For this one, we travel back to the summer of 2003. It was beautifully hot and typically dry in sunny Albuquerque NM. I lived in the dorms at UNM during this time as I had just completed my second year of college. However, that summer, I spent a lot of time with my mom at her house. While I was there, I decided to go through my things and it was at that time that I re-discovered baseball cards. I had been out of the hobby since late 1998. I left because I was growing in other areas and my focus was directed toward other things for the next 5 years.
In 2003, I went through all of my baseball cards and remembered that I once ardently collected both Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas. Well, I knew that from that time forward I wanted to start collecting again but also knew that I was going to have to choose just one guy to collect. I didn’t think it would be a good use of my funds or my time to multiply my efforts by two in order to collect two guys. So I chose Frank Thomas. I did so for a couple different reasons: I had more cards of him over Griffey, and I could afford him more so than Griffey. I love both fellas equally, however. Anyway, upon making this decision, I revisited all of the card shops that existed at the time and sought out card shows in an effort to buy everyone out of their Frank Thomas collections. I did this, for the most part, successfully.
Sometime in mid-summer 2003, I attended a card show at a mall in Santa Fe, NM. It was at this show that I first discovered the 1990 White Sox Coke Frank Thomas card. I’d never seen this card, or this set before but then again, I hadn’t been in the hobby in five years and I was basically an adolescent back in 1998. Also, because eBay wasn’t yet in my arsenal, my exposure to such rarities was limited. When I asked how much for the card, the seller wanted $50. I had some thinking to do. I knew I wanted the card but I wasn’t sure I was able to pull the trigger right then. So I went home a slept on it. I made a second trip back the next day and bought the card. The one I bought is in raw condition. The one you see depicted here is a gem mint copy I bought years later. Every time I see the 1990 White Sox Coke Frank Thomas, it reminds me of these rich memories of summer 2003.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1990 White Sox Coke, click here.