Groovy

As far as collecting goes, I'm a bit of an oddball.

I accepted that fact long ago.

I don't build sets, I don't collect any specific teams, and I just can't limit myself to a dozen or so player collections.

Instead, I collect cards of guys blowing bubbles. I collect cards of ballplayers signing autographs. Not the autographs themselves, mind you, just pictures that show them in the process of doing so.

And I have hundreds and hundreds of different player collections.

Yep. I'm an odd one, all right.

Even so, though, the blogosphere has helped show me that perhaps I'm not all that different from a lot of the collectors out there.

I found myself constantly worried that I was the last of "my kind" when I was on the forums. Over there, I pretty much was. At least it felt like it, anyways.

But, around here, I've found that I share a lot of the same interests as most of my fellow bloggers.

Although most of you may not collect hundreds of different players, I've found a mutual appreciation for a lot of my other collecting focuses in the blogosphere.

I've found a place that accepts and adores one of my longtime interests in "hitting pitcher" cards. The same goes for "play at the plate" pieces.

Perhaps most of all, I've found that the majority of collectors in the blogosphere can appreciate an astoundingly colorful baseball card.

As far as that goes, I guess it's no coincidence that "groovy" cardboard seems to be widely favored around here. It seems like every blogger has a psychedelic piece or two somewhere in their household.

Seeing as how they make for some of the most colorful cards in existence, that makes a whole lot of sense.

Thank goodness.

This, more than anything, bothered me on the forums. I thought everyone was to preoccupied with the latest autograph or jersey "hit" to notice some of the more colorful masterpieces out there.

I think the nearly universal adoration of this year's 1972 minis can attest to the blogosphere's love for "groovy" cardboard. Aside from a sparse few dissenting voices, I've heard nothing but praise for these things over the last couple days.

In fact, my fascination with the series inspired me to take a look at some of the more "groovy" baseball cards in the hobby's history.

So, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to take you on a bit of a magic cardboard ride, if you will.

Steppenwolf would be proud.

As great as the '72 minis might be, they'll never come close to the "grooviness" of the real thing.

Strangely, I wasn't a huge fan of the set as a kid. I'm still not sure why. I guess I just didn't get the fuss over that "weird" lettering.

The important thing, however, is that I like 'em now.

Heck, I love them now.

I spent a whole fifty cents on this Terry Forster rookie at a card show last year. That's, like, five times more than the cards I usually buy.

That '72 design is just too awesome to pass up.

Whether intentionally or not, Topps managed to capture the so-called "drug culture" that was sweeping the nation on a fairly simple design.

I may like the '75 set a tad more than this one, but I still waver on which one actually does the best job of representing the decade as a whole. 

For me, it could go either way.

I have a message for any future Chicago-area dime box vendors.

Please include more of these for me!

In all my years of scavenging dime bins, this Lofton is the only piece I've ever plucked from Upper Deck Retro's "groovy" insert set.

I mean, it actually has the word "groovy" in its title.

"Groovy Kind of Glove".

How could I not like them?

I keep feeling like go-go dancers are going to pop out of it.

Now that would be cool.

Yes, people, it's time for another '95 Fleer blurb.

Avert your eyes if you want.

From what I understand, most of you have countless other words for what Fleer produced in 1995, many of which are not suitable for this family-friendly blog.

The word "groovy" doesn't even enter most people's minds with these things.

But it does for me.

I guess they're just too "out there" for a lot of collectors. Perhaps it's just too much color for one piece of cardboard.

But, if you've been reading this post at all, you should know how much I love those qualities.

That's about the best I can put it.

I honestly can't explain why I've come to love 1995 Fleer so much over the years. I just do.

I don't care what anyone says.

These things are psychedelic, dude.

For a long time, I thought '95 Fleer was about as "trippy" as it got in this hobby.

Then I traded for this one.

It's a total mind-blower, to say the least.

I don't think "trippy" is nearly enough to describe the psychedelic craziness that lies within this crazy masterpiece.

I heard that if you look at this card long enough, you're supposed to see a sailboat or something.

Seriously, though. Look at all those colors!

Yellow, red, blue, pink, and more. I think I counted all seven colors of the spectrum, in fact.

That's beyond "trippy", if I do say so myself.

Like I said long ago, this is indeed a refractor on acid.

Dude.

Other than the original "groovy" 1972 design, one set stands above all in the world of psychedelic cardboard.

It's not even much of a contest.

2001 Upper Deck Decade was the set that got me into the likes of "groovy" cards. As far as the hobby goes, it was probably my first real introduction to 1970's baseball, too.

My local card shop used to have a dollar bin that comprised of long-lost packs. There would always seem to be a few "Decade" packs lying in there every time I went.

Needless to say, I came home with about a half-dozen packs of these after every card shop excursion.

Every pack was a new experience.

Although the base cards are astounding in their own right, the inserts are what really give off the whole 1970's "feel".

If you want "groovy", look no further these "Disco Era Dandies" beauties.

I ask you, does it get any better than a disco-themed card of "Pops" himself?

I don't think so.

It certainly doesn't get much "groovier", anyways.

As far as color on cardboard goes, I doubt I'm much of an oddball. I've always had a deep appreciation for the "grooviest" pieces of the hobby.

I probably wouldn't recommend operating heavy machinery right about now, though.