Night Owl Cards

    This 1975 Hostess card of Brewers pitcher Billy Champion cost me 8 bucks -- a little more than 10 with shipping included.   The card contains a small crease in the corner and the pitcher, although featuring one of the all-time names in the sport, was an average performer in the '70s, otherwise known as "a common." But it's a short-print.   The Champion arrived not too long after the card of his former teammate, Robin Yount. The Yount is a short-print and its his rookie card, too, but it cost only a few bucks more than the Champion, likely because it's got a few issues (though nothing that bothers me in the slightest when it comes to Hostess cards).   I've returned to attempting to finish this set after getting frustrated with it last year. I didn't encounter the kind of price bumps I'm seeing with '75 Hostess when I was completing the 1976 and 1977 Hostess sets (1976 completed at the end of 2021 and 1977 in mid-2024). But I've got around 17...

I was listening to a podcast a week or two ago by Jesse Spector of The Sporting News. It was sort of a many-topic discussion with baseball cards as its base. It amuses me when people with high visibility and a large fan base feature baseball cards, eliciting an overwhelming reaction. I try not to think to myself, "hey, I featured that card 5 years ago and wrote a whole blog post about it and got a couple of crickets," but sometimes it just spills out. Heh. Anyway, I decided to give a listen to what they had to say about cardboard -- any kind of attention for the hobby is great, right? Jose Bautista and Facebook and bat flips, right? Can't be boring the kids with no Mario Mendoza. So, on the podcast, they discussed a few Dodger cards because Dodger beat guy Eric Stephen was the guest. They began by talking about an Orel Hershiser card, his last Topps card, and how it doesn't look all that different from his earlier cards. They discussed how Hershiser hasn...

Hey, the Blog Bat Around is back! It's only been four years since I wrote one of these things. I suppose if I actually did anything to jump-start this series on my own maybe four years wouldn't go by between episodes. Anyway, this latest edition has been started by garveyceyrusselllopes . He discusses cards he used to own and wishes he still did, and wonders if others have similar regrets. My first response to that was "I know how you feel, but, no, not really." Then, I thought about it a little, and that's still the way I think. But it took some time to get there. Let me tell you a little story first before I explain why. Perhaps you've heard, there has been a manhunt for two escaped murderers in the wilds of Adirondack Park. Yesterday, police found, shot and killed one of the escapees, Richard Matt, the man on the right. The other man, David Sweat, is still on the run as of this writing. But I know they'll get him, too. For most of y...

Like it or not, the "sick hit" is the Hollywood moment of our hobby. It's not completing a set or finding that Heritage short-print or discovering a funny little fact on the back. It's this:  "SICK! NO. 1/5 DARVISH AUTO/PATCH GREEN CHROME REFRACTOR DIECUT WITH SPARKLES! BOOOM!" Even someone like me, pretty much entrenched in old card sets now, will click on a post that screams like that to see that card. It's a show-stopper. A thrill. And even a collector who doesn't live for the hit, can appreciate the glory of the moment, and even wish it was them ... a little. The pull of the pull is strong, even if it's not your main mission. My card-buying purpose is to complete sets and find Dodgers. Maybe a little trade bait. If I get a hit -- like the 2008 A&G Kosuke Fukudome gimmicked SP that I pulled in a discount pack in 2009 -- then that's a nice perk and a moment to share. It won't turn me into a Nuthin' But Da HIIIIITZ You...

The second part of the '75 Mini Trilogy that happened upon my porch early last week doesn't involve a trade with a fellow blogger. But I wouldn't be sitting here babbling about it if it weren't for Scott Crawford on Cards . A little while ago, Scott clued me in on an ebay auction in which a lot of '75 minis was for sale. The price was right under normal circumstances. But unfortunately, I was in austerity mode at the time and I had to let it pass with a note of thanks. Weeks went by and I finally had some cash to spare. Since the auction was a BIN, I checked to see if it was still around. It was. With just a couple of days to spare. I pulled the trigger and for 25 bucks I had me some '75 minis. This is the point where you might be saying, "Night Owl, you got hosed. 25 bucks for a card like that? Do you know that thing is both miscut and diamond cut? There are about 14 things wrong with it on first glance." Yeah, I know. Isn't it wonde...

Let's wash away the ugliness of earlier today with a dip into the cleansing pool of nostalgia. This is my favorite edition of Baseball Cards Magazine from the period in which I had a subscription, between 1982-85. It's my favorite for obvious reasons: there are instructions inside on how to start a Jackie Robinson collection and there is opportunity to win your very own Steve Sax jersey. Sign me up for both, please! Unfortunately, I didn't start a Jackie Robinson collection until many, many years later. And I never won the Steve Sax jersey, although I did enter, as you'll see in a moment. But let's see what else is inside the June 1984 issue, shall we? Awesome. The new product reviews. This is where BCM would introduce us to what was out for the year. I'm not sure when this issue came to my mailbox. April, maybe? The cards for the year were already in drug stores and super markets, so most of the card sets listed here were not new to me. But it wa...