Night Owl Cards

  Outside of 1975 Topps, 1977 Topps is the set that elicits the most memories for me, underlines what a different time it was and makes me want to go back to sixth grade.   The '77 set doesn't get a lot of love in the hobby but that's because not enough collectors had a sixth grade like mine . The 1977 Topps was at the center of just about everything we did that year and because of that set, I still remember Mario, David, Jeff, Nancy, Gina and Tanya. They all collected along with me, most of them right there in class.   This is why I've looked forward to Heritage covering the sets of the mid-to-late 1970s for so long. Those are the sets I grew up with and kicked off my devotion to collecting. But it's also exactly the time when Heritage pulled away from what it has been since its beginning in 2002, a set-collector's set, and the last surviving one besides flagship.     Still I pressed forward because of how much I love those '70s sets and designs. I was only...

  Release date for 2023 Topps, Series 1 is tomorrow. The fanfare has already begun, Topps is hyping breakers, who are streaming Series 1 breaks, other big sellers are boasting about their cases and their finds, it's a real "look at me" mess and I am trying to stay far away from it. I'm trying to avoid looking at card images, studying inserts and mapping out plans for when I can get to the store to find some. All those things that I've done for years, and documented on the blog, I'm not doing this year. I'm just not feeling it. It doesn't have anything to do with the design. I've already said I kind of like it. It has more to do with trying to avoid burnout two weeks from now. The same thing happens every year, there is a deluge of images of the new cards and then everybody looks around -- feeling empty -- and says, "OK, what's next?" I don't want to feel that. I want the cards to be exciting longer -- like when I bought packs from...

You know, I thought by being on vacation I would have more time for some thoughtful posts. But it's not happening that way. I seem to have less time than normal, and it's going to get worse as the week progresses. So, apologies in advance. Here is all I've got for you this morning: See the card above? It's a Topps Series 2 item of the injured Rod Barajas. I just noticed today that Clayton Kershaw is sharing space with Barajas on the card. You may have heard I collect Clayton Kershaw cards. So, um, is this a Clayton Kershaw card? I mean in terms of it being listed in the Clayton Kershaw library and included in a Clayton Kershaw binder, if I had one? (I still consider a binder devoted to one player as stalkerish. I know. That's my issue. But I'm a collecting child of the '70s, and it will always seem a little weird to me). So that's my question. Simple question. Simple post. Now, back to doing things I don't want to on MY VACATION...