I tend to underestimate the size and depth of my collection. When someone says I should set up a table at a show to sell cards, I instantly scoff. I could never have enough cards that could interest people enough to buy them! That's the way I'm built. I'm not a natural boaster and generally feel inadequate much of the time (though I'm getting better the older I get). I always assume others have more/are better. And that's the way it is in the card world, too. None of that's true, though. I've been receiving cards from people around the world for more than a decade. It's obvious I have a collection that is both impressive and unique. But I also know there are people out there with far more cards, far more impressive cards, far more expensive cards than me. I don't know any of those people, I don't think. The one collector that I know who comes close to that -- in my mind anyway -- is Johnny of Johnny's Trading Spot . He's the only ...
February is filled with somewhat sketchy holidays. I'll start with Groundhog Day, which is about good for rewatching a movie. Valentine's Day is often derided as a "Hallmark Holiday." The weeklong "Winter Break" mostly recognized by schools, morphed from single days recognizing presidents into a 5-day celebration of ... um ... winter, I guess? Then there's the Super Bowl, which is fine for the food. The teams are usually gross. The best holiday in February, by far, is when Topps Series One is discovered on store shelves, a.k.a. "the first cards of the season." On that day I see something I don't see the rest of the year: card shelves fully stocked with current baseball product at the local big-box. I'm referring to Target because Walmart is in a current state of baseball card indifference (I did find a 2025 Topps Holiday tin hiding in the back of a shelf at Walmart a couple weeks ago). So it was yesterday when I was out cele...