Let's count the parallels!

 

It's pretty apparent to me that the number of parallels in every card product has vaulted into another level of ridiculousness in the last year or two.

 

Counting parallels has been crazy for at least the last 10 years but somewhere around when Panini started Chronicles and then now with what Topps is doing in its main sets, it's almost impossible to keep tabs on all of them, and I don't know what to think of any collector who is trying to collect them all for one player. Pity? Admiration? Concern for Their Financial and Mental Health? 

As I've said many times, despite the over-the-top number, I still like a good parallel. Colorful ones are the best. But I almost never chase them anymore. They've jumped the shark and I've stopped watching.

 

But also they're still a good way to find cards that are new to my collection and if they are Dodgers, I'm going to welcome most of them even while wishing we could go back to the days when there were just gold parallels.

 

Recently I received an envelope from reader Grant that was filled with Dodger cards that I needed. Naturally, a lot of them were parallels. How many were parallels? Well that's where the blog title comes in. We're going to count them!

 

Starting with the card up top. That's a gold foil parallel. 1

 

 

 This is my favorite card that showed up. It is not a parallel. But it is a short-print from this year's Heritage. It is the coveted World Series card from the set, which I automatically need two of because it features all Dodgers. This is a take on the 1976 World Series, showing 1975 WS highlights. Not quite the impact of that old card, but love it just the same.

 

 

This Heritage card, though, is a parallel -- every color of the rainbow featured on the borders this year. 2

 

 

These cards are all from 2024 Archives. The Own The Game Tyler Glasnow card is not a parallel. It was also a part of my recently ordered COMC package. Probably should've ordered one of the four other Dodgers in this set.

 

The other two cards though are parallels. Black foil and something I've forgotten. 3, 4

 

 

I have received a few of the Allen & Ginter box-toppers recently. A&G is good about using original pictures with the box-toppers.

 

 

Another box-topper from Turkey Red in 2020. But it duplicates Bellinger's regular card in the set. 5

 

 

Even more Bellinger needs! Even though he hasn't been a Dodger for the last couple of years, his cards are still finding my collection and he's solidly in sixth place all-time and quickly chasing Matt Kemp and Shawn Green!

 

A bunch of parallels here -- orange, pink, gray frame. 6, 7, 8, 9

 

Another former Dodger who is still climbing. The top two are parallels (I think, Panini Donruss has to be weird about it), the bottom two are not. 10, 11

 

 

One of last night's heroes against the stupid snakes. Holo foil parallels don't do a lot for me, but they are colorful so yay. 12

 

 

 The original parallel in Topps Heritage -- Chrome -- was nice. Then The Madness took over. 13

 

 

 Here is a six-pack of former Dodgers. Everything, except for Joc, is a parallel. A couple ugly as heck. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

 

So there you go -- 18 of the 27 cards I needed were parallels, or 40 percent. That sounds about right.

 

During more lucid moments when thinking of easy ways to downsize my collection, the obvious trick is ridding myself of all parallels. I am not close to doing something like that, but I do see something like getting rid of the ugly ones.

 

But for now, I am still welcoming all your Dodgers. Of any kind. It's a tough habit to kick.