Modern problems

I'll get off of current cards after this post. Frankly, I'm a little sick of writing about them myself. But I just have to do a little Andy Rooney "d'ja ever notice" stuff to get it out of my system.

First, I wanted to show off my completed Dodgers team set from this year's Topps 1972-style minis (yes, I know there will be more in Series 2). I received the last one I needed -- Matt Kemp -- from The Lost Collector recently. Good to see AJ up and running again.

Finding these mini inserts hasn't been very difficult the last couple of years. The most difficult part, of course, is finding pages that accommodate them. I've already bored everyone with my continued quest for pages that fit 1975-style minis (like the '72s here, and the '87s last year, etc., etc.). But I just wanted to update interested folks on the interaction from the page people, UltraPro.

As I said, they've been looking into it, and a week or so ago let me and a couple other collectors know that they're actually doing some experimenting.

Excellent. They even had some mini cards in the office when they were testing things out.

I cannot wait to order up some pages when the day comes.

OK, on to more disturbing issues:

This card just won't go away.

As you know, it's an insert.

As you know I do not like Mark Teixeira. Never have.

I have traded this card away -- twice.

And it keeps coming back. I opened a rack pack last week and there it was. I bought a rack pack when I was out birthday shopping the other day and there it was again.

I know there are other cards in this insert set because I actually pulled one or two ... while I was pulling four Mark Teixeira cards.

I just know Topps is doing this on purpose.

On to more duplication:

These two cards came out of a rack pack last week back-to-back.

Now, I know collation is an issue with Topps base and has been for as many years as I've been doing this blog. The same set of cards seem to pop up in the same order every year.

But I've never pulled the same card out of single rack pack back-to-back during the last five years. I've heard of others doing it and perhaps it was just my turn, but that is downright lousy.

I don't like complaining about stuff like that when, you know, the world is going to hell, but this is a card blog and it's annoying.

OK, even more duplication, but in a much less cranky fashion:

On to Heritage and the card backs.

The backs are wonderfully accurate down the most minor stylistic detail. I've come around on the white cardboard vs. gray cardboard thing, although they do still seem a little flimsy. But as a fan of both '70s/'80 Tampa Bay Bucs uniforms and creamsicles, I really enjoy these (while acknowledging that some regard the backs with horror).

I'm curious, though, about the trivia questions. I noticed that a number of them are repeated, as you see here with the Floyd and Venable cards.

It's not with just one or two pairings of cards though.

Here is another one.

And here is another one. Horizontal style.

There were a couple of others, too.

I've purchased only one blaster of Heritage, so that leaves me wondering how many trivia questions are repeated.

I'm also wondering if this was a thing with 1964 Topps. I have very few '64 Topps. I suppose this is a question for $30 A Week Habit, as Robert collects '64 Topps. Did a lot of the questions get repeated?

Lastly, this card amuses me:

I believe that is a ceiling light lit behind Greg Dobbs.

How often has there been an overhead light on a baseball card? I'm not including stadium outdoor lights, of course. Is this a first?

It just seems so disorienting. An indoor light on a baseball card?

Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

But that's probably an indicator that I need to get away from 2013 cards for a little bit.

I'll be back when the vintage mood strikes.