Wednesday, December 5, 2007

2007 UD Ultimate Sabathia and Hammerin' Hank


Once again, I was poking around eBay, or maybe Beckett, and I came across a game-used Sabathia card. Now, how could I pass THAT up!? I mean, he *IS* the 2007 AL Cy Young winner, after all. But, when I got the card, I checked out the front, the swatch, the picture, etc, and then I flipped it over. I "whooped" out in excitement, adding a "Yes! Finally!!" for dramatic effect. My wife (whom I had scared out of her wits), glared at me, saw the card in my hand, and nonchalantly asked, "Yes??" I then went on my 5-10 minute tirade about materials cards not saying anything except "Congratulations, you got a materials card..." Instead, this card actually SAYS something else about the player no less!! FINALLY!! So, I tip my hat off to you, sir or ma'am at Upper Deck who took the time to write a little blurb on the back of a materials card. It made my day.... And then....



I mentioned a couple times that I had won a box of cards. Well, turns out to be TWO boxes (technically four boxes, two shipments). As I was searching through this shipment, looking for Tribe cards, my eyes caught sight of something that looked like it said "Hank" passing by in a blur. I stopped, backtracked a little ways, and sure enough, Hank Aaron was staring at me. Surely this was one of those Topps Archives cards, I thought. But, no, the condition was too worn for it be an Archives. I slowly turned it over, scanning every inch for some modern-day copyright mark. There were none to be found. I turned it over and over, marveling at the front, reading the back, finally letting it sink in that I held in my hand a 1957 Topps Hammerin' Hank Aaron card.

I collect Indians almost exclusively, but I am not a moron (well, perhaps it is too early to say that yet - read on). I had been sent an original card from the baseball gods themselves. Had my Dad not passed away this year, I would have wrapped this puppy up and given him the surprise of a lifetime (I believe I have relayed the story of his "disappearing" ball cards, but I will check the posts and See. If I have not told you the story, I will) - one of the cards from his childhood collection.

Part of me, okay MOST of me, wants to keep this card in my "non-Indians" collection. But (and here is where you pass judgement on the "moron" part), I have decided to sell it on eBay (Item 320192526626). Why in the world would I sell a card I have never seen before today, and will most likely never see again in hand? I'm not sure, exactly. But, here is my thinking: Someone out there will appreciate this card more than I really will. I am an old-school collector. I suppose the "nobler" thing to do would be to trade it rather than sell it. Guess I'm not quite THAT old school, huh? :-)

2 comments:

  1. Heh. You have no idea what I might have traded for that. Oh well, off to bid...

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  2. You're right, and I probably could have garnered a pretty sweet deal of Tribe cards. :-)

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