(I feel like I’m repeating myself but I’m not actively trying to blog less, I just don’t seem to have the time to dedicate to NOC like I once did. I’m still hoping that will change soon, but if the sporadic posting continues or worsens, it’s not because I don’t care. Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 368th in a series):
Once I finished the 1969 Topps set six months ago, in the weeks that followed I noticed something about me as a collector.
I said that ’69 would probably be the last large vintage set I would seriously chase and I still feel that way. I am still pursuing sets, but they’re easier mid-1980s varieties or smaller 1970s oddballs.
But because of rising card costs on even some of those smaller pursuits, I’ve spent a lot of time gathering more modern Dodgers. I won’t say it’s not fun. I still like gathering cards of the guys I watch on my screen and some of those cards are very cool, but it’s not the same as the vintage pursuits.
And that’s what I’ve noticed about me. Almost without being conscious of it, my brain has been telling me “these current cards are nice but they don’t have substance.” I do already know this but the difference in possessing a vintage card or chasing a vintage set and doing the same with modern cards or sets is almost tangible. It feels different. In my head.
This is why I have my second 1941 Play Ball Brooklyn Dodger in “Hot Potato” Hamlin. This card feels like an achievement. It didn’t cost me a bundle but it’s vintage as all heck and I still love the look of this set. (If I had an obnoxious amount of cash I’d chase the whole thing).
As I’ve said before, I’ve been blocked at just about every turn in my vintage pursuits since getting done with ’69. Finding the Hostess and Kellogg’s cards I need is not easy or all that fun. Graders’ quest for every last decent-condition card to grade doesn’t leave a lot left over. I’ve pivoted to more beat-up cards as they’re mostly avoided by the graders but sometimes I can’t even find those. (Thank goodness for card shows).
But a set like this hasn’t soared out of my price range yet, although I’m never getting that Pee Wee Reese rookie. So I think I’ll focus on finishing the rest of the Dodgers. Not including Reese, there are two others that I need …
(P.S.: Even with less time and shorter posts, I’m still working on topics:
But they’re a surprise).