1982 Sticker Book And The Best Part-Time Job Ever
Sticker Books
When I was a kid one of my favorite things was the sticker books. It was so exciting to get the little packs and try to fill up the books. The best part was that they were super cheap and I could easily convince my Mom to buy me the books and packs of stickers. I don’t think I ever managed to fill one up and I have no idea what happened to the ones I had, but they were amazing. I recently picked up a small display pack of the 1982 Topps sticker books. The cover had an image from Super Bowl XVI and featured select players from all 28 teams as well as special Super Bowl and All-Pro stickers. When they were first sold, they were 25 cents each for the book and the stickers. 1982 was actually slightly before my time, as I was three or four at the time, but this is a really nice set. The stickers are still easily available on eBay, so to go with the books, I decided to just buy the whole set. I also bought a few packs of unopened stickers just for fun. if you wondering if I will put the stickers in the book, I am here to tell you I absolutely will fill my book up. The stickers are not doing anyone any good sitting in a box. I just hope the glue still sticks. Here are some of the highlights I saw flipping through the book and the cards.
The set of books came in this nice little display box, that originally would have been on a shelf in as store. It also came with this amazing promotional poster, which I will need to frame and display near my completed sticker book.
The box also had a message for Mr. Dealer.
The back of the book might be my favorite part. Look at those glorious helmets and Super Bowl logos!
Here are some of the great stickers. The All-Pro and super Bowl stickers were Chrome.
Then each team would have a number of players for their section of the book.
James Lofton Seems Happy. 
Snake! 
If you were sick of getting doubles, you could always mail order the ones you needed.
Get Your Own Book!
If you want your own book, I have some available in my store. You can then buy a whole set of stickers like I did or but the single packs and try your luck. You could also display the book on its own which is a piece of art itself. I think I want to get some other years now.
Best Part-Time Job Ever
Back in the early 2000s when I was in my early 20s I answered an ad to be a Security Guard at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Home of The Bills. I was hired and my first assignment was car duty outside the stadium where Mercedes-Benz had setup a mini-track for potential buyers to test drive cars. So mainly I sat in my car listening to the radio and reading a magazine. After that I was assigned to game day duty. I was excited, already going to almost every Bills game, to be able to see the game for free, but my plans were foiled as they sent me across the street to the bathhouse in the camper lot, where I was far from the action and could only tell what was going on in the game by the PA announcer and reactions of the crowd. When I first got to my post in between being harassed by drunkards, I called my parents and demanded they bring me the little portable television we had at the time. The battery powered ones, with the 3.5 inch screen. They reluctantly agreed to drive through stadium traffic and bring me the TV, so I left my post at the bathhouse and stood at the side of the road waiting for the TV so I wouldn’t miss the game. Meanwhile, my supervisor rolled up on his golf cart and asked me what I was doing at the road. I quickly came up with the excuse that I was just heading to a hotdog stand to get a bite to eat. This was 20 minute into my shift, mind you. Buying my excuse, he said, “oh, well we have coupons for that” and told me to hop on his cart and headed for the tunnel of the stadium. Inside the tunnel it was moments before the teams were about to take the field. I remember Ricky Williams, then with the Saints, coming out of the tunnel, clapping his hands and generally excited to hit the field. This was amazing, I thought to myself, as I was ushered back to the cart and escorted back to my post at the bathhouse with hotdog in hand. What a disaster, this was not how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to be in the the stadium, not a quarter mile down the road, talking to the strange characters who wander the parking lots of an NFL stadium during a game. You would be surprised how early people leaves games. Like, first quarter early. They come back from the stadium and head home. So weird. After that day I called up my supervisor at the Security company and I said, no more gameday assignments. Surprisingly she agreed and I started my two years or so as a mostly overnight security guard at the stadium. It was quite the adventure. Driving a golf cart around the concourse, seeing literally, every nook and cranny of the stadium and facility. Reenacting plays on the field at 3AM and standing at the podium giving my rendition of a post-game speech. I also had run-ins with Jim Kelly during his camp where he told me to unlock a gate faster when he and his group of kids were headed inside a suite for a “chalk talk”. I also sat in my tunnel office watching the opposing team’s equipment managers unload and setup the game day uniforms. It made me very anxious to not be able to walk in there and take a look at all of the helmets. I also got to deliver newspapers to General Manager Tom Danahoe and Coach Gregg Williams. I would say “Good morning Coach” and he would say good morning back. What a life. Defensive Coordinator and former Oiler Jerry Gray would always arrive at 4AM to workout and shower, the smell of his shampoo wafting through the air. Plus, I had unlimited to access to gatorade, which I took full advantage of and the food leftover after the draft was high quality. Eventually after a couple years of being paid minimum wage, I decided it was time to move on and go back to school, but it was a pretty amazing job to have at the time.
One of the other perks we got as not-really employees of the Bills was the yearly chocolate football that Mary and Ralph Wilson, the owner of the Bills gave to all the employees. I received the football in the this box with a printed card.
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