Collecting the leftovers

Out of the two main ways that I collect -- set collecting and team collecting -- the one that is suffering the most from the sudden surge in trading card popularity is team collecting.

Not only am I not able to head down to the local big box and open some packs in search of my favorite teams -- this is still my favorite way to open cards, and it will always be that way -- but looking online for team sets is starting to get more difficult, too.

This would be a good time to become a Marlins fan because searching for available 2020 Dodgers team sets is not always successful.

So, that definitely sucks. Set collecting, I can get by. I don't want to collect any ugly ol' 2020 sets anyway. But team collecting, my objective is to get anything and everything. But I can't do it -- and it's less fun to do so -- if I have to turn it into a major project. I won't stand in lines and I won't get into bidding wars to get my Dodger cards.

So, what's that leave?

Grabbing the leftovers, pretty much.

While everyone snaps up all the apparent cards, I have to go for the less apparent, I guess.

That means oddball. That means variations. That means old stuff. That means my blogging buddies, really. They aren't hoarding cards like those doofs you see swarming the card aisle. They're giving them away!

I'll take the freebies from The Angels In Order. I'm happy with a yellow parallel that I didn't know existed until I saw it offered up.

I'll even take this ridiculous variation. I had to have Tom explain this one to me. This is a "Chavez Ravine" variation because on the back, where it usually says, "Los Angeles" under Kershaw's name, it says "Chavez Ravine" instead.

Isn't that the dumbest thing you have ever heard?

Panini is full-blown bonkers. And that's not even the only ridiculous Clayton Kershaw variation in 2020 Donruss. I just found out, while I was writing this post, that there is a photo variation in which on one card, you can see Kershaw's right foot and on one you can't. It's all matter of Panini shifting the photo in one case and it's mind-blowing that anyone thinks this is worth collecting.

But, sure, I'll take it. Beggers can't be choosers. I'm scraping for whatever leftover I can.

I also requested a David Robinson card from the Angels In Order freebie giveaway. Robinson is one of the athletes I've interviewed and I must own a card of each of those subjects. I don't need more than one card of any of those players but I haven't been happy with what I've gotten of Robinson. I'm not all that happy with this one either (I think it's the era of the cards), so this will be a temporary addition.

I also received some sort-of-free cards from Kerry at Cards On Cards. These three items are all parallels, which is just the kind of Dodgers cards I need when the 2020 base isn't available.

The top two parallels are those dumb stamped things that should have been left in the '90s (Smith is numbered to 250 if that means anything). But at least they're cards that some dude didn't get when he was loading up his cart with 12 boxes at the local Target!

This is an insert from last year's Topps Gallery. I've even tried looking around online for available product from last year. Yikes. That's not a good idea either.

This was the main card I wanted though, a flimsy Sports Illustrated for Kids item from 1990 of Jackie Robinson.

I suppose as long as I want cards like this, I'll always have stuff available to me to buy. I haven't experienced older cards not being available online, like others have, and I hope that continues to be the case.

But I should be happy with leftovers regardless: Oddballs from the '80s and food issue cards and cool stuff nobody thinks about when they're chasing Trout, Tatis and Robert.

More Jackie Robinson in tomorrow's post.