My National for 2024 (minus a card or two)

 

The National has come and gone for another year but my National is still in the works.

Longtime readers know that I don't go to the National, I wrote a post about why last year. Though I'll never rule out going in the future, a card-carrying introvert like me won't regret it if he never attends.

 

But usually at this time, inspired by the pictures I see from the National, I acquire some cards of my own. I call it "My National".

 

I'm fortunate enough that I happen to have enough money to spend on cards right when the National is going on, usually birthday-related, but not always. This year I had some money from a Beckett Vintage article plus an unexpected reimbursement check  So I got to acquire cards without blowing cash on plane tickets, gas, tolls, parking, food, lodging and admission, too! 

 

Now, "My National" didn't come without some annoyances, as well. There are still a few cards that haven't arrived due to constant ebay delays that have plagued me all month. But let's focus on the good stuff.

 

Per usual, I'll build to the grand finish.

 

A handful of 2024 Dodgers border parallels. Fifteen years into this blogging thing and I'm still a sucker for solid-color border parallels. There should be more in this picture as I'm still waiting for a couple more aqua Dodgers to show up.

 

 

More modern-ish Dodgers.  Again, I ordered the Kershaw blue-sparkle Heritage card to go with the Betts but it has not showed yet (but should have by now). The Yamamoto completes the main 2024 Bowman team set. The Billy Ashley Score insert looks wildly out of place here but it means just as much. Of course I still need the Piazza from that Boys Of Summer set.

 

These four Heritage short-prints came with the Clayton Kershaw Highlights SP that I forgot to include. They had their own delayed ebay journey. I finally contacted the seller, who said he contacted the post office near him, which told him it was going out tomorrow. That's a coincidence. Oh, and they said the envelope was damaged. Fortunately all the cards appeared intact.

This round of Heritage short-prints had no wild traveling adventures to tell. Not only was it a smooth journey but some unexpected companions joined them on the ride.

This seller always includes extras, and although I didn't need every one of them, I needed all of the above! That's awesome.

This is not a 1971 Fleer Laughlin World Series card -- I just acquired that card a couple months ago. This is the sticker from the 1980 Fleer Sticker set (Padres logo on the back, so we don't need to show that).

It is the last World Series card I need from that sticker set. I've mentioned before that I bought the 1980 Fleer stickers while walking to the drug store and a separate deli to find cards. I immediately turned the stickers over to the cartoon on the back and collected every World Series card/sticker as a set, except the 1946 one.

That set has been short one-card for more than 40 years. No more.

Here is another long-overdue acquisition. Can you believe I didn't have the 1988 Topps Traded set yet? It was the only 1980s Topps Traded set I needed aside from the pain-in-the-butt 1984 one.

I haven't gone through it much, but I'm looking forward to seeing new-to-me photos of familiar players.

I went on a Hostess binge near the start of My National tour. There's another 1979 panel that I got that I forgot to shoot. It's got Bobby Grich/Bob Boone and Davey Lopes on it.

The above three panels all came from the same seller. But he didn't send the 1979 panel up top when the others showed up.

 

I received this L-shaped 1976 panel instead. Now, I needed this panel because I'm collecting all 1970s Hostess in all its forms, but it wasn't what I ordered. When I contacted the seller, he apologized and told me to keep the L-shaped panel and then the '79 panel arrived shortly after! Woo!

 

This is a big one for me.

I've long admired the 1964 Aurovision set, mostly the Sandy Koufax, from afar. For years I didn't really know what it was but thought it looked so cool and so of its time. So very '60s. It's a record, of course, that you can play on a turntable. I have a turntable. I won't be playing it though.

I sort of can't believe I have it, I've been quietly, almost subconsciously wanting it for so long. Here is the back:

That is so cool and just as '60s as the front.

It's not in perfect shape but still really good for how old it is and what it is. My collection definitely got cooler with this addition.

Nothing here cost a lot of money, but this card cost the most. It was the second-to-last card I needed for the 1970 Topps set. It's a high number and a Hall of Famer, so no surprise it would be one of the last.

I've always thought this was a pretty weird photo to choose of Kaline, not one of his better cards.

Finally, this card. It just arrived today.

It also encountered an ebay delay and I was starting to wonder about it. But now I don't have to wonder and NOW MY 1970 TOPPS SET IS COMPLETE!

I will be writing a separate post on completing that set in the next few days but for now know that I have now completed Topps sets from 1970-1991 and this is also the oldest large set I've completed outside of 1956 Topps.

So that was My National. There were no lines to stand in. There was no hour-long traffic jam. I didn't get lost or deal with crowds. But I did get cards I liked.

And really, in my version of the hobby, that's all that matters.