Night Owl Cards

  It's time for my annual Define the Design post, in which I look to name the newest Topps flagship set and take a go at some past sets, too.   Last year I named the 2024 Topps set quickly then tried to attach labels to some past Donruss sets. Some worked, some didn't and some I'm still trying to name.   The two that escaped naming the last time was 1981 Donruss and 1992 Donruss. Still don't have a name that fits for '81 Donruss, it may be just get "the Donruss debut set" to be done with it. But for 1992 Donruss I think I'm going with a suggestion by Bo on the last post.   Not my favorite set at all, as you know, but the blue streaks come in handy because, as Bo said, they are a reminder of the toothpaste that was popular in the late '70s/early '80s. Specifically for me, that means Aquafresh, which we were all about as youngsters.     Aquafresh was unique at the time because it contained streaks of green-blue, and for us kids it tasted better...

  Here you go, 2021 card collectors and companies, your cautionary year.   By 1994, card sets readily available to collectors had eclipsed 30 different kinds with various off-shoots and variations, demonstrating the company tricks that are still employed today. Collecting was no longer about the base set in '94 as "the chase" had become the thing and inserts and parallels exploded in content and popularity that year.   The hobby never seemed healthier or more vibrant. Then the baseball strike hit.   Fans left the game in droves and collectors walked away, partly due to the strike but also because the new direction of the hobby -- way too many sets to pursue -- didn't make sense to those used to the old way of collecting.   I was one of those who left in 1994. I collected some Topps, a few packs. That was it. By '96, I couldn't tell you a single thing that was happening in the hobby.   Those who remained, primarily kids who were just starting out in collecti...

Cliff from Capewood's Collections and I trade cards every summer. I kind of like the way he does trades: reserve a time period for them and then go nuts at that time. It frees up the rest of the year for, you know ... life. So, recently he sent a stack of cards and for most of them I knew exactly why he sent them. They were Dodgers. I collect Dodgers. Therefore, I need those Dodgers. But there were others that perplexed me. I'll get to those later. But first: Dodgers. I'll start with the greatest pitcher of my lifetime. Yes, I'm ready to say that now. Dwight Gooden couldn't keep it together and I wasn't paying attention during Steve Carlton's 1972 season. I suppose someone could mention Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson, but really from where I'm standing I think the only person he needs to beat out for the title is Greg Maddux. Give Kershaw a few more years like the ones he's had and it'll be his. OK, I'm about t...

I received my cards from Colbey's "Fleer Matte Finish" break a week or two ago. I entered this break because I needed just one Dodger from the '97 Fleer set -- and you see it here -- and I needed a load of Dodgers from the '96 set. You see those here. The Fleer sets from 1996 and 1997 aren't very exciting. In fact, the base cards are the polar opposite of what was going on in the card world at the time. But that's what makes these sets so interesting to me. What was Fleer thinking going in this direction? It's a common question among those who collect '90s cards. And when viewed from the angle of all of Fleer's base sets in the 1990s, it's just part of the strange route that Fleer took during this decade. From the point that Fleer returned to card making, in 1981, I considered them as another Topps. Fleer seemed -- to me anyway -- like it wanted to be Topps. Donruss demonstrated right away that it was not Topps, and as the years wen...

I think everyone knows that they pay a premium for the concept of "new." New movies cost more. The latest styles cost more. The most updated gadgets cost more. New books, new tunes, new grub almost always demand more cash. The same goes for baseball cards. Everyone knows it. The new stuff always carries a bigger price tag (unless you're comparing it to super vintage). Yet, unlike some of the things mentioned above, I don't necessarily think you're getting more for your value with new cards. Unless you get lucky on one of those Topps Heritage value boxes (which I have), you're paying for "new" and that's about it. People have gone absolutely bat guano over Gypsy Queen, and I'm like the dog in the corner, tilting my head trying to understand. Aside from the framed paper cards, I have no idea what the hysteria is about, except that it is "new." Now people are getting bunchy about Bowman hitting the shelves. I know I enjoyed one of...