Catch Me if You Kenseth

Whenever I feel the itch to rip packs, I like to make my way to the local Dollar Tree.  That way, I can satisfy my urge without doing too much damage to my poor, little wallet.  Plus, every once in a while, I end up with some cards that fit in somewhere within my collections or something pretty cool.  I think I'm the only one buying trading cards from this particular establishment, but I digress.

A couple of nights ago, this want struck and so I moseyed on over to the dollar store to see what the pickins were.  Usually, there's nothing but a hefty helping of various repacks products and out of date entertainment cards; however, this time, a nearly new gravity feeder, chock full o' 2014 Press Pass packs caught my eye:

I'll almost always pull the trigger on cheap NASCAR product, seeing as my racing collection is still relatively tiny.  When I picked up this particular pack, it felt unusually thick and heavy.  After examining a couple of others from the feeder for reference, my tactile instincts were confirmed.  Was it possible that there was a hit in there? Or was it just one of those psych-out, thick slabs of blank cardboard?  For a buck, I was ready and willing to take this gamble.

Also, I assure you that I'm no pack-searcher.  This pack very first one that I grabbed out of that gravity feeder.

Unfortunately, the base cards were not particularly intriguing and provided me with no new names for my All-Time Drivers Collection, so I won't bore you with those.  However, as it turns out, the very last card in the pack was definitely of interest:

My very first NASCAR hit!  And it comes from Dollar Tree of all places.  I'm not lucky enough to pull many hits from pack purchases; so anytime I do, it's a cause worth celebrating, much like Matt Kenseth is celebrating his victory in the 2013 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.  As an extra bonus, the tire rubber relic is numbered 11/50.  Neat!

Also, I think the universe is telling me to start a Kenseth PC.  In my NASCAR collection, I have two (IP) autos, one relic and all three are of the Wisconsin native.  Maybe universe, maybe...

I've been lucky enough to meet the guy a couple of times.

Furthermore, in addition to my lucky pack find, I purchased one of those aforementioned repack products, as well.  I threw this into my proverbial shopping cart to serve as a pallet cleanser, just in case my tactile instincts were horribly incorrect and I needed a little pick-me-up.  I could have opted for baseball, or football, or multi-sport; but, this time, I decided to try something a little different:

A re-pack of packs - I don't think I've seen one of these before. 

Plus, right on top of this set of two, unopened packs, was this sampling of Collegiate Collection, featuring the University of Arizona:

These cards always tempt me for a couple of reasons:  A) I have a noted affinity for cards which feature pro athletes in their minor league or collegiate apparel and B) the diverse subjects included in these products affords me the opportunity to pull some track athletes for my newly-declared runner collection.  After all, the sources for the latter reason are quite limited.

So, how'd I do here?

It wasn't a rip-roaring success, but I did come across one card that intrigued me.

Before leading the Arizona Wildcats to three College World Series titles and earning his way into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Kindall signed on with the Cubs as a bonus baby in 1956.  This flawed system damaged many a young career, forcing prospects into the Bigs well before they were ready.  No one since 1920 with at least 2000 at-bats has a lower career batting average than Kindall's .213, so it seems he was yet another victim of this policy. 

Despite this, Mr. Kindall was able to carve out a decently long, nine-year career in the Majors, with the Cubs, Indians and Twins.

But enough about Jerry Kindall, whose Arizona Wilcats card will slip comfortably into my Nothing Major binder, what about that second pack of cards that was promised within the cello wrapping of the re-pack?

Blah.  Soccer cards... this doesn't even come close to moving the needle for me.  Although, I can appreciate the inclusion of the Italian language on the foil packaging - you don't see that too often.

While I clearly have no use for these World Cup cards from 1994, perhaps I could find someone who does.  Recently, at the school I work at, I discovered that there must be a student who collects soccer cards, as I found this little number, lost on the computer lab floor:

It's been sitting on the corner of my desk ever since I came across it, last week.  Perhaps, if anyone ever actually claims it, I'll dump this pack of World Cup cards from 20+ years ago on them, as well.  I mean, what collector doesn't love free cards of their favorite sport?

With that, I've exhausted my supply of dollar store trading cards.  Not bad for a late night, dollar store purchase, I'd say.  Does anyone else regularly stop at the Dollar Tree for baseball cards?  If so, what's the best find you've scored from such an establishment?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Dollar Tree - easy on the wallet, heavy on the fun.