Card of the Day - 2011 Bowman Draft : Mike Trout Base Chrome Refractor Parallel BGS Graded PRISTINE 10

My two primary players that I collect are Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout and I am sure I am not the only one that makes that claim. I was finally able to obtain my first and possibly only ever pristine 10 BGS graded card of Kershaw (edit: I've have "acquired"/earned 2 other since this write up). You can read about it HERE if you like. Well with Kershaw in the fold I had to have a Trout to pare it with. While the Kershaw was an autograph I knew there was no way I could get a pristine Trout autograph on any type of deal so I turned my attention to the only logical place in my mind to get the perfect pristine Trout card, his rookie card year aka 2011.

While Mike has cards in the 2009 Bowman Chrome release his "true" rookie cards are found in 2011 and with that there are actually 2 options to go after. To be honest I am still on the hunt for the other but this is the one I was able to get a deal on first. This is the draft version which sports a different picture than the base one. There are numerous colored parallels but I put my attention and efforts into this unnumbered refractor parallel. I had seen various others sell for a lot more than what I "paid" for this. My wallet was powered with funds from sales of cards that I sold in anticipation of acquiring a pristine Trout and when this popped up on eBay for less than what other refractors and non refractors sold for I was shocked. The only problem I had was that this seller also put a best offer option on it. To bargain and get a better deal and hope no one else swoops in and buy it or just click the buy it now button and be done with it? Option 1 for me.

I sent over an offer and the seller declined and countered. He and I went back and forth for a couple days doing that all the while I watched the watch list of the auction getting higher and higher. When the seller and I finally agreed to a price the watch list had grown to 10. Thankfully we came to a deal as I don't know how much longer it would have been available to me. I now own my first and hopefully not last pristine Trout card but if it is the last this is a good one to have.

Pristine goodness!

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin