2025 Topps is scheduled for released this week. Apparently some people are somehow already opening it on video. I have stopped watching card videos because I can't take the beating to my IQ. I'm also no longer on Twitter (same reason), which was absolutely saturated with new cards during flagship release time.
I don't know what my local card aisles will look like when I venture out (it won't be on release date, which is a Wednesday and also the day of the week my job practically kills me). The local spots have been pretty grim lately -- my theory is the popularity of the monthly card show has something to do with that. But last year, my Target was decked out with 2024 Topps in February. I've heard Fanatics has upped the card count for this year (don't panic, it's still not a junk wax levels), so I hope that means I can find some this month.
But mostly it doesn't matter for my collection. I have enough card projects. I'm constantly forgetting about a project that I enthusiastically started and then beating myself up for dropping it. I don't need to throw 2025 Topps into all of that.
One of my more general and dominate card projects is my Dodger collection. Every year at this time I update the number of Dodgers I have accumulated each year going back to the first year of the blog. I've got that comparison ready to go now so let's lookie:
2025 2024 2023 2020 (year of update)
2008 865 859 777 737
2009 757 747 649 617
2010 589 587 525 469
2011 627 620 583 539
2012 518 512 451 440
2013 747 739 654 618
2014 697 681 606 566
2015 620 608 593 508
2016 607 580 494 479
2017 638 620 551 504
2018 788 765 707 626
2019 626 601 543 463
2020 771 709 594 506
2021 865 758 615 n/a
2022 813 658 323 n/a
2023 484 310 n/a n/a
2024 434 n/a n/a n/a
The big jumps this time are for 2021 and 2022, which is typical. It always takes two or three years to accumulate a single year's cards because that's how many cards are issued now. You also see that 2021 has matched 2008 for the most Dodgers I've obtained in one year. In 2008 I was trying to land everything in site and also I've had 16-plus years to collect 2008. So the 2021 total is downright disturbing, especially since my enthusiasm for 2021 cards is quite low. That tells you how many cards they're cranking out. The 2022 total is second-highest, which just backs that up.
Some of the years I barely added to in the past year -- just two cards for 2010, lol.
I'm still not in the right frame of mind to create a graph for this post, but I know that would really underline things, for example that dip in interest in 2012.
The Dodgers totals will continue to grow probably for as long as I am collecting. It remains the kind of card I receive the most from fellow collectors (I usually have to do the set-collecting myself for the most part).
For example, the three most recent packages/envelopes I've received from my fellow bloggers have been mostly Dodgers. I just got an envelope last week from The Collective Mind.
Most of it was 1990s Mike Piazzas, which won't affect my totals from 2008-now, but are very welcome. I especially appreciate the 1998 Metal Universe Piazza, which completes the team set for that year. I can't believe it took me this long to get it. The windmill background is meant for me as I can drive 15 miles away and see just as many windmills -- and many more -- as are on Piazza's card.
Here is a snazzy, colorful one that screams 1990s in about six different ways. The Pinnacle Certified cards always remind me of Mario and the old days of the Wax Heaven blog.
Here is an oversized Piazza that I didn't know existed. It's from the 1994 O-Pee-Chee All-Stars set, I think it's the largest card created in Canada in my collection!
There is the comparison.
OK, here are some cards that upped the 2024 totals. You can't tell from this picture but one of these is Chrome and one of these is foil. This kind of underlines how much overkill is in Allen & Ginter now. There doesn't need to be both. There doesn't need to be either! (But, yes, I will total them up!)
An A&G parallel that is more my style -- a Jackie Robinson mini!!
The 2024 Dodgers totals are a work in progress and it probably won't be until 2026 or even 2027 when its true total for the year will be known.
I have no plans to go nuts on 2025 cards, Dodgers or otherwise, because the totals show that I'll collect more than my share of cards. The average for all the years since 2008 is 673 Dodgers card and I bet I'll have around that number in 2025, too.
Comments
I actually lol'd.