Brothers: Store

I've tried to calculate how many trading cards I hard drew as a child, and the number is somewhere around 5,000. I created my own sports, BNHL (billy's national hockey league) and BNFL, which had annual stats, players, trophies and of course al of my friends where on teams. I'll never tell you the drama in the household when Scott got traded from the Minnesota Lightning to the Pittsburgh Jackpots in 93'. Luckily, we traded for him back in 94' for a couple of draft picks.

My 'store' featured packs of cards from every sport, including some super hero cards, and posters. I was in love with insert cards and made copies of all my cards on a copy machine. I would collate all the cards, figure out the approximate odds of getting a certain insert card and write the odds on the box (which was just folded paper). I loved Shinders, a local comic book collectible store in Minnesota, and tried to make my own version in my room. Insert cards ranged from holograms (which meant tin foil), hand colored variants, autographs (forged of course), die cuts, gold and silver versions (using marker pens), and also the hidden Reserve or Artist Proof rarity cards (which meant there was a hand drawn hidden symbol making it very rare).

The creation of these cards, and managing my store was basically my entire life as a child. Except for the times when I was outside playing with Scott. I also spent a great deal of time marketing and advertising my store, which meant I constantly begged my parents, grandparents, relatives, and neighbors to come to my store and buy things.