Night Owl Cards

  Here it is. A plain, black, nondescript binder. Another key addition to my collection.   I'm not as creative as some collectors with their binder presentation, with year-accurate labels and every binder the same color, but I do proudly display a collection in binders. They are out in the open where everyone can see them -- not that I'm taking tickets to my card room. The cards that are in boxes are tucked away on shelves or in drawers.   I'm never comfortable stashing cards in boxes. I know that's what I did as a kid, before I discovered binders. But when binders showed up, it opened a whole new world. Cards are a visual medium and binders offer the best way to present a visual theme.   I feel the same way about any collectible publications that I own, yearbooks and programs and the like. But because that's a side part of my collection, I've stored them in bins without much of a thought -- until a revelation a couple weeks ago.     I mentioned last month ...

  I tell myself I do not have the space, nor the time or money, for non-card collectibles. I shun bobbleheads and Funkos, keychains and other trinkets, bats, balls, jerseys and other assorted placemats and pillow cases that Koufax or Drysdale might have dined off or slept upon. It's a good act I put on, and in a way, it's helped cut down on the clutter ... a little. Because, truthfully, I think some of that stuff -- that non-card stuff -- is pretty cool. I dug the above "baseball boy" out of a box in the attic just now. No, I don't exactly think it's cool. It's kind of adorable and creepy at the same time. It was painted by my mother, back when she went to ceramic classes when I was 14. She made a Dodger-themed one for me (yes, Ron Cey's number!), a Red Sox-themed one for my brother and an Oriole-themed one for my other brother. We didn't really know what to do with them. So we put them on a shelf in our bedrooms and ignored them for years while th...

  I went out for a walk yesterday and looked toward the porch to see if there was any mail as I walked past.   There were two packages sitting there. One was tremendous progress on a particular set, which was part of a trade. One was a large box, totally unexpected, from Bob of the best bubble .   He recently struck a deal with an elderly gentleman at an estate sale and a whole bunch of memorabilia and other goodies came his way. It was pretty impressive .   Never did I expect to receive anything from that transaction but that clearly was where the box came from. Completely awesome of Bubble Bob and you will see exactly how awesome by the end of this post. (Scroll to the end if you're patience-deprived).   The box contained a wide assortment of stuff, but I'll start with the cards because, as much as I love them, they were probably the most average things in the entire box.   These are either cards I need or can use for spin-off collections. I like the Reg...