Stacking up and stocking up

  

The last three weeks I've averaged three posts a week, which is an all-time production low on Night Owl Cards.

 

I'm OK with it, which is not something I could say for the majority of the time I've been running this blog. But it's not like I have a choice. So I've accepted it, with the hope that I'll return to at least 5 posts a week, but not expecting that to happen.

 

Some of the old "requirements" of this blog remain in place though, clinging to the "old ways." One of those is "blog about every card package you have received from others." But when you cut down on blogging time, the cards pile up.

 

Another requirement is "keep the card room relatively orderly." My card room isn't immaculate, I don't think anybody's should be. But I've got the neatness gene and I can't handle cards piling on top of cards, potentially falling on the floor, so the cat will think it's a new play thing and bop them all around the room.

 

The new cards are stacking up, stacks upon stacks. Teetering is happening and with the way my brain works now, I'm going to confuse who sent what very soon, so I've GOT TO GET IT ALL OUT NOW. That's right, I'm just going to spew a bunch of new cards right now. Turn away while you can!! 

 

All right, are they gone?

 

OK, good. Now for the people who still want to see some cool new cards, I have a bunch for you.

 

 

Starting off with the most recent Time Travel Trade arrivals, which showed up from Matt quite awhile ago. I've cooled on 1985 Topps football recently but I couldn't resist getting one of the notables from that time period. Danny White, the punter/quarterback was just about a full-time quarterback by 1985 with just one punt that year.

 

 

More '80s Topps football. The 1980 design is one of the better ones from that decade so I should have a solid amount in my collection -- but I won't try to complete it or anything. Roland Hooks is for the Bills binder anyway.

 

 

What are these doing here, night owl? Didn't you finish 1979 Topps a long time ago? Yes, I did. But every time I see Dodgers stagnating on the Time Travel Trade grapevine I feel sad and I feel like I need to pick it up, so I did. And I added the Fidrych, too, because there's no way a Bird Fidrych card should ever go unclaimed.

 

 

Glorious. I wasn't sure what I was looking at when I first saw this displayed. I knew it was a Don Mossi card I didn't own. I also knew it was probably from some TCMA 1970s set.

 

 

 I was right! Look at how basic! Yes, that's what we collected in the 1970s when we were done with Topps. I know no one currently carrying a brief case into a card show understands this.

 

 

Last of the Time Travel claims. This was a "Trapped in Time" card that had sat unclaimed for years. Matt said J.C. Martin looks like the John Kinsella character in "Field Of Dreams" (Dwier Brown) and he certainly does with the White Sox uniform and the backward hat and catching glove.

 

Not much of a fan of '66 Topps but I couldn't pass this up (also the 1980 Eagles leaders card I showed earlier is a Trapped in Time card).

 

 

Bo of Baseball Cards Come To Life! is also a big Time Travel Trade participant and he sent me some cards somewhat recently, too.

 

Thank goodness for bloggers who still ship cards through the mail. What happened to all that? I saw Bo display this altered Hal Jeffcoat 1956 Topps card and I had to have it. The written-in name is Frank Smith, a relief pitcher from the 1950s. Long-time readers know that I interviewed Smith a few times around 20 years ago (my articles are hanging in a school display 20 minutes from me), and I own several signed cards by the late great Smith.

 

Smith did not get a card in the 1956 set, his last was in 1955. But in April of 1956, he was reacquired by the Reds -- the team he played for most of his career -- and appeared in two games, the last of his MLB career. Apparently that was enough for young Jimmy to erase Jeffcoat's name and put in "Frank Smith". If I ever come across Smith's good friend, Norm, who lives in the same town I do and kind of disappeared in the last 10 years (he's still alive as far as I know), this would be a great item to show him.

 

 

Bo sent some cool companions with the pseudo Smith. He remembered I'm collecting the 1983 Donruss set. All winners here.

 

 

And here are three more for the 1977 O-Pee-Chee chase, which has been a lot more active pursuit for me lately.

 

Those who know the 1977 Topps set inside-and-out (raises hand) probably zeroed in on that Sal Bando card. Bando is airbrushed into an exotic-looking Brewers hat, but he features the same thing in the Topps set. No, the OPC picture is different in another way.

