Night Owl Cards

The latest of the many goodbyes I have made since the loss of my parents doesn't include loved ones or even people I know. Instead, it has to do the with the familiar places in my old hometown. My parents were the last human connections to where I grew up. Most of the people I know from that time scattered to various places long ago. There is no one to visit anymore when I return to the Southern Tier. It's not like I'm going to hang out with my folks' friends. This is a bit sad because I spent the first 20 years of my life in the area. There are many places and spots that mean a lot to me. For example, I walked through the local mall one morning a couple of weeks ago for the first time in a long time just to retrace the steps during one of the greatest three years of my life (1983-85) when I worked at a store in the mall. That store no longer exists. It's now a Burlington Coat Factory. But I entered the store and then found close to the exact spot where I onc...

I still have some cards to purchase with birthday money. I wish it wouldn't take me so long to spend money on something I enjoy so much, but you know how life hates cardboard. When I do finally get those "birthday cards," you can be sure you'll see them. But for now I'd like to relay the tale of how my daughter found a thrift shop that had baseball cards for sale. I know. How's that for teaser? "What? How? Who in the world set up a thrift shop in night owl's barren outpost?" Well, settle down and listen. So, I always lament to myself whenever someone blogs about their latest thrift shop score, or flea market find or antique market steal. Those things don't exist near me, or if they do, they contain boring stuff like plates and salt shakers and, gracious, people sure have a weird idea of "interesting," don't they? There is an antique shop on the corner in the city that I've mentioned before. It used to be the...

I love cello packs. The first packs I ever received -- those cards my mom bought for me at the grocery store in 1974 -- were cello packs. The majority of the packs I bought that first year of collecting in 1975 -- including the '75 minis -- were cello packs. Cello packs were/are cool because you can see some of the cards that you are buying. Old-style rack packs are even better, because you can see even more of the cards that you are buying. Of course, these days they try to cover them up all thwarty like. It's been a long time since I've seen cello packs wrapped the traditional way. That's why when I first entered the antique shop last weekend, I knew the trip would be a success, because virtually the first thing I saw were two cello packs of 1984 Fleer. They were locked in a glass case with a number of other "for sale" items. I felt ridiculous asking to have a case unlocked for two packs of 1984 Fleer. Next to the '84 were two cello packs of 1...

Toward the end of my visit to the antique shop, I unearthed a junk wax haven. This is the same place where I nabbed the Major League Writers set. There was all kinds of stuff from the late '80s/early '90s there. Sealed wax of '91 Donruss, 90210 cards, Score Young Superstars (I actually bought a box of those because it was the 1990 set and I needed the Dodgers. Unfortunately, one of them was missing). Then, I spied them: A-Team cards. From 1983. 3 packs for $1.00 Why I bought only 3 packs instead of the 15 or so that were there is a mystery that they will still be trying to unravel long after I'm gone. But, yeah, I have only three packs of one of the greatest and stupidest shows to ever air on American television. If you were young, male and breathing in 1983, you loved this hour of senseless drivel. I was hooked on shows like this back then. "Emergency" begat "CHiPS," which begat "The Dukes of Hazzard," which begat "...