Night Owl Cards

What I am about to write would receive a stern lecture from my mom. But I've got to be honest with myself, and I'm sure many a card blogger has done the same thing that I've done: I tend to rank the cards that I receive from fellow collectors. It's nothing I do consciously. I don't get out charts and graphs and start making lists (well, until now). But there's a definite hierarchy when I pull cards of variety from a package. Recently, Jim from cards as I see them , checked out my partially intact want list and sent Dodgers and other items my way in a bid to get me closer to 20,000 total Dodger cards. I separated the needs from the dupes and then instinctively ranked the needs. (Quiet down, mom. It's just something I have to do.) The excellent Adam LaRoche Donruss Studio night card from 2004 would land somewhere in the middle of my rankings in this package. But since it's the star of this post, I'll save it from this demeaning process. ...

I went back out yesterday and got that light bulb. And I stopped by the card aisle and grabbed what I thought were more sensible purchases for my 2015 set-collecting needs. So I bought the bulb, a hanger box of Series 2, a hanger of Stadium Club and one pack of Update. And when I got through opening them, I had the distinct feeling that my card knowledge was being tested. First the highlights of the Stadium Club pack. Nothing really notable, just the presentation of every base card as an EVENT, which I will always applaud. (Sorry, Edwin, I was rooting for the Royals). The pack helped me cross a few more cards off the want list. I think this set will disappear off store shelves before I come close to completing it because it's so darn pricey. I'll have to reapply myself and hunt for cards online. Next, the Update pack. It was just as useful, presenting me with one more Dodger who probably won't be with the team next year. And just so the card gods can...

I'm a simple guy. It doesn't take much to make me happy. Just one card. One, single, solitary card. One, single, solitary card that can help me obtain many more cards. Fortunately, my wife knows this, and I am the super-pleased owner of a Target gift card received this Valentine's Day. It will go toward some cards of my choosing this week. It's funny how a single card can make everything right. Here are a couple of other examples: I received this card in a one-for-one trade with Sooz at A Cardboard Problem : I'm quite happy to have this very simple Upper Deck Timeline Clayton Kershaw card to add to my modest Kershaw collection. I think I am even more pleased that I was able to find a Derek Jeter card that Sooz needed. Player collectors kind of intimidate me. Their collections are so specific, and they have so many of that particular player that it's hard to track down something they could use. So I feel like I have accomplished something. And it's always n...