Happy 5th Anniversary to bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog!!!

I can't believe I forgot this. But on May 8, 2008, I wrote my first post on this humble, little blog. It is now May 21, 2013. That means that I've been around for five years!

Whoa!!!

This blog has been around for FIVE YEARS!!!

Happy Anniversary to Me!!!



(the words to the song for those who either can't access the video, or for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)

(Gioacchino Rossini; arr. William Hanna / Joseph Barbera)
Practically a restaurant standard, most people don't realize that these lyrics, to the tune of "The William Tell Overture", were written by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for the episode titled "The Hot Piano".

Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

Pour a cheerful toast and fill it
Happy Anniversary
But be careful you don't spill it
Happy Anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Happy she and happy he
They're both as happy as can be
Celebrating merrily
their happy anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy (slow)
Happy (slow)
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy (fast) Anniversary!!!

Well, let's see what has happened to me and my collection in the last five years. When I first started this blog, I had 38,749 cards in my official collection. I had every set from 1976 through 2008 Topps Series 1, along with a number of complete insert sets from 1995 through 2008. I also owned the following sets that are part of my collection:

• 2001 Topps Archives, 2002 Topps Archives: Best Years;
• 2003-2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites;
• 2003 Topps Shoebox Collection;
• 2002-2003 Topps T206 series I, II, and III;
• 2003-2004 Topps T205 series I and II;
• 2004-2005 Topps Cracker Jack;
• 2005-2006 Topps Turkey Red;
• 2006-2007 Topps Allen & Ginter;
• 1986-1990 Topps Mini Leader Cards;
• 1984-1986 Topps Super;
• 1988-1990 Topps Big;
• 1983-1990 Topps All-Star Glossy Send-In Sets;
• 1984-1991 Topps All-Star Glossy Sets;
• 1987-1991 Topps All-Star Glossy Rookie Sets;
• 1990-1992 Major League Debut;
• 2005 Topps Rookie Cup;
• 2006-2007 Topps 14-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2005 Topps Hot Button;

Since then, I have added 20,191 cards to the collection, which comes to 4000 plus per year. I now have all the base and traded cards from 2008 Topps 2 through 2013 Topps Series 1, along with almost all of the basic insert cards that come with these sets. I also have added the following sets to my ever growing collection:

• 2012 Topps Archives;
• 2009-2010 Topps T206;
• 2010 Topps National Chicle;
• 2007 Topps Turkey Red;
• 2008-2012 Topps Allen & Ginter;
• 2011-2013 Topps Gypsy Queen;
• 2010-2012 Topps MiLB Pro Debut;
• 2008 Topps 14-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2009 Topps 15-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2010-13 Topps 17-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2011-13 Topps 17-Card All-Star Team Sets, all 6 of them;

In five years, this blog has gained 230 followers and over 354,000 pageviews (according to Blogger), and almost 200,000 hits (according to sitemeter). Thanks to the blog, I have also been interviewed by the Tampa Tribune and Sports Collectors Daily, and was part of the Topps Blog (when they had one) Roundtable. All this because I wanted to add my voice to what was then a very small but growing segment in the Hobby.

I am so happy to see that blogging about baseball cards, and sports cards for that matter, has grown into what it is today. The Sports Card Blogroll, which will also turn five years old in a couple of months, has seen well over 700 blogs in its lifetime listed in the main section (a post about the SCBR's anniversary will come when it is time).

I am not going to promise what I'm going to write about in the coming year. I have found that for one reason or another, I have not been able to keep my word on those (Topps Archives project...cough cough - Topps 300 cough cough). But I do know this. Whenever Topps, or anything else piques my interest in this Hobby that we all know and love, rest assured that it will be discussed here.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this one-trick pony of a blog. Thank you for your comments, your e-mails, for the cards sent via trades and gifts to me over the years (the Hobby Blogging Community is still one of the most generous I have ever had the honor of being a part of). Thanks to all those who gave me advice about writing a blog when I first started, and those of you who asked me for my own opinions on how a blog should be written. I have enjoyed the past five years and look forward to many more, especially since Topps has the exclusive license to themselves until the end of the decade.

Now it's time to get to work and put those retail sets in binders...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama