Night Owl Cards

  I've done very well this year keeping myself from splurging on 2023 card product. I've kept to a schedule of only what I know I'm going to like, or to longstanding traditions. I've bought only a couple hangers of Topps flagship at the start of the year and a blaster of Allen & Ginter. Yeah, I've gone nuts on Heritage this year, but the vast majority of retail buys have been with gift cards. That's unlike me. But it helps that Topps has pushed back products like Archives and Stadium Club to the end of the year when I've either lost interest/am too busy/don't have the cash to blow. And it helps that Topps has plain cut back on the number of products. But there was a return to the old days for me the other day. It was just one time. It won't happen again. I promise. I was at Target for some Christmas shopping reconnaissance. I picked a mid-day, mid-week time, yet the parking lot was too full (only when I returned to my car and counted all the Onta...

  So, I haven't bothered to order a 2023 Series 1 team set for the Dodgers yet, which has been my habit in recent years when I know I won't be building the set. That's where I am with flagship now, I'll get to it. Someday. Sure, I bought some cards a little over a week after release, but I could've very well waited a month without a care. It looks how it looks, but there's actually no urgency. The curiosity is still there though, as it is every year. I'm glad I bought two hanger boxes instead of one because the first was devoid of Dodgers content but the second had plenty. That's my advertisement. Buy MOAR. So these are the contents of hanger box 2. I know, I know, people are sick of 2023 Topps already. But here is hanger 2 for those unjaded few:    #71 - Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks #23 - Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres #209 - Darick Hall, Phillies (RC) #283 - Matt Strahm, Red Sox I'll try to go a little quicker this time out. I'm surprising myself by...

  First, I want to apologize for shunning your 2023 Topps Series 1 posts. I wanted to look at them, I really did, but I was trying to avoid First Cards Of The Year Overkill. That's difficult to do when you're on social media, especially bleeping Twitter. I made a concerted effort to cut down on viewing 2023 images but a few flashers jumped in front of me -- HERE, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS . YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!   It was tough to avert my eyes. It was a little easier on the blogs. As soon as I got a hint that the subject was 2023 Topps I jumped out of the chat. I did succumb to a couple (Card Junk and Padrographs, I think) and left a comment. Of course, now that I've found some 2023 myself, I have to go back and comment on all those posts.  So, yup, this is it. It's the 2023 Topps Series 1 post on Night Owl Cards. This Is It!   I'm purposely late -- not as late as last year but still way past time according to some bananas collectors. I'm out of that rat race and I w...