Sharp!

I write a lot about the cards I collected as a kid. It's the period of collecting that means the most to me. I want as many of those cards as I can get.

But I don't like everything that happened with cards and my collecting habits when I was a tiny cardboard addict.

I have spent a lot of time and money on updating the cards I collected because I am much pickier about card condition than I was then.

The very first cards I bought from packs are suitable for framing, sure. But for collecting? I can't have it.

So I updated my entire 1975 Topps set from the ones I accumulated as a 9-year-old. It only made sense, I had to get all the cards that I didn't find as a kid, and adult me certainly wouldn't go looking for versions that were scuffed, bent and lacked corners, and the OCD wouldn't let me mix mintier cards with moldier cards.

I did the same with 1976. And 1977.

That's where I stopped. Because with upgrading it always feels like you're spending money on something you already have. I figured those 1978 and 1979 cards I accumulated those years were in well-enough shape. I was a teen then! I knew better!

Nope.

(Remember, this was the '70s, before every man, woman and child were informed condition was king).

Every once in a while I'll go to my '78 and '79 binder and -- crap, I really need to upgrade that one.

One in particular has bothered me for a long time until I finally just put it on the Nebulous 9 list.

Severe creasing upper right quadrant!

As condition flaws go this is one of the worst late '70s examples left in my collection. I should've done something about it long ago but, you know, that whole thing about spending for something I have already.

Fortunately, gcrl stepped in before I paid that 31 cents.

Divine.

Funny how mine is off-center with the right edge wide and the one from gcrl is the opposite. But I almost never upgrade vintage for centering issues. That was an occupational hazard of opening packs as a '70s kid. And part of the charm.

Two other cards came with the Rudi.

Sharp!

I have gone to the extra effort to actually create a want list of '78 Topps I would like to update from when I accumulated them at the age of 12 in '78. Basically what I'm looking for are cards with reasonably sharp corners, to fit in with the rest of the '78s.

I get the sense that people don't think I'm serious about this want list. I am serious! Every time I open my '78 binder I am serious!

Thank goodness gcrl knows I am serious.

Oh, he also sent me this:

Just a shiny, modern card with everything intact that will never get mangled because we've all been reprogrammed over the last 40 years.

I did ask for this card, but I prefer the '70s cards, even when they're off-condtion.

Some collectors never upgrade. That's fine. Do you.

But I got to be me. Let me show you my cards from the '70s.