I've mentioned this story in the comments on a couple of blogs, so I might as well actually tell it on my own blog.The card above isn't the greatest pull ever, and possibly not even my greatest pull ever (I don't know off-hand what that is). What makes the card semi-significant, at least to me, is that it was pulled out of a rack pack from a Target in Buffalo, N.Y.
There are a variety of blogs out there, including many that I respect, that characterize retail packs as being for suckers. I'm sure there are several bloggers who never buy retail packs, or even blasters or boxes from retail outlets. All of their card shopping is done exclusively on eBay or from one of the many fine online card stores, or from the card shop in their area.
And that's cool. It's the smart way to do things. Get a hobby box, where your chances of pulling an auto or something else super sweet are much better. Get something that hasn't been searched. Plus, you get it delivered right to your home so when you do pull that quintuple cut signature (yeah, that's right, quintuple. Don't think someone hasn't thought of it yet), you're not shouting words in the middle of the store aisle that make small children run screaming to their mama.
But, for a variety of reasons, I find myself in retail stores a lot more often than I do in card shops or shopping via computer. And I know I'm not the only one. So for those of us who do pick up blasters and packs at our neighborhood big box store, and hate ourselves once we open the packs, wishing what came out of those packs would magically turn into food so we could eat the evidence, I'm here to say, don't beat yourself up (and don't eat your cards).
Sometimes, you do end up with something good.
My Johnny Podres auto (which was in the same rack pack with an auto of Texas Rangers prospect Jason Botts) looks very nice next to my two vintage Podres cards.
Johnny Podres died one year ago next Tuesday. He will always be remembered for pitching a shutout in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, being named Series MVP and turning "Wait 'Til Next Year" into "It IS Next Year" for the Brooklyn Dodgers.But I'll remember him for something else. And that is this: I'm not wasting all of my money when I buy retail. Just most of it.
And with that, I'd like to ask you a question: what's your best retail pull, out of a pack or blaster?
Comments
You got the Podres AND a Botts signature in the same rack pack? That is pretty cool, even though Botts is now playing in Japan or Korea right now. I usually don't have too much luck with autographs in packs. But the last two packs that were the only packs that I bought from a set (Documentary and Donruss Elite) both had autographs.
I still like to get retail, If I am building a set or typically I want a sampling of a set. Ideally I would like to have one player from each team in a product - This sort of collecting lends itself to retail more than Hobby.
And anytime I am target for some stupid reason it makes me feel better about the whole damn trip.
Best retail pulls? Roberto Clemente bat out of a pack of Upper Deck '70s decade, Roger Maris jersey out of Upper Deck Vintage, Alex Gordon auto out of a rack pack of 2006 Topps (made up for the pulled card) Walter Payton Jersey out of some fleer pack, Tom Brady auto out of a pack of Topps Heritage... Damn, I've bought a lot of retail packs...
1) I pulled a 2006 Topps Alex Gordon autograph out of a rack pack at Walmart.
2) Same store, a year later, bought a blaster of 2007 Fleer Ultra SE....and pulled a Cal Ripken Jr Autogrpahics.
I've never gotten anything very exciting in them, though. A couple of Jeff Bagwell relic cards, some forgettable rookie autographs from those '52 Topps rookie cards...
I did get an auto in a re-pack box once... of course, it was Ken Huckaby. :)
Still, it's nice to hear of people finding good stuff in retail packs.
Slightly off topic, those cards are one of the examples where Topps' silver foil stickers actually look good.
My best was a Allie Reynolds Yankee Stadium Legacy Memorobilia card which I got from a Timelines pack dispenser. Don't know how the searchers missed that one! I' also got an Aaron Heilman auto from a pack in a "fire sale" repack box, and a Troy Glaus auto from a $1.59 "value pack" at Target.
I bought the whole lot of them for $1.59 and got two GU cards. It was cool.
My best hit in a retail pack is a Jeff Mathis auto from Topps '52. Mathis is a backup catcher on a team (Angels) where the starter (Napoli) isn't that great. I don't care about having his autograph. I would have been happier with a base DBack, except for the trade value involved. I could theoretically trade that auto for a DBacks team set.