Night activity

 

Twice a year I run through my doubles for that particular year's card products and pull any night cards that could find a spot in my night card binder.

 

I do that in the spring and then again in the fall when I'm filing away the cards for the year.

 

It's time for the first go-round for 2025 cards, the few that I have. As I've mentioned many times in the last 5-10 years, night cards aren't as fun these days because Topps crops cards too close and you rarely get to see the best elements of a traditional night card -- stadium lights, neon advertising, etc.

 

But I press on, because there are still empty slots ... many, many empty slots!

 

Here are the 2025 cards that make the binder so far:

 

117 - Orlando Arcia, 2025 Heritage

 

Fills an empty slot! Very exciting.

 

 

81 - Twins, set checklist, 2025 Topps

 

No-brainer, one of the most distinctive cards in flagship this year. Stadium lights and even a lit-up scoreboard! This card replaces a 2023 Topps Ozzie Albies.

 

 

354 - Gleyber Torres, 2025 Heritage

 

A somewhat controversial inclusion as Torres replaces a World Series card, one of the best kinds of night cards. But the card replaced is from 2003 Topps -- a set that I supposedly want to complete some day (you'll never find a want list for it, I'm sure). So using a dupe is more productive, especially one that represents a Gleyber Torres that doesn't exist, a shaven Detroit Tiger.

 

 

312 - Red Sox, set checklist, 2025 Topps

 

An interesting photo and it replaces a run-of-the-mill 2020 Topps Billy Hamilton card despite the awful, awful "Dub & Drench" title and almost as awful "On a Wing and a Sprayer" subhead.

 

 

170 - Orioles team card, 2025 Topps 

Also fills an empty slot! Weeeee!

 

So that's five appearances for 2025 cards in the night card binder so far. There will be others by the end of the year.

 

Here are the 2025 cards that didn't make it:

 

Too bad, but I'm re-thinking the Taylor Ward pencil bat. It should be included and all it's booting is an average 2005 Donruss Hideo Nomo card (yes, I know, no Nomo card is average).

 

 

And here are the cards that were kicked out of the binder:
 

All of them will be repurposed toward sets, unless I have the cards already, I'm not sure in the case of the 2020 and 2023 cards.

 

And that's the latest night card binder update! And that's your night card fix until October-November.