R.I.P. myusasets - post your Team USA cards

[AbraCalabro]

Hey all,

I'm not sure how much of the old crowd is still here, but I was recently informed that one of our own passed away earlier this month.

I met myusasets way back when I was first getting around to building my Flair Showcase sets. He was able to help me out during that journey as well as introducing me to other people who were also into Flair Showcase and would eventually become friends as well.

The last correspondence I had with him was wishing him a happy Thanksgiving and his response to me with likewise.

He was always happy to help me out and any time I reached out to him on behalf of others seeking certain cards, he was always gracious in assisting them.

Goodbye, old friend, you're in the big hobby shop in the sky now. Rest in peace.


As mentioned in the thread title, please post your Team USA themed cards in tribute to a great human being and one of the hobby's finest.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50771655038_8682b6c944_o.jpg

[JMarchand1981]

That's a shame. He was always a straight shooter in the brief dealings I ever had with him.

Thank you for letting us know.

[the mesiah]

https://i.ibb.co/sR1JpY4/A4-D3239-C-BED4-4372-B2-D1-20-F6-D3527-FE6.png (https://ibb.co/zx2HWvg)



I’ve seen his username post but never engaged with him or talked about cards , any friend of my boy Abra is a o k with me ..R.I.P.

[the27guy]

This makes me sad. Not sure if I ever interacted with him but he always stood out as a real collector.

[rhigh2390]

Wow, very sad to hear!!! Anyone know what happened??

[drobfan8]

This is devastating..

We were talking just the other week about the gaps in my Flair chases.

A really good guy.

RIP my man.

[GeechQuest]

Incredibly sorry to hear this news. RIP.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50772584552_d47c5073ef_z.jpg

[indyguy]

He sent me several USA cards in the past when I was looking for a specific set. Didn’t even want me to pay shipping.

Sorry to hear this. Condolences to his friends and family.

[Jasondr91]

I know the name pretty well......wow, terrible.

Glad to see you around Abra, sorry it's under these terms. If you still have my email, lets chat!

[frisbeesteve]

This is devastating news, to say the least, as he was actually the first hobby friend that I made after getting back into cards around 2013. I wasn't even really aware of Blowout back then, but met him on eBay due to the aforementioned Flair Showcase chase. He was a tremendous human being with a big heart, and will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, old friend.

Out of respect for his eternal disdain for Panini (light chuckle), I will share a card that I know he would have appreciated, even though he wasn't real big on parallels either:

https://live.staticflickr.com/7850/32577244507_3814368285_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RCJTPr)

[duron]

Terrible, just terrible. Interacted with him numerous times and he was always willing to dig through his collection to find cards or specific inserts I was looking for. Like indyguy mentioned, he would always imply that if he found something he’d just send it my way for next to nothing.

Rest In Peace to one the most selfless, diehard collectors on here. He was even averse to posting pictures of his pickups/collection, true hobbyist.

https://i.imgur.com/DLmlpDyl.jpg

[Wings]

RIP may he finally get that USA 12 Emeka Okafor /99

[sotexcollector]

I never had the pleasure of trading with him, but I did look all over my old boxes for that Omeka Okafor USA #/99 . My plan was to surprise him if I did have it by mailing it to him. My deepest condolences to his Family and Friends , especially those who had the chance to interact with him in the hobby. R.I.P.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/35921032432_2847a2bedb_c.jpg

[ThoseBackPages]

Terrible news

[brettmik59]

One of the few true collectors out there. He reached out to me several times offering to look out for PC cards. My condolences to his family and friends.

[ninjacookies]

Didn't know him at all, but always saw his posts as a regular on here.


Terrible to hear. RIP.

[elee712]

http://i.imgur.com/e9uVUkz.jpg (https://imgur.com/e9uVUkz)http://i.imgur.com/CKVa0VL.jpg (https://imgur.com/CKVa0VL)

[HoustOM]

