Night Owl Cards

  Around 15 years ago, I was up on the very latest in cards, all the new releases, when to get them, where to get them, etc.   The internet made it easy. There were several card sites that posted release dates regularly. Even some card blogs were there to tell you which set was coming out when. And I'd try to track everything: flagship, Heritage, Gypsy Queen, Bowman, Allen & Ginter, Chrome, Archives, etc., etc.   It's much different now. Information on the hobby is a lot more scattered. Most of all, I barely check release dates anymore. But it's not because the info is more difficult to find -- I just don't care. Mostly what I need is the date when flagship first comes out and the same with Heritage. And that's it.   I still want the Dodger cards though and, fortunately, a select few people still send me them. But now it's a surprise when the new cards come out.   Cards On Cards sent me another couple of envelopes a couple of weeks ago. It contained the ver...

  I keep forgetting that the latest Hall of Fame induction ceremony is coming up this weekend. Usually I prepare these Hall of Fame posts in advance but I suddenly realized that I've got to get it done by the weekend.   My reason for forgetting is that this class is quite forgettable. It's three players from the '90s/'00s/'10s. All three are not exactly popular among baseball fans as a whole. Two were Dodgers and neither came out of it well. The other guy spent virtually his whole career on irksome teams aggravating and tormenting the Dodgers (sometimes in trashy ways). So, no, I won't be watching the ceremony.   But I will update my most Hall of Famers series, which I am doing yearly now that I've covered every Topps flagship set, documenting how many Hall of Famers are in each one.   Like last year, I am only listing the years for which the totals have changed after adding Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.   This time around 25 sets have increase...

  I don't like saying cards are "a waste of money" because collectors get so much of that nonsense from noncollectors during their lifetime.   Generally card collecting is not a waste of money for a myriad of reasons, from being educational to improving mental health. But as the hobby continues to sink under Fanatics' heavy-handed rule, there are times when, yes, even I have to admit that cards can be money down the drain.   Here is what made me think this way:   I received not one, but two Target gift cards for my birthday. I was determined to use them on cards (I may become very boring and rethink that strategy thanks to this). Instead of purchasing another Series 2 box, which was quite productive for me, I selected the latest Topps Chrome Platinum offering. Not a smooth move.   I knew I was doing something dumb yet I am very confident in justifying my card purchases. "It'll all work out" I rationalized -- because quite often it does. But the following...

  The birthday went pretty well. They're quiet these days. The highlight may be a new chair for my desk area where I type these posts. Yay! Also, I did use the gift card (actually two of them) for some current cards. You'll see that in the coming weeks.   After this post I'm taking a few days off from the blog. There are vacation things to do, yes, but also I've been getting a little cranky about blog stuff and that's an indication that I need some time away.   It'll also allow me to rededicate myself to some other topics besides showing off the latest cards, which I've done a lot of lately ... and am doing now.   A series of arrivals have been piling up on the roll-top desk and it's a mess so I'm clearing out. Enjoy the card view.     These were my latest claims on Diamond Jesters' Time Travel Trading. Both probably need explaining. For the Sweetness card, I added it simply because his earlier cards have been so difficult to obtain. Might as we...

   I've made many references about my sister-in-law's ability to select exactly the right box or packs of cards when she's picking out a gift.   It's happened over and over. The cards I get from her, I never pull myself.   But this time it was even more impressive. She didn't even have to pick out the box herself.   She sent a Target gift card for Father's Day. It took me awhile to decide what kind of cards I wanted. I ended up settling on a Topps Series 2 box, it was the only thing in my wheelhouse and I almost always purchase some Series 2, particularly if it's a set I like, and that's the case for 2026.   The box arrived a few days ago and right from the first pack I knew it contained my sister-in-law's magic touch. Yet she didn't touch the box!   I don't think most people are interested in seeing every card -- it's Series 2 -- so I'll offer a highlight from each pack. That'll be enough to show that this wasn't the ordinary...