Night Owl Cards

  Whenever I finish a vintage set that arrived before I started collecting, I let some time pass for admiration purposes and then I go through and pick it apart. By that, I mean pinpoint the cards that could be upgraded some day. While I'm completing a set that old, I usually ease my condition standards a little because collecting an old set is difficult enough. After some time has passed, I can see that maybe I should have held out for a card in better shape. Whether I ever do upgrade those is another matter. I recently finished the 1970 Topps set and I just went through it and, weirdly, the upgrade candidates are in the low numbers. I guess that will help with cost! While making a list of potentials, I decided to chart a 1970 element that has always interested me and I'm sure it's been mentioned by collectors before. Why are there just four cards in the entire set that use blue for the team names?   The first series lulls you into complacency with Grant Jackson at card #...

First off, thank you for all of the comments of support and especially the emails regarding my mom's passing. I'm getting through, as I seem to have inherited my mom's reputation as one of the "rocks" of the family. But it's very difficult seeing how other people handle her loss and the various conflicts and issues that arise from that. Tomorrow will be exceedingly draining. Anyway, as all of that happens, life still goes on. I've been told that the latest issue of Beckett Vintage Collector is out, the June/July issue, and that I have an article in it. I don't know this first-hand because I have to drive an hour to find a store that carries this magazine and being otherwise occupied, I can't do that. Perhaps this weekend I can find one. I'll write a separate post once I get my hands on a copy (or four). But further proof that my second article has been published came in the form of a payment check from Beckett. I've decided that I ...

(Today is "Ask a Stupid Question Day". This day, I've learned, was created by teachers in an effort to get kids to ask more questions in class -- giving teachers more material for the teachers lounge when they share which kids asked the dumbest questions. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 232nd in a series): Today is Grant Jackson's birthday. Jackson is known for pitching for three different World Series teams during the 1970s and for being the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series. In the baseball card world, he is known for a couple of different things. One is for his insanely difficult to obtain 1966 Topps rookie card , which he shares with Dodger Bart Shirley. The other is for this often-cited example of 1970s fashion: Diamonds are a reliever's best friend. But I want to go back to Jackson's 1977 Topps card. Jackson is listed as playing for the Mariners. That's because he was selected by Seattle in the 1976 ...

I'm sure a few of you have listened to the new hobby podcast, "The Trading Card Preservation Society," hosted by Matt F of Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius and dayf from Cardboard Junkie. It's been pretty interesting as they cover a variety of trading card subjects, and they aren't afraid to go into great detail. As is the case with wide-ranging podcasts, I'm not interested in all of the topics, but with just the one show as a guide I like where it's at. Anyway, the second part of the first three-hour podcast began with the problems encountered obtaining some of the high-numbered cards in 1966 Topps. Matt F said he collects Mets catcher Choo Choo Coleman, who has a short-printed high-number card in the 1966 set. He discussed how difficult it is to find that card for a reasonable price. That caused dayf to bring up Braves pitcher Chi Chi Olivo (I swear, younger readers, I am not making up these names). Olivo also has a high-numbered car...

One of my favorite blogs, Dinged Corners, hasn't posted in a week. It's my hope that they're doing something delightful: vacationing, obsessing over the Olympics, or journeying to their favorite spring training site. But, like dayf , I'm going to try to draw them out anyway with a direct DC reference. It's time to play the 6-in-30 game. This is the DC brainstorm where you pull six cards that make you happy, but take only 30 seconds to do so, or thereabouts. Mine was more "thereabouts." I pulled six-ish cards in a minute and 30 seconds. I went directly to what I call my "vintage binder." This is a binder with sets that I have not reserved for their own separate binder because I don't feel I have enough cards from the set yet. I have several of these kinds of binders, but the "vintage binder" is special because, duh, it's all vintage. I'll start with one of my favorite cards from the 1969 set. I like it when the design...

I came up with the idea for this post from this post . That's a lesson for all you young card bloggers out there: Read other people's card blogs! You never know where you'll find your inspiration. Or something to rip-off. Or plagiarize. I'll begin with the absolutely bizarre jacket that Grant Jackson is wearing. A diamond pattern down the sleeves? Who designed that? Dock Ellis? The Pirates were well-known for their wild uniforms in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1977, they unveiled five different uniform combinations that would replace the traditional home whites and road grays that they had worn for years. In the ensuing years, they would add more combinations and subtract others. The colors were very loud, but it was the '70s, so that in itself wasn't wild. The A's had their green and gold. The Astros had their colors of the rainbow. The Padres willingly wore brown and yellow, and did not commit whoever came up with that concoction to the insane...

Do you hear that? That's the sound of two card bloggers ' blood pressure readings traveling the route of a Mike Schmidt pop fly in the Astrodome. (in other words: it's going a long way north and might not come down). Do you think Smoltz will ever pitch a game for the Red Sox ? I say the chances are good. He performed well in a rehab start last week, and he's supposed to be starting again today. But this card picture does remind me of the many times that Topps depicted a player with a team for which he never played. Steve of White Sox Cards just had a post about one such player. I really wish I could come up with a great name for cards like this. I'll have to work on that. Here is another example from 2008 Heritage. Johnny Estrada never played for the Mets . He was acquired from the Brewers basically so they could get rid of reliever Guillermo Mota . But the Mets had just acquired catcher Brian Schneider and didn't have a place for Estrada, so they let him...