One Dream Ends, Another Fulfilled

These days you can find a plethora of autographed cards signed by just about every big name in baseball.  When you combine that with the existence of auction sites, online stores, trading forums, and even blogs... you have accessibility to a high percentage of these cards at your fingertips.

But the 90's were a completely different story.  Most major card companies had started inserting certified autographs into packs of cards by the mid 90's.  But with exception of a few "autograph per pack" products like Signature Rookies and Leaf Signatures, they were typically very difficult to pull.

1992 Fleer Ultra Gwynn Commemorative #6

I can still remember opening packs of 1992 Fleer Ultra trying to build a master set with an outside chance of pulling a Tony Gwynn autograph.  This was Gwynn's first certified pack inserted card and he supposedly only signed 2,000 copies in total.  Anyways, it never happened.  Dream squashed.

However nineteen years later, I managed to finally pick one up for my collection.  I bought one in an eBay auction for $23.27 (+ $3 shipping) back 2011.  Dream fulfilled.

In 1996, Donruss gave Gwynn collectors another opportunity to own his signature.  They had Mr. Padre sign 1,000 cards for the Leaf Signature Extended Series plus 100 more cards for the Century Marks parallel.

1996 Leaf Signature Extended Autographs #NNO

Just like the Ultra, I had to wait nineteen years after its release to add a copy to my collection.  This one set me back a little more than the Ultra.  I won it for $39.38 (+ $3 shipping) in another eBay auction.  Dream fulfilled.

Then in 1997, Gwynn opened the flood gates and signed cards for Donruss, Topps, and Upper Deck in a variety of products.

1997 Stadium Club Co-Signers #CO10

I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure this Co-Signers card was the first autograph of Gwynn I ever owned.  Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of my late 90's purchases, so I have no idea what I spent on this card.

A few weeks ago, I added another 1997 Gwynn autograph to my collection.  This is one of those cards that I remember hearing about, but never actually saw anyone with one at card shops or shows.

There might have been copies on eBay, but I didn't join the auction site until 1998.  Back in 1997, the AOL Message Boards were my only access to cards online and I doubt I would have been in the market for the card I'm about to reveal.  Why?  Well... because back in the day, Beckett had it listed for $400.  Tuff Stuff's book value was $450.

Back then... I had just gotten my teaching credential and was substitute teaching while searching for the right job.  No way I could afford it back then.  Honestly... I'd have a hard time dropping that much money on a card today.

1997 SP SPx Force Autographs #9

Luckily, the price has dropped quite a bit in the last twenty-three years.  Lately... the hobby has seen some 90's cards really shoot up in value.  Thankfully... this card wasn't one of them.

I won it in an auction for $91.80 (+ $4.75 shipping and $8.49 tax).  Some of you might remember that I had stockpiled some eBay gift cards (with my PayPal credit card points) in hopes of purchasing a 1973 Topps baseball card set.  That's the last set I need to complete my run of Topps flagship sets from 1972 (my birth year) to 1986 (the End of the Innocence).

Sadly current market values for the 1973 set has ended that dream, so I've decided to use those gift cards on other dreams.  The final price for this card was $5.04 after applying a $100 gift card.

I actually have mixed feelings about this "dream" card.  On one hand, I love adding another Gwynn autograph to my collection.  Plus it's hand numbered to 100, so you don't see these very often.  And the fact that this particular one features four hall of famers who are members of the 3,000 Hit Club is kinda cool.  Kind of. 

1985 Donruss #172

1985 Donruss #359

1985 Donruss #47

On the other hand, I think it's weird seeing Boggs wearing a Yankee's hat, Molitor wearing a Twin's hat, and Murray wearing an Angel's hat.  I'll always remember them for the teams they played for during my childhood; the Red Sox, Brewers, and Orioles.

I also think it's funny that Upper Deck only had one player sign this card.  How cool would it have been if they had all four guys sign this card?  Yes, I realize that this card wouldn't have sold for under $100 had there been four signatures on it.  The bottom line is I wish this card would have just featured Gwynn on it.

I actually came pretty close to walking away from this auction.  But with the seconds ticking down, I thought about the hobby history behind this card, tapped in my max bid, and waited to see if it was meant to be.

I guess it was, because I won the auction.  I'm pretty happy to add this "dream" card to my collection.... even if it meant sacrificing another dream.  I also picked up a "dream" set (actually it's a starter set) with another gift card, but I'll share that in a future post.

What about you?

Have you ever sacrificed one hobby dream to fulfill another?

If so, feel free to comment down below.  I'd love to read your stories.

By the way... there are tons of great songs with the word "dream" in the title, but here's my favorite:

Do you have a favorite "dream" song?

It's the final week of school for me and my students.  I can't wait for summer break to begin.  Have a great week.  Happy Tuesday and sayonara!