Topps wasn’t the only show in town in my formative years, so what am I mourning? A trademark? Another round of the same rookie reprints, only featuring a reverse? Or another weird anniversary of a mediocre set? Have I been Stockholm Syndromed by Topps largely churning out official “nostalgia” for the last 12 years?
Author: Usedcardboard
Show Recap: The Spirit of Savings!
The August card show took place last weekend (the first of two August shows, it turns out – time to budget!). What it lacked in the crowds, selection, and general buzz coming out of everyone’s National posts, it made up for in Spirit! As a longtime attendee of this show, I’ve seen it move from…
Better Late Than Never
August second ushered in the start of NBA free agency this year, just days after the NBA draft, which was pushed back for the second consecutive year due to the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also brought a chance for me to get caught up on some recent mail, including an envelope holding…
The Accidental Player Collection
Sometimes it seems like there is one player each year who is in each pack of cards I open. Base cards, hits, parallels – it doesn’t matter – I’ll frequently end up with a stack bearing the name and image of one player above all others. Some years are better than others, but most end…
Bargain Bin Baseballs
I have a difficult relationship with the Seattle Mariners – which aligns me with a lot of people who identify themselves with being a fan of that team – which I do not. However, I’m a resident of the Pacific Northwest and a massive baseball fan who has generally believed what’s good for the Mariners…
Thirty Years of My Topps Stadium Club Favorites
The first comment left on this blog was from my friend Ghent, who suggested I continue with the Stadium Club theme and focus my next post on a few favorite Stadium Club cards. Specifically, he suggested 2-3 cards – which I couldn’t do. However, I really liked the idea of going back through the years…
Show Recap: Distracted by Shiny Objects; Hit by a Brick
I attended the monthly Portland card show Saturday morning, arriving earlier than ever before since I had plans at noon. For the last month or so the Portland show has been a two-day affair – I attended day 2 last month, which was apparently a mistake since about half the tables were empty. The scene…
Congratulations to Chip Hale, Portland Beavers Legend and New Coach of the Arizona Wildcats
A news item caught my attention yesterday – Detroit Tigers third base coach Chip Hale has left his position to become the head baseball coach at the University of Arizona, his alma mater. Hale is among a group of former Portland Beavers who I focus on collecting, as he was one of the first players…
Beating the Odds with 2021 Stadium Club
In my last post, I declared that hobby boxes were too expensive. So why am I posting about buying two boxes of 2021 Stadium Club not even one week later? I swear I’m not an unreliable narrator– but Stadium Club is typically my favorite set of the year, and one that still doesn’t break the…
Welcome to Used Cardboard
Trading cards and sports memorabilia have been a part of my life nearly as far back as I can remember. During spring or summer of 1988, I bought a pack of Topps baseball cards from Roth’s IGA or Payless Drug and with that 40-cent purchase I started a hobby journey that continues to the present….