 

 

 There are the two Bandos with OPC on the left and Topps on the right. The image is reversed! (mind blown). Also the color scheme is more muted on the OPC version. I don't know why the image was swapped (which is correct?), I don't think I'll ever know.

 

 

 I continue to make quick progress on the 1983 O-Pee-Chee set, too. These all came from Bob at @20thCenturyBaseballMan on Blue Sky. I believe I'm down to about 18 cards to wrap up the set. It may take a larger effort from here out, which I'm not ready for, but it'll get done.

 

 

More oddballness came my way, this time from Thoughts and Sox, who has revved up his blog again recently. These very tall 1981 Squirt soda pack hangers took up entirely too much space on the card desk while waiting.

 

I had to go through all the permutations with these two items -- do I have the individual cards? Do I have the intact hangers? The answer is: I have the Buckner-Baker hanger, and the Baker individual card, so that one I will mine for the Buckner individual card. The Garvey-LeFlore will remain intact (I have a separate Garvey already).

 

 

 Adam also sent this very welcome 1975 Hostess card of Fergie Jenkins. Currently chasing these with full knowledge that there are lots of short-prints and a Robin Yount card ahead. But I'm done looking for a Fergie Jenkins!!

 

 

 A quartet of buybacks -- but the '75s I own already. The two Dodgers go in the binder while I mourn the 1973 Topps set-collector who has one less Yeager and Russell to find for his chase.

 

 

These two were almost as welcome as the '75 Hostess Fergie. Shohei Ohtani is automatically the last Dodger I need for virtually every team set now. And in this case, the Ohtani wraps up the 2024 Archives Dodger set for me ... finally. The pink parallel is something the OHTANI HOARDERS/SELLERS WILL HAVE TO TRY HARDER FOR, HA!

 

 

Less exciting Dodger parallels. You know the kind -- the ones you have to run to the binders to confirm that you need.

 

 

This card is from the 1988 Smokey Bear Dodgers' Record Breakers stadium giveaway set (this was the era of stadium giveaway cards for the Dodgers). There are 32 cards in this set and I now own just three of them because I refuse to chase such an odd size. I finally relented and put the ones I have in a four-pocket page, but it's not the perfect fit because why would they make a page for something 2 1/2-by-4? 

 

 

I also received a holdover from "Blog Topics of 2016." That's when I went on about how Tom Murphy is from my general area (outside of Syracuse) and I did a fantastic job of pulling his cards. But that's faded out as Murphy's playing time may be done -- and also he's played for nothing but teams way far away from me, and one I don't like.

 

This is my second Murphy autograph card as I still own the monster relic/auto I received from Baseball Card Breakdown years ago.

 

 

 I also got a bunch of Red Sox extras. Adam's a Red Sox fan. These are all cool, all from cool sets, but all that I've completed. Upgrade material maybe. Or giveaway fodder one day.

 

 

Still going! I told you it was piling up!

 

This is yet another send from Rod of Padrographs. He slipped in this 1965 Topps football card of a Bills player I have never heard of. The wildest part of these cards, aside from the odd shape and the bright backgrounds, are that the cartoons on the front take up almost have the card! Sorry, I didn't scan the back. This post is long enough.

 

The point of the send though was even more 2025 Heritage for my chase. I don't know where Rod finds it all, but he had a whole bunch from my want list.

 

 

That's terrific. This summer I'll probably be knocking off short-prints like I did last year. There aren't any other current sets I'm interested in, so that will help. But this is the biggest help. Keeps me from running to Target.

  

 

Here are the Dodgers from that Heritage avalanche. The Ohtani and Muncy are both the first appearances of each, so I need one more of each. The pink sparkly Will Smith is appreciated, especially after his blast against the Padres last night! (Sorry, Rod). I'm going to enjoy seeing Smith with that All-Star banner in the 1977 design in Heritage next year!

 

 

 Rod even sent some chrome parallels. Both Mays and Puk are refractors.

 

 

And, finally, some Jinkies, glass cleaners! For when you're pounding out way too many words on a blog post no one is going to read!

 

I need something like this, definitely for the laptop screen, but probably a bunch of other things. The dollar bill shape is fun.

 

So, that's got to be one of the longest posts I've written for awhile (I've been working on shortening them a little). But I need to get these cards in binders or their designated stacks.

 

Because this is not everything that's come through lately. I guess those bloggers are still doing all right with the card shipping.