Today is a sad day. Very sad day.
I met Bill in 2016 or 2017 via BO and we agreed to meet at I45 show in Houston, so I could buy some of his cards. I came late to our meeting, he was gone already. So I called, he wasn't happy but came back because the show was close to his home. I was feeling bad, so I offered to buy him a beer. He accepted. After that, we met every month at Bombshell in Spring TX. I was buying cards every time, he was always fair. We talked about life, about work, about the early days of the hobby, about his sets and mines...He knew my wife and kid.
Then I went back to Europe. I think he wrote something about it on BO. We both missed our card gatherings. We kept communicating on BO. Sometimes he would send me cards and I would send chocolates to his wife. Last time was for Thanksgiving, apparently she loved them. He was a good soccer player during his youth, we had that in common. He was curious to start buying soccer cards.
I know many threads he started were misunderstood on BO, because people don't realize how difficult it is for an old person to communicate properly on message boards. He could not send pictures either, even though he wanted to surprise you guys with his massive collection.
He told me many times that his family was not interested in cards, so he would do a huge fire with them before dying. I am not sure if that happened.
I am really sad today, we lost a great collector, always fair, passionate, a living memory of the early days of the hobby. And I lost my only friend in the US.
R.I.P. Bill

[n1nesports]

Rest in peace, this one's for you myusasets.

https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1996/Skybox-USA-Basketball---Base---Gold/G5/Scottie-Pippen.jpg?id=04a7c14f-64fd-4fd1-bfa8-e2e85e92a49f&size=zoom

[slum22]

Very sad to hear this. I wish the best to him and his family. Here's my favorite USA card (I used to have two, but I am not sure if I still have this one or not but I have the scan handy).

https://i.imgur.com/WElSdmyl.jpg

[ballhawkdawk]

RIP myusasets. I never knew thee, but he seems like quite the fella based on some of the stories in this thread.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201229/f333a0672b66c99f7d899ad5446f988d.jpg

And I actually have another USA Curry on the way that I’ll post once it’s received.

[the mesiah]

Today is a sad day. Very sad day.
I met Bill in 2016 or 2017 via BO and we agreed to meet at I45 show in Houston, so I could buy some of his cards. I came late to our meeting, he was gone already. So I called, he wasn't happy but came back because the show was close to his home. I was feeling bad, so I offered to buy him a beer. He accepted. After that, we met every month at Bombshell in Spring TX. I was buying cards every time, he was always fair. We talked about life, about work, about the early days of the hobby, about his sets and mines...He knew my wife and kid.
Then I went back to Europe. I think he wrote something about it on BO. We both missed our card gatherings. We kept communicating on BO. Sometimes he would send me cards and I would send chocolates to his wife. Last time was for Thanksgiving, apparently she loved them. He was a good soccer player during his youth, we had that in common. He was curious to start buying soccer cards.
I know many threads he started were misunderstood on BO, because people don't realize how difficult it is for an old person to communicate properly on message boards. He could not send pictures either, even though he wanted to surprise you guys with his massive collection.
He told me many times that his family was not interested in cards, so he would do a huge fire with them before dying. I am not sure if that happened.
I am really sad today, we lost a great collector, always fair, passionate, a living memory of the early days of the hobby. And I lost my only friend in the US.
R.I.P. Bill

Man, this is what the hobby is all about and supposed to be , thanks for sharing the story

[duron]

Man, this is what the hobby is all about and supposed to be , thanks for sharing the story

Ditto. Thanks for sharing HoustOM.

[shu4040]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201229/bb64f8dee1b610c0e1188d2564af2818.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cavs16]

That is really sad to hear, met him on BO and caught up with him a few times at our local North Houston shows. Really great and super knowledgeable guy. He offered my younger son multiple sets to get him going. He was always engaging, always looking for raw and tough cards to complete sets, a true collector and a very kind individual. So sorry to hear he has passed, he will be missed here in Houston.

[CubKings]

Wow. Sad.

I only traded with him once a few years ago. So I'll just show off the card I got from him.

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/64jeb8i0.JPG

[Luni]

A sad day :( Never dealt with him personally, but it sounds like he was a great guy.

https://i.imgur.com/KWH8Mhq.png

[callers]

498407

[August2308]

R.I.P

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50773600306_c58db5db95_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kmFYrQ)[/url] [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/146742466@N08/] (https://flic.kr/p/2kmFYrQ), Flickr

[PKIPP]

Oh man. That is terrible news. I remember him on here, and I'm almost positive I had bought cards from him on eBay in the past. Think he even tossed in freebies once. Seemed like a nice guy.

Rest in Peace. He'll be missed around these parts.

[chelseafc11]

I never interacted with him, but I managed to snag a 2006-07 E-X Saer Sene Rc /99 he posted about for one of his sets. I kept forgetting to reach out to him that I had it and was just going to send it for free. That sucks that he passed away, should have got it out right when I received it :(

RIP myusasets

[theLUCKYshow]

Sad to hear the Hobby lost such a great collector. RIP myusasets.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[maconithappen]

Oh no, this is terrible! He was a great guy and collector. I'll miss him for sure.

