Night Owl Cards

    Yes, I'd rather buy than sell. I think most collectors can relate to that. People who repeatedly rejoice in selling cards usually get the side-eye from me. I've addressed the buying vs. selling in the past, but I have another little story to underline it. First, just three cards that I've purchased recently. Card No. 470 in my 1975 Topps buyback quest. I'm fully at 71 percent of the set now (71.2% to be more accurate). With this card I believe I've exhausted the supply from the one ebay seller who was offering these very reasonably. But as others have mentioned, next year should be a bonanza of '75 buybacks with the release of 2024 Heritage. I've got my hopes up for some of those elusive cards. Better not be stamping more Oscar Zamoras. Yeah, this is what I was referring to in the Ron Cey birthday post from last week. This is the "card" that did not arrive in time. It's one of the trimmed pictures from the page inserts in the All-Star Game ...

(My daughter is rooting for a snow day today. I am rooting for no snow day. Such is the life as a parent in the Northeast. Here's to baseball cards and the temperature staying at 36 degrees. Don't go any lower! This is the 92nd edition of Cardboard Appreciation): Do you remember the first time you discovered an error on a baseball card? I do. It was the 1978 Topps Larry Hisle. It was an easy error to spot. After seeing a number of '78 cards already, all featuring the player's position listed within a drawing of a baseball, I knew this one was different. The stitching on the baseball was missing. The lack of stitching really made the card look odd, as if it wasn't fully dressed. Topps never corrected the error. But I think I know why. It was trying to draw your attention away from the hideous photo that it selected in order to make airbrushing Hisle into a Brewers uniform and cap an easier task. Hisle looks like he just spotted ninjas out...

"... Get your own @#%&!!!#$ helmet!"