WOOGIE DID WHAT!?!

It was the one product that truly caught me eye in 2015.

Just the one.

You see there was a time when I would get so stoked about new products each year.  I would do homework... study the designs... who had autographs, who had relics... how many packs in a box, how man hits per box... what were the case hits...

on and on it would go until I was able to come to some type of decision about how I would spend my money and what would give me the biggest bang for my buck.

But things change.

The years have gone by and I find myself doing less research... less caring in a way.

I had (with the help of this blog and the encouragement from fellow blogger and now mysteriously vanished Kirk @ EutawStreetCardboard) given myself a direction.

No longer was I the guy who collected the bright beautiful treasure of any product or player I liked that caught my eye.

Instead I decided I'd collect a specific set.

It started with 2011 Topps Lineage and gradually was narrowed down to mainly the 1975 mini relic sub set.  Eventually through this blog I took on the 2010 Topps 206 mini book relics as well after a monster trade.

Now I've completed both of those sets. 

I still have one set I'm still working on, but it's 2/3 of the way complete and all I can do is wait for the final 5 cards to pop up somewhere.

So that being said my mojo on the baseball card front has slowed down substantially.  

There just isn't much new out that has me lusting after baseball cards the way I once had.

Except that one product in 2015...

I'm speaking of the Panini re-launch of Diamond Kings.

I couldn't wait to break this stuff open.  It had everything I liked for the most part.  Amazing checklists loaded with All Time Greats, Artistic styling, and reasonable price point.

However, the main attraction?

Mr. George Herman Ruth.

Yes, this product introduced new Babe Ruth relics to the market and the idea of a Babe Ruth pinstripe relic in my collection began to haunt my dreams.

So I bought a box plus a few packs and even purchased the Yankees in an online box break.

I pulled some nice hits including an Anthony Rizzo auto, a Francisco Lindor auto, Ichiro dual relic, and some other nice stuff.

But no Ruths.

However I knew a guy from a Facebook group I belong to that hit one in a team case break.  Let me tell you that guy must have fielded a hundred offers.  It was a Ruth Framed Mini Relic with pinstripe numbered out of 10.  I didn't even bother putting out an offer.  After all this card was selling online between $500-$700.

That will just never be a price range I can approach for a card, even if it's a Babe Ruth!

Well a few weeks ago I see the Ruth on Facebook again and saw the owner fielding offers.  Turns out he was a big Ripken collector.  Now those of you who follow the blog know that the best item in my collection is my 2131 commemorative ticket signed by Cal twice.

Obviously this was a pretty special part of my collection and one that I've owned and enjoyed for roughly the last 6 years.

However, for a chance at a Ruth jersey relic I suddenly seemed less attached to it.

I decided to message the owner of said Ruth and found myself dealing with a Ripken Super Collector who felt the same that I did about my own item.

I've been doing this long enough to tell the difference between a collector and a profiteer.  I wouldn't have wanted to swap my Cal if I knew it was only going to go and hit the open market. I guess I would have rather it been given a good home and enjoyed with out filling some middle mans pockets in between.  My guy was a collector and he knew I was the same.  He told me I was the first person to really want his card for sheer pleasure as opposed to potential profit.  

As nice as my Ripken item is, it's still not on par with a Babe Ruth jersey card.  Or this specific card I should say.  So I offered up this in total trade.

A couple of "Lost Cards" including my Fleer Tradition Update Mantle relic and my Triple Threads Eddie Murry relic /27.  Also a great jumbo bat booklet of Murray and Davis /5 from Museum Collection and a quad relic of Gausman, Machado, Davis, and Jones from the same brand.  Lastly I threw in an Art Donovan auto and some vintage cards I had and a few inserts.

I thought it was a long shot and didn't hold my breathe.

I mean I just never thought I'd actually get the chance to own one of those cards on my budget and with my collection for trade bait.  

Once again the baseball cards smiled on me and said... "For you Woogie, Sure".

I'm expecting this little guy in my mailbox this week!

I'll post another short blog once it has arrived in my mailbox.  

While Diamond Kings boasts other Ruth hits as well each has a short print run.  So to own just one of these bad boys feels like a dream.  There are 98 other total framed relics in the set but if I decide to expand upon the Ruth I may just go for all of the Yankees in this set which include other LEGENDS such as Gehrig, Dimaggio, Huggins, and Dickey to name a few.

For now I'll just enjoy the Ruth.

When it actually arrives...

Thanks for reading!

Till next time...