[maguirem]

I never had the please of talking or meeting with him, but i have come across his name numerous times across this forum and he sounds like he was a very special man and an enthusiastic collector to say the least. I hope his family is doing okay during this difficult time and may he rest in peace.

[Earvin32]

Prayers for his family and friends left behind.

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/y6r89r3kx450.jpg
https://sportscardalbum.com/c/q587v2gix450.jpg

[cshelb34687]

Oh no! Rest in peace good friend! We would always talk about the 2014 Excalibur Red White & Blue Prime set.

[cshelb34687]

https://live.staticflickr.com/4477/37550985691_86376afcd6.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ZdfBMM)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/ZdfBMM) by cshelb34687 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155403588@N08/), on Flickr

Here is the rest of my completed set:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/155403588@N08/albums/72157686779935071/with/37550985691/

[Arianny_Fan]

Wow! Very sad news. As far as I can remember, either on HK or SCF, he was searching for that Okafor usa /99. I never seen that card pop up. I told him if I ever came across it, it was his for free. Thoughts out to him and his family. Life is too short to revolve around the money aspect of it all. Enjoy the hobby and the chase like he did guys.

[gomiamigo]

RIP. I'm pretty sure I bought from him on eBay in the past.

https://i.imgur.com/ymMawou.jpg

[ballhawkdawk]

Just got this one in...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210101/c52b1795f96e1afff2ce46fb897d17f1.jpg

[watashiwa05]

Really sad to hear it. Sharing my only USA:

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/809y6zk8x450.jpg (https://sportscardalbum.com/card/809y6zk8/n-a)

[Beavers98]

Only knew him from posts on the forums. Solid member. Sad to hear, RIP.

[RookieAddict]

So sad. Rest in peace.

[kd the sniper]

R.I.P myusasetshttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210101/f60ffaabb26fd5202ebab0efd0b84372.jpg

[slum22]

Just got this one in...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210101/c52b1795f96e1afff2ce46fb897d17f1.jpg

I don't know how I forgot about this card when I posted my Duncan. This is my favorite USA card because it is Curry. I also have a Lebron USA from the same set at PSA now.

https://i.imgur.com/EINeisCl.jpg

[smalltown]

Just seeing this. Sad news to be sure.

[ballhawkdawk]

I don't know how I forgot about this card when I posted my Duncan. This is my favorite USA card because it is Curry. I also have a Lebron USA from the same set at PSA now.

https://i.imgur.com/EINeisCl.jpg

Awesome. I love the set, but will be limiting my PC to Curry only. Some really great shine on these cards. The Kobe is super nice as well with the reverse dunk image. I'm gonna try to pick up the USA Prizm Silver of Curry as well at some point... it's on the long list of stuff to buy.

[volblorx8634]

I know many threads he started were misunderstood on BO, because people don't realize how difficult it is for an old person to communicate properly on message boards. He could not send pictures either, even though he wanted to surprise you guys with his massive collection.

Very sad news indeed. My only interaction with him came when asking him to post pictures of a set he had posted about competing. There was a light hearted interaction that ensued over how he doesn't post pictures of his collection.

Prayers on behalf of his family and friends. RIP

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[bkcardcollector]

sad to hear the news. nice to hear his story. we lost a good one.

I hate to say it but I hope his cards find a good home and not a big fire.

[AbraCalabro]

Thank you every one for posting your cards and for the kind words. I (and others) are in contact with his wife and made sure to let her know that if any one ever tries to buy the cards, or if she and the family ever decide to sell them, they should contact us so that we can advise them properly and they can get the full value they deserve on the sale(s).

It was great to read some of the stories you guys had on interacting with him and the comments.

Thanks Bill, for everything.

[bkballtrader]

I was so extremely saddened to read the OP, but I did take great joy in the many stories. Thank you all for sharing! I may also have bought from Bill on eBay in past years, but I don't remember for sure. What is much clearer in my mind is my interaction with him here on BO and what it speaks of him.

