The card-blogging OGs

 

This time of year is ideal for looking back -- something I do a lot no matter what time of year it is.

In fact, I am preparing for my end-of-the-year spectacular, which I hope you'll see tomorrow. But a couple of folks on Twitter the other day were looking farther back than just last year.

They were reminiscing about the golden era of blogging, specifically when card blogs started popping up. The first of those card blogs, I think, were around 2005 or 2006. It gets a little murky and people start arguing about who was first, and really, who cares -- people are writing about baseball cards!!!

There were just a handful of blogs before 2008, no more than 20. Then 2008 arrived and that was the year of The Card Blog Boom. It's also the year I started blogging, although I had no idea I was joining what was "the thing to do" in the hobby at the time.

Twitter folks were remembering that time and how few card bloggers there were then, but exactly how many were there? The guesses were around 12 or 15 or 20. I thought there were more than that when I started in September of that year, so I started looking around. I came up with 35 card blogs that were in existence when I began on Sept. 13 of '08.

But I didn't spend enough time on it. I looked around this afternoon and came up with several more. The number is now at 57 card blogs active when I began blogging.

People think I'm a blogging OG? These are the true card-blogging OG's:

 

 

A lot of those blogs began in 2008. Some, like Heartbreaking Cards, began a mere week before I did. The fascinating Topps Archives blog -- still going -- began ONE DAY before I did!

A few of the above blogs are still active, particularly Cards On Cards, Nachos Grande, Johngy's Beat, the No. 5-Type Collection and Thorzul Will Rule, by its new name, Death Stare Cards. Several others post sporadically, such as Cardboard Junkie, Sportscards Uncensored, Cardboard Icons, Tribe Cards and Stale Gum. Also, Wax Heaven has returned under "The Baseball Card Blog" title.

 

Others have abandoned their blogs for good and some blogs have been removed. Others are now zombie blogs (don't click that link, go back, go back!) and a couple are "private," which I never know what that means.

 

A handful of other blogs listed at the bottom  may have been around when I started but they don't have any archive so I can't figure out when they started without taking a few days off.

The Writer's Journey is still going. Sewingmachineguy put up a surprise post this year. Joe Collector has gone private, I think, but I know he started almost exactly when I did.

A couple blogs stopped posting as long ago as 2011 or 2010 and I thought I'd be able to scroll through to 2008 manually without too much trouble, but then I was reminded that people posted the bejesus out of blogs back then -- two, three times a day! So maybe I missed a couple of OG blogs.

But probably the list above is close to the number, no more than 10 or so are missing. I was pretty surprised that at least 57 card blogs were active when I began, yet I knew all of the above names, a few were major blasts from the past ("Olagato House," remember her?).

Many blogs have left -- including many that started long after I did -- and many times you don't know why. Maybe boredom, leaving the hobby or life circumstances. Sometimes I've heard that they feel they've achieved all they could with the blog, and that never seems right to me -- unless it's a set blog and it's reached the last card.

For instance, just in the last week, I've received two mailings that were completely new in my history of blogging. Here's example one:

 

This is my first Don Drysdale multi-media-themed mailing! It arrived on Christmas Eve.

 

I don't know what prompted it. There is a name on the envelope and a California address, but I admit I don't recognize the name (thanks, Joe!). I feel bad and I'm sure it's my fault, but I suppose that happens when you connect with so many collectors while in year 14 of this thing.

 

 

I have both of these Drysdale cards already but I always welcome vintage dupes, even cards that were taped up long ago.

 

 

I'm guessing this was some sort of promotional handout at the stadium in 1961.

The inside is all about Drysdale and it is heavy on "family," as the Dodgers liked to call themselves at the time ("We're on a family budget, take this salary and like it!"). There is lots of mention of Drysdale's first wife, Ginger, and his daughter Kelly.

 

Another team handout, the familiar Jay Publishing photo packs. I have lots of these and desperately need two-pocket pages to store them all. I would like to break them out to see what new ones are in there, but I think I'll leave them as is right now. It's pretty neat that way.

So, that was one thing that's never happened to me before as a blogger and here's another:

Not too long ago I received an email from a collector in Michigan. He's my kind of collector, a set-completer, and I've helped him with several sets.

Not far into our conversation I discovered that he used to work where I work. He was a news reporter in one of the bureaus about 15 years ago. I didn't interact with him much, being in the sports department, but how cool is it to trade with a former co-worker! I haven't done that since before I had a blog!

 

 

Ben sent me three 2021 Gypsy Queen needs for the few overproduction-era cards I sent him.

 

So, two new experiences there. And that's one of the reasons why I'm still blogging here in the final stages of 2021.

Yeah, blogging isn't like it was back in 2008-10. It's grown up a lot and with that comes some "mainstream" nuisances, but I have to admit that blogging is stronger than it was during that golden period. Even after blogging has been declared dead many times in the last 10 years, I counted 88 card blogs that have posted something at least within the last week and 27 more that have posted at least within the last month.

In the late summer of 2008, there were, at most, 60-70 card blogs.

 

OGs, sure. But you need the others, too. Gotta get rid of those Giants and Mariners cards somehow (Come back, Nennth Inning and Emerald Cards!)