BGS Submission Result Number FORTY-EIGHT - 2015 Topps Finest : Mike Trout Base Gold Parallel (22/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2015 Topps Finest Mike Trout Gold (22/50)

Gold parallel

Gold banner

Golden day

Adding a gem mint Trout card to any collection is a cause for celebration but when I can add a limited (50 print run) one that is even better. This card will look great with the matching colors of banner and card.

Another "known" grade return but unlike a couple of the others this one is a "stronger" gem mint rather than a "weak" one.

No matter what the grade would have been this card is still a steal as when I acquired it it was on an under explained eBay auction which meant less traffic towards it. I ended up picking it up in this raw graded form for less than what raw copies had been going for. Now with it in slab form I have learned that it even has a 10 in the sub grades. Another great gold/gold card added to the collection.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Finest : Sand Koufax Generations Insert Refractor Parallel (9/25)

Wait.
Waiting..
Kept waiting...

That is what I did for this card. I first came across it during one of my random Koufax searches and considering it is one of only a handful of current cards of Sandy that are numbered I wanted to add it to my growing collection. The issue was the cost as none were on traditional auctions. All were on BIN and each one was set a high price with no best offer option. No bueno for Penguino.

Each copy sat on my watch list for months in the hope that someday one of these sellers would realize they were asking too much for it. Finally the day came when one finally did figure it out and dropped their price by more than 50%. I saw the adjustment and jumped all over it and acquired it. Hoping it would come in great condition as I would love to get this graded and thankfully once in hand and under a loop I now believe nothing but a gold banner is destined for this Koufax beauty.

Nine

of

Twenty-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Finest : Mike Trout Base Gold Parallel (22/50) BGS Raw Graded Gem Mint 9.5

It is the baseball off season and now is the time to score deals on cards as collectors are focusing more on in season sports ala Hockey, Football and Basketball. I made it my goal this off season to acquire some Trout and Kershaw card that are either graded by BGS already or look to be a prime candidate condition wise to earn a 9.5 from BGS. This one falls in between those two categories and thanks again to an eBay seller mis-titling his auction I picked this up on a bargain.

This 2015 card is book valued from a low of $25 to a high of $60. Not the biggest fan of gold parallels but I wasn't going to turn a blind eye to a deal if I was presented one. The seller labeled this card as a 2014 which has a lower value book wise ($50 high) so I had that going for me. Also since it is "only" pre-graded as a gem mint some buyers shy away as it's an extra charge to get it sent in to get the full slab treatment. Thankfully I have many avenues for me get that process down on the cheap. The high for me would be an additional $7 which this card will be having done in the future.

For a Trout card there was the expected amount of bids but when I locked in the win with a cost of a little over what it books for on the low end (again, $25) I couldn't be more surprised as if you do an eBay search you will see the lowest raw one that sold was $28 and I only paid just a little more for a guaranteed gem mint copy. Also a further search reveals that his exact card sold in this form to the seller I acquired from and he paid more for it. Got to love off season bargain hunting.

Twenty-Two

of

Fifty

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Finest : Ken Griffey Jr. Generations Autograph (10/25) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

The life of an eBayer and a neurotic one at that.

That spiffy looking Beckett Raw Graded reviewed card up top of Ken Griffey Jr. was supposed to be my one and only Griffey autograph for my collection but every time I looked at it it gnawed at me as even though BGS gave it a gem mint grade they stated they could not slab it in a hard case. YET, I have seen the same exact card in slabbed form and other Stratas in a case but every time I asked Beckett why mine was an exception to the rule they just said it was too thick and when I referenced actual certification numbers of the other Stratas they gave me a deer in the headlight look. Well I finally had enough and decided to search out another Griffey autograph to replace this one but the kicker was I had to sell this one and use the funds from the sale to acquire the new one at zero cost. On top of that it had to be an on card autograph, Ken in a Seattle uniform AND graded gem mint. I had my work cut out for me. Weeks went by but I finally landed one.

High and low I looked and I came across this one as it popped up one day a few weeks ago. I wanted to pull the trigger right then and there but I need the Strata funds which its auction was not due to end for a couple more days. I had to cross my fingers and hope that this Finest card would not sell. On the last day of the Strata auction this Finest card had 8 watchers. I believed my time was limited as someone was going to purchase this and at the last minute someone bid on the Strata. I took a look at that buyer's feedback and it was solid with over 2000 positives so I went ahead and locked in this Finest card even though the funds were not officially in hand. Thankfully a couple hours later the Strata funds came though which I promptly transferred to pick up this one officially.

Gem mint

Ten

of

Twenty-Five

Though I loved my Strata I think this is an equal beauty and I am happy that I went and acquired it. Now I can say I have my one and only Griffey autograph in my collection and hopefully I won't ever be on hunt for another.

Closer look of this silver ink beauty

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin