Fruits of the Greatest Month Countdown #4
July 18th, 2011 by slangon
On we march, my intrepid friends. Today we have another card that has, until now proved to be too wily for me. So wily in fact, at time I almost felt as if it was taunting me, just daring me to try and capture it and encase it in protective vinyl.
1963 Topps #228 Rookie Stars
I’ve mentioned this card before on this blog. Specifically, I’ve complained about how annoying it was to me to have to pay Tony Oliva prices for Ed Kranepool. Well, we’ll have no more of that. Now both Tony (or Pedro) and Ed, along with innocent bystanders Max Alvis and Bob Bailey are mine, all mine. I guess that’s the kind of thing you have to put up with as a team collector. Sometimes, someone on your team happens to share a rookie card with a really good player whose rookie card actually is worth something.
I guess it could’ve been worse. I could’ve been a Yankees, Dodgers or White Sox collector and then I would’ve had to try and track down a Pete Rose rookie card. Or if I were a Tigers, Angels or Pirates collector, I would’ve had to find a Gaylord Perry rookie. You like the Colt .45’s, the Red Sox or the Phillies? Looks like you have to buy a Willie Stargell rookie. And those are just the big rookies from the ’63 set. Thinking about that, I guess I got off pretty easy only having to track down Tony Oliva’s rookie. Or I guess I should say Ed Kranepool’s rookie.
All that being said, on the bright side, in the end I have a Tony Oliva rookie card, which is pretty cool and something that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have gone out of my way to get.
Like the ’62 Ashburn, I got this one pretty reasonably off of Sportlots rather than eBay, which is where I had been attempting to get this card for a really long time. Pretty much the same story, I had a number in mind that I was willing to pay for this card, set my bid, and had the thing won. Until those pesky snipers showed up. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame the snipers. I know that’s how eBay works and I’m well aware that usually if you really want a certain item, sniping is probably your best strategy. I’ve been guilty of it myself. It’s not like I lump them in with pack searchers or anything, but still, it’s very frustrating to be that close to getting a card you’ve been trying to nail down forever and have it slip away at literally the last seconds. Amazingly, the same guy who had the Ashburn had this card for a bit less than what I usually bid on eBay.
Looking at the back of the card, it’s pretty clear why that is. It looks like my 2 year old got ahold of the mail before I did. No sweat though. For what I paid, I was expecting the card to have some sort of issue. All in all though, I think finally being able to cross this sucker off my wantlist coupled with a satisfactory price tag outweighs a little bit of ink.
Now that I have this one under my belt, I just need to get that 1965 Kevin Collins rookie. That’a a high number. And a short print. And is also Tony Perez’s rookie card. Oh, what ever happened to the good old days when I only had to track down a Tony Oliva rookie?
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