Night Owl Cards

  Just a few minor things to mention today, nothing that will appeal much on its own. Readers seem to be catching up on outside time anyway. I took a look at my two stacks of 2024 Topps flagship sitting on my card desk and they looked pretty high. That inspired me to add my wants to TCDB and, in a flash, I'm down to the final 40 cards to finish the set. I barely had to lift a finger, except to search for the cards requested in exchange, which always can be fraught with peril. My remaining wants are on TCDB but I'll put them here as well. Per usual, guys like Elly De La Cruz and Aaron Judge aren't popping up in trades. Topps couldn't possibly double-print those guys now could it? So here's the list ( List edited as of 9/8) : 141 - Elly De La Cruz, 375 - Matt Vierling, 442- Shota Imanaga, 593 - Carlos Rodon, Wilyer Abreu, 695 - Kyle Gibson Also I haven't accounted for needing a second Dodger card for Series 2 on TCDB so add 492 - J.D. Martinez, 500 - Shohei Ohtani...

For those of you who haven't been reading this blog for more than one or two years, you may not know that I once collected stamps. Stamps are one of three Very Serious collections in my life. Matchbox cars came first, then stamps, then baseball cards. I've addressed all of this before -- matchboxes, here , and stamps, here . In between there were bottle caps and coins and magazines and stuffed animals and records and rocks on the beach. I've addressed this, too, in something called subliminal collecting . But only Matchbox cars, stamps and baseball cards ever received any kind of dedication, what probably could be called "vices" considering how much time I spent with them. Not long ago, I received a PWE from 2-by-3 Heroes that contained two of those three collecting vices. No, silly, you can't fit a Matchbox car in a PWE. I'm talking about ... STAMPS plus CARDS!!! Stamps are still pretty cool, although I barely think about the...

Imagine close to your ugliest day at work. I'm having it today. Throw in a sleep-robbing cough and there is no time for nothing today. So here is a simple showing of cards from Baseball Dad at All Tribe Baseball : Baseball Dad sent the stamps, too. He and I both used to collect stamps during our younger days. Both of us also remember when stamps were 15 cents apiece. Here's another thing we both remember: The prices of baseball cards in 1979. Yeah, I think I'll pick up a mint-condition 1966 Mantle for $5, please. Baseball Dad's a little older than me. Maybe he was able to jump on some of those card prices back then. He also might remember collecting cards in '66. I don't. Anyway ... ... (*sigh*) Is this day over yet? ...

What was your gateway drug into collecting? A lot of us card collectors were addicted barely out of toddlerhood. We were "using" as 5- and 6-year-olds, mindlessly consuming without even knowing that we had a habit. For me, there were two collecting addictions before baseball cards came along. One was Matchbox cars, and the other was stamps. Matchbox cars were my first love. My interest in them was so long ago that I can't remember the first one I ever owned. I do remember specific purchasing highlights, and going to the drug store with hard-earned allowance money to score a sweet Matchbox hanging in the toy section. But I shunned Hot Wheels. Not realistic enough. At some point, subconsciously, I realized that I'd never stick with collecting cars and moved onto stamps. I became so enthralled with stamps as a "big person's pursuit" that I treated it as if it was going to be my job someday. One day I would be A Stamp Collector, Esq. I received on...