Night Owl Cards

  The National has come and gone for another year but my National is still in the works. Longtime readers know that I don't go to the National, I wrote a post about why last year . Though I'll never rule out going in the future, a card-carrying introvert like me won't regret it if he never attends.   But usually at this time, inspired by the pictures I see from the National, I acquire some cards of my own. I call it "My National".   I'm fortunate enough that I happen to have enough money to spend on cards right when the National is going on, usually birthday-related, but not always. This year I had some money from a Beckett Vintage article plus an unexpected reimbursement check  So I got to acquire cards without blowing cash on plane tickets, gas, tolls, parking, food, lodging and admission, too!    Now, "My National" didn't come without some annoyances, as well. There are still a few cards that haven't arrived due to constant ebay delays tha...

As a kid, certain cards freaked me out. I don't think there's anything abnormal about that. The world is a scary place when you're little. If you have a vibrant imagination, like I did, just about anything can become frightening. So, yes, I thought there were monsters under the bed and ghouls in the closet. The next door neighbor seemed suspicious, the dog down the street didn't act quite right, and what the hell was THAT on TV last night? I saw a snippet of the Exorcist when I was very young, and I think it ruined me for life. Everything and anything was an opportunity to be spooked. This here 1975 Topps Ken Sanders card was the first card that creeped me out. Something about the photo didn't look quite right. The guy looked like a man, but also looked like a woman. He seemed like an uglier, more menacing version of Nurse Ratched , if that's even possible. I never saw "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" when I was young, so I don't know...