Night Owl Cards

This is one of my wallet cards. If you look very closely, you can see Mickey Hatcher blinking as his eyes adjust to the daylight. He's been kept in a dark place for a long time. That dark place is my wallet. This card and my other wallet card just sit there as I sit there, with no place to go. When the wallet card game started, I was filled with enthusiasm, but it soon became obvious that I'm not equipped for this game. My wallet card doesn't go anywhere so I can't photograph him in interesting places, because I don't go anywhere. I don't travel for my job anymore and I certainly don't travel for the heck of it because there's no time/money. And when I do go to a restaurant or a movie or the park, I never think to take out wallet card and snap his picture. So what am I doing playing this game? Wallet card hides in deepest darkest corner of the spacious (re: empty) billfold when I page through what Junior Junkie is doing with his Griffey wa...

I've got quite an eclectic foursome for you today, and they're not even all night cards. In fact, I'm not sure if this card of The Duke is a night card. There ARE a number of night cards in the terrific 1976 SSPC set, true, but I hesitate on this one. If you look real close, you can see in the background what appears to be newspaper articles or papers of some sort hanging up on a wall or board. If that's what they actually are, it's possible that the photo was taken in a basement concourse of the stadium outside the locker rooms. Those things are as dark as the Holland Tunnel during an energy crisis. Day or night, you'd need lights to take a photo there, especially back then. Normally the "I don't know if this is a night card" factor would prevent me from officially considering a card worthy of a night card post or binder enshrinement. But c'mon. It's Duke Snider. In an Expos uniform. As a batting coach. On an SSPC card. Night ca...

(Cardboard Appreciation Week rolls along. Today is "National Fried Chicken Day." Mmmmmm. My favorite meal on earth is fried or grilled chicken, macaroni salad and deviled eggs. Fantastic. Also, fantastic: Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 151st in a series): Wow, the name of this card is a mouthful, isn't it? Remember when you could simply say "it's from this year's Topps"? This card arrived in my most recent Check Out My Cards purchase, the contents of which you will see in greater detail next week. I obtained this card because when a card makes you laugh out loud when you first see it, you must buy it. This is a collecting rule. Write it down. The reason I laughed is because Panini is desperately attempting to make Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp look tough -- intimidating and dangerous -- while they are wearing their Underoos. Panini is not for me. They have made some ghastly cards so far. Yet, because they are "current," some co...