As I'm sure most people in the blogosphere know, I pulled a Willie Mays materials card numbered 02/10. This was a fantastic pull and I couldn't be happier with it. Which is why it's up on eBay right now.I'm very happy with it, but it doesn't fit into my criteria of collecting and I can possibly put a small dent in my wedding fund. So, ultimately, I'm happy with the card for many reasons.
For me, this will probably be the best thing I ever pull. I don't normally buy high end boxes. Every time that I have purchased upper mid level boxes, I have been burned. Plus, I don't have the funds to essentially waste on product of that nature. Sure, it's fun, but I can get more bang for my buck busting other products.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of playing in the majors. I dreamed of hitting more home runs than Carlton Fisk in a season. I dreamed of passing Hall of Famers, one by one, on the home run list. I always thought that when I passed Willie Mays, I would consider that my greatest achievement. I thought that if I could catch Hank Aaron, that would be wonderful, but I would happily settle for second place.
This card instantly brought memories of those childhood daydreams. That is worth the price of admission, for me. I hadn't thought about those pipe dreams in a long time. Baseball and baseball cards should bring out memories like that. It's part of the reason why we collect into our adulthood. We strive to feel as secure as we did back then. When the biggest problem in our lives was trading a Dave Winfield card for a Cal Ripken Jr.
Cards like these bubble those feelings to the surface. This is one of the main reasons why I collect. The feeling I got when I saw this card out of the pack could not be accurately measured with any scientific device. There aren't many things that will make me feel like a kid again, but this pull is definitely one of them.
For those who came late to this site, and haven't checked out the archives, this site started out as a showcase for my pulls and for damaged cards that I ran across. It emerged into a site that featured every imaginable concept put to cardboard. Then it expanded even further with great writers joining the family here. I thank every one of those writers for contributing what they have. They have taken this site to places that I couldn't have imagined back in January.
If you would've told me twenty years ago that I would have a card with a Willie Mays uniform in my possession, even for a short while, I wouldn't have believed you. This card has brought out my childhood and brought out the responsible adult. The kid in me doesn't want to let this card go, but the adult in me is willing to sacrifice the card for the big picture. I'm just happy that the kid in me had a little fun before the adult took over in the decision making process.
7 comments:
Good luck. I'd hate to sell a card like that but, if I ever got something that good, I'd consider it.
If I didn't have a wedding to help pay for, I wouldn't sell it.
A choice between a baseball card and your future wife. My advice to you is always side with the wife. And good luck with getting married. I've been happily married to the same woman for 28 years. I highly recommend marriage.
I have to agree. If something happened such that I had to part with my Tribecards in order to help my wife or kids, they'd be on eBay in a heartbeat.... And, no kids (directly addressing my own should the happen across this one day), I am not talking college, cars, or dates.
Exactly! Which is why it's being auctioned off. She doesn't mind the collecting, but I thought I would stick to my criteria to keep the peace and to help put a bigger dent in the wedding bills.
How much did that card end up going for if you don't mind my asking? It seemed like it would bring some decent money. Just curiosity after re-reading the post.
The largest bid went to $25.00 which did not meet my reserve price. A Mays relic numbered to 10 going for that low is a tragedy.
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