Not my best purchase

 I always try to make sure I get a really good deal when I buy lots of cards (these days that's just online - eBay, haven't done an in-person purchase in over a year now). I goofed a bit recently though. I was seduced by a couple of 1940s cards in a large lot that was mostly modern crap, and put in a bid higher than I really should have. I ended up spending $20 for a lot I probably wouldn't value at more than $10. Not a big deal, really, but I often note how good a deal I got for things, might as well be honest when I don't. I come to that number by not wanting to pay more than $0.25 a vintage card and $0.10 a modern card, and being quite selective on the modern ones.

Here's what I got. Some nice cards and a lot of stuff I don't need, and probably will have a hard time trading.

I'll start with the filler. The bulk of this 175 card lot was junk wax and 2010-ish Bowman. Anyone working on a 1990 or 1991 Donruss set? A few big names in here, especially the 1991.

Most of these Bowmans are from 2010, a few from 2009 or 2011. Lots of Marlins here.

The puzzle piece is from Duke Snider - anyone working on that one? Knucksie and Dusty might look nice in your collection.

A few randoms from Fleer and Score, a Cal Ripken and a Rocket checklist.

Finally some Topps cards from various years. Some pretty decent names in '86 and '87.

On to the keepers. I didn't do too bad, really. Just not as well as I usually do. These autographs maybe helped me value the lot more than I should have. I don't actively seek out autographs but it's always nice to have them in my collection.

Mixed in with the '10 Bowman Chrome were a few refractors. Some reasonably big names here.

Some more Bowman cards I didn't have. This was certainly a Jhan Marinez hot lot with the base Chrome, the refractor Chrome and the autograph Chrome. I have to admit I'd never heard of him but he's pitched 103 games in the major leagues for seven different teams and is still active in the Mexican League.

Two more random cards I happened to need.

Some 2018 Heritage (Minors) and 2019 Heritage. Nice to see a couple of big-time former Yankee pitchers.

On to the vintage! A few standard Bowman and Topps cards from the '50s and '60s, all cards I needed.

My first ever 1961 Topps Stamps. I like that Zoilo Versalles is called Zorro on the front.

Getting odder with the oddballs - these are from the 1959 Oklahoma Today Magazine set. These were magazine cutouts of prominent ballplayers from Oklahoma. Nice to get two Yankees from this set. There's a certain other Oklahoman Yankee in the set that is priced quite highly, don't think I'll ever get that one.

This was the card that made me pull the trigger. The 1943 M.P. & Co. set was one of the very few to come out during World War II. I had actually seen this same card in another lot that I bid quite highly on to just fall short. Seeing it again was what triggered me here. 

The back is worth a look at too. "The Mad Russian of Baseball"! He was a surprise breakout star in 1942 but was not able to maintain his success in '43. His SABR biography is definitely worth a read. His SABR bio is an interesting read. My favorite tidbit is that in 1945, Novikoff was a big enough Russian-American celebrity that after V-E Day in 1945 US General Omar Bradley and Russian Marshal Ivan Konev, toasting various American and Russian leaders, included a toast to Novikoff.

Finally, a couple more war-time era "cards". After winning the World Series in 1943, the Yankees put out a stamp album. These are a couple of stamps from the set, including Hall-of-Fame manager Joe McCarthy.

Finally, one other interesting item in the lot. It's a Yankee Stadium ticket! I don't collect tickets, especially from games I didn't go to, but it's an interesting oddball collectible to have. I did a little research online but can't figure out when it's from - my best guess is early 1980s.

OK, so this really isn't that bad a lot for $20. I'm certainly having fun with it. I do plan to be a bit more careful going forward though.