Collectors are 'free to be you and me'

 

Normally I disregard such things, but yesterday I was plowing through updating some of those insane back variations for my 1989 Donruss Dodgers.

 

You know the kind -- "this one has a period but just one asterisk, this one has a period but two asterisks, and this one has two asterisks, but no period!" Fascinating stuff.

 

I decided to strain my eyes for the sake of checking boxes because I was sent several of the variations from reader and noted collector Bill K. (He's been mentioned a couple times recently on Johnny's Trading Spot). He sent more than just those -- a lot more that you'll see in a couple days. If someone is going to go through the effort of sending those, I'll see it to its conclusion.

 

So I was squinting away wondering the whole time, "who in the world figured out the differences and why does anyone care?" I'll never understand that. But while I was updating, for some reason, the 1970s children's TV special "Free To Be You And Me" popped into my head.

 

 

Gen-X kids like me will remember this show right away. It was everywhere when I was a kid. It won an Emmy. Like many kids from this period, we saw this special in school. I'm guessing I watched it in fourth grade based on the date it aired (March 11, 1974). It's possible I saw it as a third-grader but I doubt it was ready for every school teacher's projector in the final two months of the 1973-74 grade year.

 

I remember watching it in the library, which is where we did a lot of our film viewing. I don't recall much about the show. I even rewatched it earlier today to see if anything sparked my memory. All I recall are the kids on the merry-go-round at the beginning. And I think I might have seen Rosie Grier's "It's All Right to Cry" performance. But that was it.

 

Upon viewing it 50 years later, I was struck by how it was the most '70s program ever. I didn't know it was a Marlo Thomas project or that it featured a who's who of celebrities at the time -- Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Harry Belafonte, Dustin Hoffman, etc.

 

The theme of the show was not being pushed into gender roles and kindness to your fellow man ... or, I guess, kid. I bet these themes flew right over my head or, more appropriately for a fourth grader, bored me senseless.

 

But I could tell I come from such kids shows like this and Sesame Street, The Electric Company, etc. In this politicized environment we live in now (I made sure to steer clear of the youtube comments on this rewatch), we can characterize the ideas by whatever our closely held opinions are. But I like the ideas, as a '70s kid, for the freedom of what we can do as individuals, and that goes for collecting, too.

 

Collect those decimal points and asterisks all you want! It's your collection. It's who you are! Who am I to say how you can collect or what you can collect?

 

Do you collect only vintage and don't have anyone who isn't at least 80 years old in your collection? Good for you! Do that ... um ... for as long as you have!

 

Do you open box after box after box and ditch the base cards before walking away with 5 autographs and 14 relics? All right, I don't get you, but if you've got the money and aren't hurting anything, go to it. It's probably helping the cardboard economy (but affecting other things, but we won't get into it on this post!).

 

Collect those cards of players in old-timey uniform, signing an autograph, riding a skateboard, spitting in the dugout. Collect a rainbow of that Bowman prospect no one has ever heard of. Collect every Moments & Milestones card like a psycho! Do it! Because you're a collector and we are free to collect whatever we want.

 

No wonder we like this world.

 

As for me, I take my collecting freedom very seriously. I enjoy a broad range of collecting pursuits. For example, just two recent arrivals from others.

 

 

These are also from Bill K. They are reprints of the 1940 Play ball set and very well done. They came out in 1986 from a company called "CCC" (I don't know what that stands for). 

I love these. I have a few actual 1940 Play Ball Dodgers myself, but not all of them. These are in a lot better shape (although they are showing signs of aging -- this reprint set is almost 40 years old!) This set and 1940 Play Ball may seem rather drab with the black & white images, simple design and head shots, but I really like the simpleness and how they evoke that era.

 

Now, swerving in the completely opposite direction.

 

 

I like this card a lot, too! Wow!

 

I just received this from another reader Casey. You've seen cards from him on this blog before. This is a "green crackle-foil" version of the 1990 Topps design insert from 2025 Topps, numbered to /99. That's right, Topps took the already over-the-top 1990 design and added more to it. Mookie even has to wear shades! I love it.

 

Two more shiny 2025's from Casey that I will happily accept. My opinion on the Stars of MLB design this year differs with others, but that's OK. Free to be! As long as we can express those opinions and not have anyone jump down our throat. And I think collectors are a reasonable and tolerable lot (as long as they don't get on that X site too much).

But that's how I like my cards to be -- not any one type. They can be old and black and white, they can be so shiny you need shades. They can be -- free to be them! For whatever mood a collector's in.

 

You're free to update those back variations that I need a magnifying app to see. And I'm free not to ignore them.