Refocusing the Collection

I've been pondering my return to collecting and blogging for a few weeks now. When I put collecting on hold a few years back, I purged a ton of my collection. I had to fit the entirety of my collection into a single plastic tote bin, forcing me to sell many of my higher-end cards, send care packages to a number of people, and donate a ton of cardboard to my local Salvation Army (I really hope those cards found a good home). That tote bin is now located about 3,200 miles away in my dad's cellar, and I haven't seen those cards in a couple of years.

I'm not entirely sure what I even have anymore. I know I kept most of my major player collections: Matt Kemp, Shawn Green, and Clayton Kershaw. I ended up moving many of my Adrian Beltre cards, and I did away with a few of my secondary PCs as well. I plan on Facetiming my dad soon to get a better idea of what I still have, and hopefully, I can get those cards shipped out to NYC asap. 

While the status of my player PCs is up in the air, I am positive that I kept around my Topps Team Set Project--that is, the Dodgers team set from every year of Flagship dating back to 1952. Considering my budget and space concerns, I figured hunkering down on this project would be a solid place to pick up collecting. 

I've been out of the game for a few years, but I have managed to pick up a few cards here and there to help my cause. And I really do mean a few. 

A pair of cards from 2018 and one from 2017. That's about all of the Dodgers I've found out of Flagship in the past few years. 

I can't say I'm the biggest fan of either design. Flagship removed the borders way back in 2016, and while I was okay with the move at the time--I was ready for something new--I'm ready for the return of borders. (I guess I should go out and buy some more Big League). These 2018 cards aren't the worst, design-wise, but the partly-masked team logos bug me a bit. Even worse, however, are the players' first names that are slightly covered by the "wave". Oh well. The rest of the design is nice. 

Buying packs of Flagship is not the best way to go about finishing (and starting) these sets, so I'm jumping back in the trade market and I may make a few purchases on COMC. I just updated my Trade Bait page, which is a little bare, but I hope to add to that after I get my collecting back in NYC. 

Jumping back into collecting is exciting, and you can probably expect a few more posts in the coming weeks in which I evaluate my collection and continue to focus it for the future. For the time being, I'm starting small. Let's build some sets! 

Third Time's the Charm: A Return to Bloggerland

I have really made a habit of "return" posts, now haven't I? After putting blogging and collecting to the side a few years back, I've made a number of short-lived returns to blogging. First, it was to talk about 2015 Stadium Club, a beautiful set that featured Adam Dunn's sunset card (with the A's no less!). Two years later I came back to announce the new plans for my blog: a digital revolution. The plan at that point was to focus on digital cards from Topps Bunt, an app I used religiously for months before finally coming to my senses, and to produce my own digital cards through Photoshop magic. Well, my computer promptly gave out after that, I lost my old version of Photoshop, and I've never been able to get back to making them.

Amidst all of this, of course, I moved across the country, finished college, got a full-time job, and moved to Brooklyn (about 60 years too late for this Dodgers fan). While my absence was largely due to my inability to collect or produce my own digital cards, these important things also got in the way.

Well, I seem to have run out of excuses for blogging, and I can happily say I am returning.

No, really! I mean it this time!

Look, I have real, physical cards! From a 2018 Bowman Mega Box!

I've been following the blogs and collectors on Twitter during my absence, and I noticed a huge demand for these boxes. I was lucky to find a box at my "local" target (though it's local, it takes me about an hour to get to because of the subway, which is just gross). I guess the demand had to do with autos of future superstars Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr., but there are tons of other excellent young players in this set. I managed to pull these sweet x-fractor cards of Gleyber Torres and Walker Buehler, who both have excellent chances to reign in Rookie of the Year awards this season. 

I also purchased some flagship a few months back, and while I'm not a big fan of the design--bring back borders!--I managed to snag this sweet Aaron Nola SP. 

Though I made some purchased this year, I really haven't had the chance to fully jump back into my collecting ways. For one, the entirety of my collection is still holed up in California. Secondly, cards are extremely difficult to find in NYC. I rarely have luck at Target when I do make the trek there, and I've yet to find a local hobby shop (any suggestions NYC people?).

Yet, I miss participating in this wonderful blogging community. I miss the thrill that comes with opening up a pack of cards. I miss this blog.

While I won't post as frequently as in the past (save my two failed comeback attempts), I hope to get at least one blog post out a week. Many of these will be card-focused, though many will also revolve around my thoughts on baseball and the Dodgers. The blog will undergo a few changes in the coming weeks, and I still hope to get Photoshop to make custom cards a reality. Regardless, I'm hoping the third time's the charm: I'm returning to bloggerland.