Modern cards, modern consequences

 

I can't say there was ever a time when I liked every card that came out of a pack or into my collection.

 

Even in my youngest days of opening packs, between 1974-76, there were cards I didn't like. That was based entirely on the goofy whims of little kids -- what the player looked like, whether they wore a hat, whether they had a "weird" (to us) name.

 

As I grew older, my dislikes were based on other ideas: what team they played for, whether their team had wronged my team and sometimes the behavior of the player on the field, which was mostly confined to Reggie Jackson and Pete Rose.

 

Now my card dislikes can come from a host of reasons: certain teams and behaviors, sure, but also what card brand it is, what ridiculous parallel it is, and -- here's something we never considered as kids -- what those players say and how they act off the field. It's safe to say that we know too much and it's affecting the way I feel about the cards that arrive at my home. Modern cards just aren't as sunny as they were back in the '70s.

 

This came into play recently when I pulled a couple of envelopes out of the mail box from Chris of Nachos Grande and Max of Starting Nine.

 

Max's cards sort of resembled what Nachos sent but didn't cause that modern consternation, so let's take a look at those first.

 

Some Allen & Ginter Dodgers from the 2025 set. These are arriving from a few different directions lately. I still need a few more for the team set. Of course Ohtani is one of them. Arrgh, there's some modern consternation.

 

I notice that Allen & Ginter curls a bit this year, I'm sure that's been happening the last few years, but when I think of A&G I always think of the 2008 set and that would never even think of curling. 

 

 

A nice grouping from the Wicked Curves insert set. That's a lot of Dodgers there and I still need two more. The set is only 40 cards. 

 

 

The other two cards in the envelope weren't related to A&G. I'm pleased with the Joe Kelly Heritage white border. I had to hunt for what exactly that Adrian Beltre is. I kind of lucked into finding it on TCDB. It's from a Dodgers Fan Appreciation Day 3-card set from 1999. At least I think that's what it is. The checklist doesn't have any pictures.

 

All right, now the cards from Nachos Grande, which caused a bit more angst.

 

 

First some 2025 A&G Chrome. These are welcome though chrome A&G is still something totally not necessary. I have not bothered to complete a team set ever since chrome became a thing in this set. But I must have my Dodgers wherever they originate!

 

 

 Now, this thing. In the 2025 Holiday Advent Calendars, Topps inserted buyback cards, I don't know why -- so they could mar an otherwise collectible card, I guess.

 

This is a blue border parallel from the SAME YEAR as the 2025 Holiday set. It's from 2025 Heritage. How can there be buybacks of something that was issued just months prior??? I still needed this blue border Teoscar for the Heritage team set ... without the fool stamp.

 

So, you know, modern cards, modern rationalizations. I'm probably going to stick this card with the other Heritage cards instead of the Holiday cards and try really hard not to see the stamp when I view them all on the page.

 

But that's not as ugly as this:

 

The Holiday calendars also contained random packs to open. Chris' had a pack of 2021 Big League. 2021 packs are always dangerous because Trevor Bauer as a Dodger is lurking in a lot of them. Chris hit the bizarro jackpot by pulling two Bauer parallels.

 

I expressed my horror on his post. Somehow he still sent them to me, like he's Johnny's Trading Spot or something.

 

I do not "need" either of them. I've got both already, unfortunately. I consulted the want list of the only other Dodger team sicko (i.e., must have every Dodger no matter what or who) that I know and cards as I see them still needs the blue parallel, so that's set aside.

 

The other?

 

 Modern cards, modern consequences. I know too much.

 

Also I only used the scissors because I couldn't find the fire-starter.