One Month Baseball Card Buying Challenge Successful

Randomly at the dinner table, my wife says, “I bet you can’t go a month without buying any baseball cards.”

I laughed it off. But I love challenges. So, I said I could. Honestly, With Topps Series 2 and Bowman Platinum being released during that 30-day stretch I didn’t know if I’d be able to successfully go through with it.

But, this stretch would be much easier than others with Allen & Ginter releasing in mid-July followed by the National at the end of July.

The last purchase I made was a Facebook marketplace transaction where I bought 1,230 copies of the 1978 Topps Rick Reuschel. That fell on June 7, while away broadcasting the Illinois high school softball state championships.

Target date: July 7 when baseball card buying could resume. Initially, I thought of hitting eBay, or making a Target run to celebrate the occasion.

Bowman Platinum, a Wal-Mart exclusive, is a favorite of mine. On July 7, I would be driving back to Madison from my hometown and figured I will stop at a couple Wal-Mart stores in search of Bowman Platinum.

In years past, it’s been really hard to find. Not the 2019 product. It has terrible resale value, and I’m sure Topps pumped up production (as in their doubling of Bowman mega boxes this year). Sure enough, the first store I stopped had my pick of the $80 boxes with two guaranteed autographs, blaster boxes, and value packs.

My budget was $100 and was debating whether to buy an $80 box plus a blaster, or try my luck with five blasters. Five blasters it was, and we will see if I beat the odds.

Should have went the other way and guaranteed myself the two autographs. In five blasters I pulled one auto, of Anthony Siegler. It was a fun break either way, and I added a few Cubs to the collection. It’s easy to select my favorite...and it’s not Javier Baez. Cole Roederer appears in a mainstream product for the first time in a Cubs uniform.

Roederer is currently with the South Bend Cubs and is the organization’s #5 prospect. I am hoping to get an autograph or two in person next week when South Bend visits the Beloit Snappers. Well, Baez is my second favorite card.

I pulled two Kris Bryant cards.

Nico Hoerner is also on the top prospects checklist.

As is Keegan Thompson.

As always, a fun product to rip. I’ll leave it at these blasters and call it a year for Bowman Platinum. With Allen & Ginter releasing next week, I thought of opening a few boxes, but will wait until the National. I have a Club 400 event with Willson Contreras and Carlos Zambrano next week, the South Bend Cubs will be in Beloit, and my anniversary....so there will be limited ripping time for Allen & Ginter next week.