Night Owl Cards

  I didn't realize when I started this blog, how interesting things would get.   From my posts being shared on major media outlets, to baseball scouts scolding me in the comments, to folks sending cards I'd never hope to own just because, to landing a national magazine gig, to people refusing to read my blog and announcing why, to former major leaguers commenting on the blog, it's been a wild adventure that I never expected when I first started typing: "Welcome! This is the first official post ..."   The same goes for collecting modern baseball cards, which I jumped into with greater enthusiasm the same year I started a blog. I had no idea what was waiting for me.   2008 was a year I thought I could still complete large sets like I did when I was a youngster. There were more of them in '08, of course, but, heck, I could do that, too. I'm older, have more money, have more resources, I'll do it.   There were four in particular that I liked that year: All...

  Each Saturday, I roll out of my nest, stumble down the tree and pad over to the mini-fridge for the daily cold coffee (black only, please). I take a seat at the computer, fire up the card blogs and note once again that there are a handful of blogs that show up on Saturdays only. I admire that -- posting just every Saturday. I can't do it myself, but I like the concept. A lot. It reminds me of the Saturdays of long ago, when I was off from school and the entire day stretched before me. I know this remains a common Saturday feeling for many people far into adulthood, but Saturday ceased being a day of recreation for me around 1988 when I landed my first job in the newspaper sports department. Saturday suddenly became the busiest day of the week, and with only a slight blip in 2011-12 for an ill-advised, ordered schedule change, it's remained that way for more than 30 years. So the idea of a free Saturday, with time to type out that blog post, with tunes playing in the backgroun...

  Card collecting in 2020, 2021 comes with many inconveniences that weren't around even a couple of years ago.   I'm right with people who have experienced empty card aisles, delayed packages and shuttered card shows.   But what I haven't experienced all that much is higher prices.   Oh, I know they exist. I've seen the inflated prices on blasters and other card wall items. I've scrolled through Amazon or ebay and laughed at what someone is charging for a 2021 rack pack or, worse, a collection of junk wax from 1990. And I do know that you can't buy on comc what you could buy on comc only four years ago.   However, I haven't had any trouble buying cards that I want.   I hear that prices for vintage cards are out of sight now. But I managed to complete the 1956 Topps set in the thick of supposed card-price inflation. I bought a Mays, Clemente, Aaron, Killebrew and MANTLE all during the height of the current card craze.   I'm not seeing anything that hurt...

  I found this card sitting behind an upgraded version of the card when I was pulling all my 1956 Topps cards out of the binder for my completion post the other day. I had no idea it was there and it's kind of neat to have another '56 dupe again -- I think I've traded most of the others away. I'm now in the process of returning those '56 cards to their forever home and taking my time with it. Because, really, once that's done, I'm done with the '56 set for good and then, now what? That's a very real feeling when you accomplish a task on this kind of collecting level. I think most collectors understand the achievement. This is my most-liked tweet in nine years on Twitter, and I can't imagine any collector not clicking that "like" button, you'd have to have some kind of issue. Out of all the comments on this tweet, there were lots of congratulations, a few really weird responses (there are always those people) and a couple of "do...

Release date for 2020 Heritage is tomorrow. I always considered March as being "Heritage month" but apparently Topps has moved it up because nobody can buy packs of any new release for more than a couple weeks without being distracted anymore. My warning to anyone contemplating completing Heritage this year is the Felipe Lopez card right here. I bought this Lopez card, which arrived at my home yesterday, in my continuing attempt to get out from under that contract I signed with Topps 12 years ago to complete the 2008 Heritage set. It's one of the many blasted short-prints in the set and I've been buying like two a year for the last 10 years because I'm cheap and annoyed and indignant and all those things that Heritage has made me. Oh, and Lopez stopped playing in the majors nine years ago. So, bang-up job, night owl, on timely completion of that set. Because I still need seven more short-prints to finish the set. I've mentioned several times that my...