Crazy Family Memories

Alright, we all have them, those family memories of collecting. However, the ones I am discussing are a bit different and off-the-wall as opposed to some. Those are the memories I would like to hear about so I don't feel alone in this.

I want to hear about those crazy family memories.

Growing up, my mom was never a fan of my father and I collecting. She was to the point of despising it. She did everything in her power to stop us from collecting and buying cards as she saw it as a waste of money. Which at first, worked. She would keep track of my dad's money in his wallet and so on.

But, we found a loophole. He started to set a few funds aside that he called "just in case funds".

We would take those "just in case funds" and turn them into "just in case we need to bust a pack funds" and head into town for a pack or two run. The challenge was getting the cards inside the house and by my mother. Luckily we both had inside coat pockets we hid stuff in to bring inside and would even do so during the summer.

That worked for awhile until she discovered a wrapper my father mistakenly left in his pocket while she was washing his coat. Then we were shut down again as she checked every nook and cranny of our coats. So we had to become even more creative.

Just one wrapper and we were shut down again

We hid packs/boxes in garbage bags (we recycled so they were clean bags being brought back in to use again), in our socks, my dad would wake up at 3 am and bring them from the car before he went to work and there were even moments we even hid them in our pants. Yes, under our pants and sometimes around the underwear region.

But once again, we got caught and this time she put an end to the extra funds and we were up a creek with collecting.

So in the meantime, we just dealt with the collection we already had and did a huge sorting project.

That can only hold you for so long.

All along growing up my dad and I were Giants fans, my mom a Cowboys fan. So when it was football season it was always a battle for the TV and especially for when our teams met up which being in the same division happened twice a year. The football season following our card drought, we started to pick up on my mother's fascination with one Cowboys running back, Emmitt Smith.

*light bulbs appear above our heads*

So we decided to introduce her a couple of Emmitt Smith cards we had in hopes it would introduce her to collecting. Surprisingly, it intrigued her and she kept them. We continued to dig for more. She kept them. When we no longer had any, we said, the only way we can keep giving you more is if we buy more. At first I think she could see our ploy, but for some reason, she went with it as long as we promised to hand her our Emmitt's. Which we did, but with a few hidden exceptions if they were tough-pull inserts.

In the end, she didn't continue collecting too much longer but did allow us to continue on just because she saw how much we enjoyed it and how much she did in her short time. It was with a budgeted amount however which we were fine with as long as we could acquire more.

We continued to hand her a few Emmitt's on and off when we got them which she would just stick in her binder. Once in awhile she would hand me back a few Emmitt's here and there for me to have for my collection.

Here is one of those Emmitt's

To this day I still have those Emmitt's and the memories attached to them. My mother still has some of her Emmitt collection in that same binder despite selling off half of it. My father, as I mentioned before on here, collected, retired and sold all, then came back recently with my influence. He and I stay in touch on and off and are always discussing collecting.

Anyone else have any crazy family experiences when they were younger collectors (or now)? You ever shove a box of 1998 Topps Chrome baseball down your pants?

Let me not feel alone and comment below!