Old friends

 

 

Although I recently lamented the former card bloggers who have disappeared from the virtual card world -- couldn't tell you what they're doing or even if they're alive -- there are still plenty of former bloggers that I see on other social media sites. That's one of the reasons I have not been solely a blogger since the rise of other social media forms.

 

While blogging is easily my preferred platform for cards, communicating with old blogging friends in more informal ways, whether Twitter or Blue Sky or wherever, is a bit easier, casual-like and a little more fun (sometimes). It's random card thoughts and and conversations in easy bites. Another plus -- trades spring out of nowhere. You start the day with no intention of exchanging cards and 20 minutes later I'm swapping cards.

 

Recently I sent a few current Tigers cards to ex-blogger/ex-twitterer Boobie Maine, who now is in the card (and music) conversation on Blue Sky. I know too many Tigers fans lately and none of them are pleased right now.

 

But fortunately before the depression hit, he sent some cards back to me, which is very cool from someone I first knew like 15 years ago. Those blogging old friends are special.

 

 

The package started small, with a sticker I know well. It's from the 1982 Topps set, and the sticker recognizes Pedro Guerrero's epic Game 6 in the 1981 World Series. I have a few copies of this card and at least one is stuck. Time to stick another (if it will stick after all these years).

 

Topps didn't do a great job in 1982 of recognizing the Dodgers' World Series title, but it's still better than Topps' recognition of the 2024 title in this year's set. WHERE ARE THE CARDS, TOPPS????

 

 

 A whole mess of Topps Stickers from the Teens followed. These are just the ones I needed, there were quite a few more. I didn't do a great job of collecting these, so I love getting them, but it's going to take a day off to figure how to store them.

 

Somewhere around 2014, 2015 Topps cut down on the paper quality of the stickers (the first three there, from 2011, 12 and 13 are much sturdier).

 

 

Pretty clear that Boobie Maine opened a fair amount of Archives. Most of this is from last year's set (all former needs!). The only exception is the Bernie Williams, which is from the 2019 set. It's one of the rarer minis -- I think that's only my third or fourth one!

 

 

 A nice sepia parallel of Pee Wee Reese from 2024 Stadium Club. The foil parts are now green. They used to be orange, which I liked a lot better (some of the orange parallels from SC sets from seven, eight years ago are really cool).

 

Finally ... this:

 

 A Dodger miscut from my all-time favorite set. You can't beat that, except this card does! It features TWO Dodgers cards. I'm sure there are other miscuts featuring the same team but this is the first one in my collection.

 

With a little sleuthing on Blue Sky -- there's that casual collecting talk paying off again -- Shlabotnik Report figured out the player sharing the card with Tommy John is Davey Lopes.

 

 

With just the John card as my source, I could narrow down only to Lopes, Bill Russell and Ken McMullen -- all of whom appear on cards with a brown border on the top. But Shlabotnik found a photo of a 1975 complete sheet.

 

I've also featured the same thing on my blog, which I dug up:

 

Tommy John is the fifth card in on the fourth row and Lopes is right below him.

 

So there you go. I'm still learning and still communicating with the collectors who I first met on the blogs all those years ago. Still finding new cards for my collection, too.

 

This online collecting world is still pretty great, no matter where you are. It's a matter of taste really. What I avoid (youtube/X) or plain ignore (Facebook/Instagram), others may prefer. Finding like-minded friends and all that.

 

I've found my collecting friends. They started on the blogs.