Stuck in the past

A few collectors are running up and down the aisles squealing because Topps has released a sticker set and accompanying sticker album that you can purchase in retail stores right now.

I'm not going to get that excited. I mean I'm a grown adult now. I have been for sometime. It's bad enough that I open packages with pictures of players who are 20 years younger than me. I'm not going to collect their stickers, too. And then stick them in a book like I'm some fawning, gooey-eyed 10-year-old girl. There are times when you have to put aside childish things and realize that certain pursuits are for children and certain pursuits are for adults. It's a matter of maturity and being comfortable as an ...

Wait ...

...


...

What's this?

The Topps Sticker Album from 1982?

Direct from Jack Plumstead in England?

Well, this is a whole other story. This happens to be the first sticker album that I ever encountered. I was in high school by this time, so even then stickers were a little too babyish for me. But in super secret fashion, while listening to Rush and Genesis and the Cars to drown out the childishness going on behind the other side of the bedroom door, I did indeed stick stickers in this album.

This is so cool.

I also received the wrappers that contained five stickers each. I remember buying fistfuls of these from the Greek deli just off of the main drag in my hometown.

I would stick only doubles into the album. I attempted to collect the entire set of unstuck stickers, but of course failed miserably. I still have the Dodgers stickers from this set (as well as the ones from 1981, in which I never had an album). I also owned a bunch of the other stickers but have traded most of them away.

Fortunately, Jack Plumstead also sent this:

Each of those packages contains about 50 stickers each. Not enough to fill the album of 260 stickers, but at least it's not 309 like this year's album!

I fully intend to stick all of the stickers in the album this time and I won't feel childish about it at all -- well maybe if I do it in front of my teenage daughter. That might not be good.

However, my friend from England took care of that problem, too. Because here is what he also sent:

"Thought you might like these," the note said. "(or someone in your family!)"

You were not kidding there.

Talk about squealing up and down the aisles. I think there are still dogs howling in the neighborhood. John is very popular in our household.

Not only did we receive the Royal Wedding sticker album, but there were a whole bunch of stickers, too:

When I came home from work last night, all the stickers had been stuck in the appropriate spots in the album. I haven't had a chance to ask who did what.

John also sent a commemorative newspaper from the Royal Wedding, which no doubt will be absorbed.

He also sent some Dodger cards, of course, which you'll see at some other point.

But, for now, I just want to show one other part of the baseball sticker album:

That is my favorite page in the entire album. You know, because of the certain team who beat another certain team.

I hope I get a bunch of stickers for that page.

After '82, I bought a smattering of the '83 stickers. But then stickers left my consciousness. I was never around for those Panini things from the mid/late '80s. And I was way beyond Garbage Pail Kids. So, for me, stickers begin with Wacky Packages in the '70s (a time when we stuck stickers on everything and anything) and end in the early '80s.

So, yeah, I won't be buying a 2011 sticker album for myself. But I will enjoy the one from 29 years ago immensely.

I'd say we are going to have to have a family sticker night. But some of the stickers are ... um, already stuck.