During one of my seasons of buying bulk low-end lots in substantial part to feed my inventories for some classes I teach, someone relayed my story to Bill. He reached out to let me know he had some stuff that might fit my needs, so I just asked him to give me a final tally based on my price points and Paypal info. Consistent with what some of you guys have shared, though, he absolutely insisted that they be free - wouldn't even let me at least cover shipping - and his sincerity of care for the future of the hobby was crystal clear (I just went back and revisited one of his messages: "i love helping kids ... think i'll be able to dig out some things that will teach them ... how many kids, boys-girls, age range?"). I basically got a large flat-rate box brimming with tons of early- to mid-90s stuff and all the major stars of that era - precisely perfect for what I needed. Quite a few Jordans, even, and (appropriately) all the other original Dream Teamers. Plus Shaq and Penny. Grant Hill. You get the picture. Just a delightful mix.

I followed up some time later to let him know how well-received his cards were. My one regret was that I hadn't thought to get any video of how insanely amped the kids (who mostly lived outside the U.S.) were about those and other cards during the summer camp I had just taught. It got to the point where I had to wait until the end of class to give anything out and also had to ask students (against my instincts of supreme personal excitement over their excitement over cards!) to put their growing collections away during class. They kept asking me outside class about cards. There was fervor even over stuff like a base James Worthy. Just ... fabulous.

My intention, then, was simply to thank Bill and relay the joy that he had enabled. But then, he responded and let me know he was sending me another batch to help out with future classes. (!)

I've actually still got on hand some of what he sent - I mix those in with other cards for my classroom giveaways in ongoing classes I teach (still happening during COVID, though of course it's a bit different logistically). Knowing what I now know, perhaps I'll consciously stretch out his contributions a little longer than anticipated to reach a wider number of students' collections.

[buckunteer]

Damn shame. Never met him in person but we conversed on here periodically, usually about random set chases and such. Nice to hear he was likely as great a person IRL. Thanks Abra for popping back in as well. R.I.P. to a true collector.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4508/37694130036_38d00e766c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ZqUgBJ)Laettner USA auto (https://flic.kr/p/ZqUgBJ) by Steven Seeberg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156482638@N06/), on Flickr

[bankdawg]

RIP myusasetshttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210103/32dfb865eee8bc05ca44b8cf8f09b49d.jpg

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[brewtown107]

I didn't know Bill, nor did I interact with him on here, but he definitely sounds like a guy who made the hobby great. I came across these cards when I was going through boxes yesterday, and thought I'd post them here to pay my respects. R.I.P.!

https://i.imgur.com/iL494kOh.jpg

[Lothar]

I was so extremely saddened to read the OP, but I did take great joy in the many stories. Thank you all for sharing! I may also have bought from Bill on eBay in past years, but I don't remember for sure. What is much clearer in my mind is my interaction with him here on BO and what it speaks of him.

During one of my seasons of buying bulk low-end lots in substantial part to feed my inventories for some classes I teach, someone relayed my story to Bill. He reached out to let me know he had some stuff that might fit my needs, so I just asked him to give me a final tally based on my price points and Paypal info. Consistent with what some of you guys have shared, though, he absolutely insisted that they be free - wouldn't even let me at least cover shipping - and his sincerity of care for the future of the hobby was crystal clear (I just went back and revisited one of his messages: "i love helping kids ... think i'll be able to dig out some things that will teach them ... how many kids, boys-girls, age range?"). I basically got a large flat-rate box brimming with tons of early- to mid-90s stuff and all the major stars of that era - precisely perfect for what I needed. Quite a few Jordans, even, and (appropriately) all the other original Dream Teamers. Plus Shaq and Penny. Grant Hill. You get the picture. Just a delightful mix.

I followed up some time later to let him know how well-received his cards were. My one regret was that I hadn't thought to get any video of how insanely amped the kids (who mostly lived outside the U.S.) were about those and other cards during the summer camp I had just taught. It got to the point where I had to wait until the end of class to give anything out and also had to ask students (against my instincts of supreme personal excitement over their excitement over cards!) to put their growing collections away during class. They kept asking me outside class about cards. There was fervor even over stuff like a base James Worthy. Just ... fabulous.

My intention, then, was simply to thank Bill and relay the joy that he had enabled. But then, he responded and let me know he was sending me another batch to help out with future classes. (!)

I've actually still got on hand some of what he sent - I mix those in with other cards for my classroom giveaways in ongoing classes I teach (still happening during COVID, though of course it's a bit different logistically). Knowing what I now know, perhaps I'll consciously stretch out his contributions a little longer than anticipated to reach a wider number of students' collections.

Just...awesomeness.