Hoops Hobby

I often use TCDB.com as a resource for finding cards for my Pacers collections. I’ve had some luck finding cards there that aren’t on eBay, COMC, or elsewhere. I’d call it one of the tools in my collecting ‘belt’. When there’s a card I’m after, I usually check there first to see if anyone has the card available for trade or sale. Sometimes I can make a quick swap and save some hobby funds, and I’ve found most of the folks I’ve interacted with to be friendly and willing to help out fellow collectors.

I had a great interaction recently with BucCollector on TCDB. In my search for Pacers autograph cards, I noticed several early ABA players, including certain Pacers, are included in a Lana Sports set. Each box of ABA cards of players from 1967-68 contains one autograph card, along with 5 parallels of the base set. Three of the players in that autograph set are former Pacers: Steve Chubin, Jerry Harkness, and Bob Netolicky. I picked up a box myself and I’ll provide a write-up of that in a future post (cheaper than any current Panini hobby box, by the way), but prior to picking up a box, I searched for those 3 former Pacers online.

I reached out BucCollector, who listed the Steve Chubin in his collection, but not in the For Trade/Sale bucket. Thankfully he was willing to help me with my Pacers autograph quest, and gave me a great deal on the card, even though I didn’t have anything that would help with his own collecting project. His collecting project is Pittsburgh Pirates autographs from between 1970-79. The message board thread where he documents his collection of autographed photos and cards is a fun read.

Now the Chubin, my first Anaheim Amigos card, is safely in my Pacers autograph binder. Chubin, a 6-2 guard who had a standout college career at Rhode Island, led the Amigos in scoring at 18.2 ppg and was third in the ABA in assists (Larry Brown was first). After the 1967-68 season, the Amigos franchise moved to Los Angeles and became the Stars, where they made the ABA Finals in 1970, losing to the Pacers in 6 games. Chubin was a part of that Pacers team during the regular season, but finished the 1969-70 season with the Kentucky Colonels. Chubin concluded his ABA career after the season, with career averages of over 12 ppg and nearly 4 apg.

I’m very excited about having this card in my collection and can’t thank BucCollector enough for sending this card my way.