be at Chiller in a few months and could pick them up then. And so now I am the owner of not only an original movie poster of The Fastest Guitar Alive but a full set of lobby cards in great condition. Let’s all have a good time party!

I’m Not Herb hat

Can I explain why sometimes I look for things related to the very short-lived Burger King commercial character Herb on eBay? What did I tell you about all these damn questions? Look, I’m just a guy who occasionally types “Burger King” and “Herb” in the eBay search box at odd times of the night. Deal with it.

What’s that? Who is Herb? OK, I’ll allow that question. It’s legitimate. Wikipedia covers it at length, but the short explanation is Burger King had a (not entirely successful) campaign in 1985 and 1986 where they mentioned a mysterious character named Herb who had never eaten a Whopper, and this blossomed into a contest where the first person who spotted Herb at their local Burger King (he’d be popping up at several) would win $5,000 and be entered into a contest for the $1 million grand prize. Also, proclaiming “I’m not Herb” could get you a great deal:

And that partially explains why I now own a hat that says “I’m not Herb.” I can’t explain why this makes me happy.

1985 Topps baseball card set

I have always wanted to own a full Topps baseball card set. I spent many futile years trying to compile a set from wax boxes (boxes of packs of baseball cards like you would find at the corner store) during the Great Oversaturation of the Baseball Card Market but never came close and didn’t feel like poking around for cards to finish the set. And I wasn’t that thrilled with the designs of the ones I was buying anyway. They could not compare to my two favorite Topps years: 1982 (with the racing stripes on the side, and also the first year I remember buying in the stores) and 1985 (which just looked the coolest to me). Those were the sets I really wanted. But the price always was too high for me as a kid, and though I had the money as an adult, I didn’t know if I really wanted to buy any more baseball cards. So, I put it off.

Then, toward the end of last year, I was rifling through the 50% off area of The Hot Corner, a baseball card store that I think has been around since I started collecting cards. As I was making my usual Hot Corner purchases of old Mets yearbooks, I saw a box marked “1985 Topps Complete Set.” And at 50% off, it was $30.

I decided I wanted to buy more baseball cards.

And so the final addition to the collection was something I’d been thinking about for almost 40 years.

I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings. I hope you find some treasures out there too.