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Stick 'um, stupid


Out of all of the kinds of cards that I have obtained since I returned to collecting, there is only one that mocks me.

But it's not the oversized cards that will barely fit in a shoebox or the mini cards that will disappear down the cold-air intake floor register.

It's the sticker.


I used to love stickers. I still love stickers. Although now it's more the IDEA of stickers that I love. Stickers take me back to the time when I plastered them everywhere and announced my devotion to my favorite team.

I would stick them on my notebooks. I would stick them on my folders. I would stick them on my book covers and my baseball card binders. I would stick them on my Big Wheel and then, later, my bike. I would stick them on the posters on my wall. When I was feeling particularly daring, I would stick them on my desk at school. But not right on top where the teacher would see.

Stickers were meant to be stuck.

Periodically, you'd see stickers on trees or sign posts (I don't remember if I ever did that). And then there'd be those kids who would put stickers on themselves.


But I don't have any notebooks, book covers, folders or posters anymore. I don't sit at a desk at school. I don't have a Big Wheel, and putting stickers on my bike wouldn't go with the "decor."

I could put my Dodger stickers on my Dodger binders. But my binders are handled very frequently and I can't bear the thought of seeing the stickers curl up and get ratty-looking. I'm a little obsessive in that area.


So there my stickers sit. I put one of each kind in my Dodger binders, as if they are cards. But I don't know what to do with all the duplicates. They sit with my Dodger doubles right now. But unlike the rest of the doubles, each time I see the stickers, they cry out to be stuck.

Really, I can hear them. They're crying.

It's crushing.

Stickers are meant to be stuck.


What does everyone do with their stickers? If you stick them on your binders, are they treated in some fashion so they don't rip off?

And don't tell me you stick them on your walls or walk around with them on your forehead. My daughter is reaching an age where her father "must be normal." So that's not a realistic option.


As proud as I am of my baseball card collection -- I will tell noncollectors without hesitation what I do for a hobby and if they make some sort of smart remark, I will rip their so-called "adult" hobby up and down -- I just can't get a handle on stickers.

I really feel like I'm failing my stickers.


I still love them. But I'm sick of them reminding me I'm not a kid anymore.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I briefly considered collecting stickers (as I do for certain non-sports sets), but the idea of it is just so massive as there are so many color variations and stuff.
¡El Roberto! said…
i let me son stick the stickers to the inside of the cabinet storage doors in my garage. Right now all the stickers only reach a max of 3 feet off the ground. I imagine as he gets older they will reach higher.
Anonymous said…
If I were a grade-A jerk, I might tell you to stick them up your...

But I'm only a grade-B jerk, so I say you should give them away to kids. Kids will have them stuck all over the place, as God intended, in under fifteen minutes.
Nachos Grande said…
It's almost as if you were reading my mind... An idea for stickers? Stay tuned for this weekend.
Cardsplitter said…
Sure, just hand them out to random kids on the street.

Because nothing says "safe neighborhood" like some guy handing out Dodger stickers in upstate New York.
flywheels said…
I've got some of my duplicate Braves sticker on the inside cover of the binder...that way it shouldn't receive as much wear. I'm kind of anal like that too.

The ideas though of giving the extras to kids is a novel idea as well.
Fleerfan said…
Of course, you could always blog about them! That way you could spot things like the fact that you have both Dodgers variations from the 1991 set (check your picture with the stickers with the red/orange/yellow background and see if you can spot the differences).
AdamE said…
I pretend they are cards and store them just like a card. Until you peel them they are a card.
Somewhere in Mom's storage unit is my old Trapper Keeper from middle school, covered with the Wacky Packages (1979 set) I had as duplicates.

One day, I'll find that and take it back home.
gcrl said…
first, send one of each of your duplicate dodger stickers to me. second, do as you wish with the remainder of your duplicate stickers.
Anonymous said…
What's more important? Always pleasing your daughter, or having ridiculous stories to laugh about in five-ten years? When I was dating my wife, she was constantly embarassed by her father when I was around. Now we laugh so hard we cry when we talk about those times.

So in that vein, put them on your forhead. Or you can be really bad ass and put them on your biceps like tatoos. There were a kid at my church long ago who used to wear stickers like tatoos. He was cool...
Orioles Magic said…
Those Panini stickers bring back memories. I had the "official" binder and colleted the hell out of those things. I think I liked them more than cards in the late 80s.