Night Owl Cards

(Welcome to what's annually my favorite week of the year, a week where all the things I like converge within seven glorious days. Maybe we'll get into more of why that is -- and why it's not as great as it once was -- as the week goes on. But for now it's Vacation Time! Oh, and Cardboard Appreciation time, too. This is the 372nd in a series):   One of the benefits of playing the Topps card game over on Bluesky that I mentioned earlier is that I come across cards I never noticed all the time.   Most of these cards are either from the 1960s, 1990s or some part of the early 2000s, i.e., times when I wasn't collecting. In 1994, in particular, I was pulling away from the hobby and bought a handful of Topps packs before deciding I wasn't into it anymore.   I never saw this Kevin Wickander card. But when I saw it in an online image a few weeks ago, I immediately purchased a real one for my collection.   What is it that makes cards like this so appealing?   Well, for st...

(I admit I've never been a major Rush fan, though "Moving Pictures" was the theme music -- thanks to a boom box in the back -- to my bus rides home from school. But I've been kind of obsessed with news of the reunion tour. I heard last night's show was pretty cool. Anyway, time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 370th in a series):   I received this Tom Seaver variation card from 1985 Donruss in a TCDB trade the other day. I usually don't chase error cards for '80s sets that I'm building. It depends -- it's kind of a case-by-case basis. But picturing a completely different player is a pretty big error. I couldn't say no. That is Floyd Bannister on Tom Seaver's card.   I already owned the corrected version of the card:    That's a major flub actually. Tom Seaver is a huge name and had been in the limelight for nearly 20 years at this point. I can hear Topps chortling over four-year-old Donruss making such a goof. Or maybe it grumble...

 (Hey, fellow Northeasterners, are you enjoying the special edition two-month long March this year? I hear things are going to turn around in a matter of days. I'll believe it when I feel it, but right now there's a freeze warning. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 369th in a series):   There is no end to the cards that I've read about and promptly forgotten due to my brain's attempt to keep the real important stuff in -- and there's only so much room!   Topps Cards That Never Were mentioned this particular card a couple of weeks ago and I was immediately intrigued. It is one of nine 1992 Topps Pre-Production gold cards, cut off a sample sheet that Topps issued ahead of the 1992 set.   Jeremy wrote that this card leaves out the word "manager" on the front of the card and that was enough for me to think: "I need that card."     Here is the regular 1992 Topps gold Lasorda (such a great card) with "manager" mentioned.     It...

(I feel like I'm repeating myself but I'm not actively trying to blog less, I just don't seem to have the time to dedicate to NOC like I once did. I'm still hoping that will change soon, but if the sporadic posting continues or worsens, it's not because I don't care. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 368th in a series):   Once I finished the 1969 Topps set six months ago, in the weeks that followed I noticed something about me as a collector.   I said that '69 would probably be the last large vintage set I would seriously chase and I still feel that way. I am still pursuing sets, but they're easier mid-1980s varieties or smaller 1970s oddballs.   But because of rising card costs on even some of those smaller pursuits, I've spent a lot of time gathering more modern Dodgers. I won't say it's not fun. I still like gathering cards of the guys I watch on my screen and some of those cards are very cool, but it's not the same as the v...

(Greetings on March 15, otherwise known as the Ides of March, Oscar Day, Selection Sunday and World Baseball Classic semifinals day. It's also Everything You Think Is Wrong Day, set aside for folks to ponder that maybe they're not right all the time -- probably the most valuable thing to do out of this whole day. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 367th in a series):   Take a gander at this card. Not much to look at, huh? Maybe you'll find his story more interesting. Maybe not.   This is a card of Alonso Tellez (misspelled on the card). At the time this card was issued, Tellez was in the middle of his two seasons with the San Antonio Dodgers, the Double A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tellez played in 118 games for San Antonio in 1986 and 119 games in 1987. He batted .263 over those two years and recorded 48 doubles.   He also played in two games for the Triple A Albuquerque Dukes in 1986 and played in 104 games for the Double A Jacksonville Expos in 198...

 (Woooo, I can tell it's March! I've got so many things going on that I'm misplacing stuff like I'm my absent-minded grandma. Between the weather alerts, birthday preparations, endless playoffs, rising costs, deer running down my street (yes, that's a thing) -- ANYBODY KNOW WHERE MY DERMATOLOGY BILL WENT? Hell, let's go without one hour on the weekend, too. Nobody needs an extra moment to catch their breath at this time of the year!! Squeezing in a Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 366th in a series):   One of the reasons I'm still reading blogs 18 years in is because they continue to offer a wide variety of card subjects and cover them in-depth. Maybe youtube can do that, but who wants to listen to someone blather on about cards for that long?   Blogs are still good for unearthing cards that you didn't know you needed or for reminding you that you still need that card -- we old people who still read blogs are sometimes forgetful.   A couple of weeks...

 (Woof, blog views have taken another downturn, basically in the last two weeks. Maybe everyone was too busy watching the Olympics! Anyway, for those still reading, this is called Cardboard Appreciation and we're at the 365th in a series):   As far as I can tell, this is the first time Shoeless Joe Jackson has appeared on a Topps card.   I pulled it when I went back for a hanger box of 2026 Topps last week. I opened it at work. When I saw the card I didn't think anything of it other than "that's a weird-looking thing."   But later I remembered how MLB removed Shoeless Joe and other deceased ballplayers from its permanently ineligible list last spring, making them available to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Also, since Topps doesn't make a move without MLB approval, that means Jackson (and I assume Pete Rose) are eligible to appear in current baseball cards.   Up until now my Shoeless Joe cards have been created by Upper Deck, Donruss/Playoff/Panini/Leaf, vari...

(If I was still on Twitter I would have witnessed approximately 78 pack rips of 2026 Topps by now. HAVE YOU RIPPED ANY 2026 TOPPS YET?!?!?!?!? Ignorance is bliss. I don't even feel like checking out the local big-boxes. Time for Cardboard Appreciation, this is the 364th in a series):   I was reminded of this card recently by The Writer's Journey as he displayed it over on Bluesky. It's a fascinating card for anyone who collected the 1983 Topps set as I did in the year of Michael Jackson.   I completed the set way back in the first year of this blog. But I wasn't actually finished because I didn't have this card. which arrived today.   In 1982, the Angels' Reggie Jackson and the Brewers' Gorman Thomas tied for the American League in home runs with 39 each. That led to the following uncomfortable card in 1983 Topps:   I really don't like three-person league leaders cards (see all of the Topps league leader cards for the last couple of decades), unless the...

(I am preparing to have my dinner at the office again tonight after yet another prediction of a late afternoon/early evening snowstorm. This is convenient for 9-5 workers, who can close up shop early, but definitely not for me. Let's see if I can get out of the work parking lot late tonight. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 363rd in a series):   My collecting during the junk wax era was sporadic. I've written many times that I didn't collect between 1986-88 (save for one pack of Topps I bought in '88). I collected Topps like crazy in 1989, then went cold turkey again in 1990. I came back somewhere in 1991 collecting casually and then bought a bunch in '92 and '93.   I can see good and bad points to this. The good: I have no fond memories for mediocre sets like 1990 Donruss or overvalue 1989 Upper Deck. The bad: I missed several players commonly known by junk wax devotees, who were kids at the time and memorized the front and back of every card.   For...

 (*sigh* Looked like a catch to me. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 362nd in a series:)    I picked up this card at the monthly show yesterday (more on that tomorrow). It's the first time I've come across this insert, though it's possible someone showed it off on a blog post 12 years ago or something.   It's a pretty cool medium-thick card. The boxscore is recessed into the card and it's a glorious moment-in-time item, which are some of the best kinds of cards. This one commemorates Carlos Delgado's four-home run game.   Surprisingly, this card is from the 2004 Upper Deck Play Ball set, which I've long disdained for the "melted faces" paintings of the base cards. That's all I've previously seen from the set -- the only cards in my collection are base Dodgers. It goes to show you how sets are always stashing the good cards in the inserts and collectors consequently hoard those cards.   This card was a dollar purchase and I quick...

  (The 1989 Score offers are arriving fast-and-furious after my most recent post. I should be down to just a few wants in a week or two! The blog's still got it. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 361st in a series):   I plucked this Cluck from my COMC order, which arrived early last week. You'll soon see the rest of what's probably my final order from that place, but I wanted to feature this card separate since it's kind of the black sheep of my order, not fitting neatly with any of the other cards.   I didn't pick it up only for the wonderful Toros uniforms of the era (and there are even gaudier examples ) or just because of the marvelous name on the front. Nor did I add it because coach cards are a relative rarity.   I grabbed this card for all of those reasons and one other -- I interviewed Bob Cluck once. He is a "Brush With Greatness" subject who I have never mentioned.   I wonder how many other coaches who I have interviewed have cards tha...

(Greetings on National App day. I can recall the carefree days when I didn't know what an app was. Now I am wondering if there is a National Delete Your App day. I would like to celebrate that. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 360th in a series):   It came. My one card to recognize and remember the Dodgers' World Series title in 2025.   Sure, there will likely be a Heritage card or two to remember it next year (1977 Topps had three World Series cards). But this is it for something immediate. Topps isn't producing any blaster with a commemorative set anymore, and I refuse to throw cash at any of the other Topps Now cards.   I was prepared for this after last year. I looked and looked for a nice World Series set to remember the 2024 Series victory but just ended up being horrified by the price of the online-only set of 15 ugly cards.   I decided one card would do and I got something appropriate.   I think I like this way of approaching it. It saves me ...