Sensational Red Sox Hits; Card Show Recap #21 Part 3

The more I think back to Monday's Memorial Day Baseball card show, the more I realize that it will go down as one of the greatest shows that I've ever attended in my life, even including my trip to The National last year. 

Thus far in my mini recap series, you've seen my posts about player collection additions and an entire 2019 Panini Prizm hobby box recap of the box that I purchased before leaving the show. 

Per usual, however, I've saved the best for last. This rather brief post, dedicated solely to Red Sox cards, features my top pickups of the entire Mansfield show. 

Specifically, there are 2 cards that I bought that have the potential to be a couple of the most valuable cards in my collection someday in the future. Even if that does not happen, the 2 autos are absolutely gorgeous, truly some of the most beautiful cards that I've seen in a while.

As the title suggests, the 3rd and final recap post from my trip to the Baseball card show on Monday is devoted solely to Red Sox hits. 

This post, somewhat shorter than the other 2, features 5 relic cards or autographs of Red Sox players that I purchased towards the end of my time at the show on Monday. As the post progresses, I'll be working my way up to the crown jewels of the entire visit, the 2 previously mentioned autographs.

But first, I have to begin with cards that may not be as glamorous or valuable as the final 2 autos of this post, but they're still, nevertheless, nice additions to my always-growing Boston Red Sox PC. Starting things off, for only $2, is a jersey relic of Don Baylor from SP Legendary Cuts.

Considering the incredibly low price, this card is an absolute bargain, especially since the jersey swatch is both a reasonable size and game-used. I'm just noticing now that the beige/sepia background features a scorecard from an MLB game, a minor detail that I appreciate.

Admittedly, the card isn't going to knock your socks off, but it's a well-made 2000s jersey relic nevertheless. I'm always looking to add inexpensive Red Sox relics to my collection, and for only $2, it was pretty much a no-brainer for the Don Baylor card above.

Next up, a game-used bat relic of a player whom I associate more with the Red Sox than Don Baylor, perennial Gold Glove outfielder Dwight Evans. Across the 19 seasons in which he was a member of the Boston Red Sox, Evans won 8 Gold Glove awards in RF.

The relic, on the other hand, honors Evans' offensive abilities as he finished his career with well over 1,300 RBI and nearly 400 home runs. Although the gold Archives stamp directly over the bat relic is something that has always bothered me about these cards, I've grown used to and accepted it as a part of these relics.

The wood bordered 1987 Topps set is a nice accompaniment to the bat relic, and I'm really fond of these Archives relics as a whole. I don't remember the price of this one, but I recall purchasing it for a reasonable cost.

At this point in the post, it's time to shift our attention over to the 3 Red Sox autographs that I purchased during my time at the Mansfield Show on Monday, all of which are from the Topps Five Star product. 

A high-end set that delivers just 3 cards per box, I believe that this brand includes only autographed cards; some of them are serial numbered, like the Jim Rice auto above, others may not be.

Speaking of the Jim Rice auto, I appreciate how elegant and pristine this card looks, from the gorgeous on-card auto to the background choice and, especially, the banner that contains the player's name. 

To my knowledge, every Topps Five Star autograph is on-card, but I could be wrong about this. My one critique would be the print run (386) is not only an extraordinarily odd number but a high number as well. You'd think something around 250 or 300 is more appropriate, but I suppose that's what allowed me to purchase this card for a moderate price.

This is my first autograph of Jim Rice, and it's a spectacular and beautiful card, especially considering it only cost me half a blaster box in money. However, I will admit that the next 2 cards were far more pricy, but neither myself nor my Dad regrets splurging in order to add these beautiful autos to our PC.

The first of the 2 magnificent Five Star autos that I alluded to earlier is from 2017; a rookie auto of Andrew Benintendi from their Golden Graphs mini-set. Although the scan makes it challenging to see the on-card auto, rookie symbol, and the player's name, I can assure you that all the factors of this card are more profound in-person.

Serial numbered out of a mere 25 copies, this card has to be one of the most beautiful autos that I've ever seen in my life. The black surface is perfect for the bronze ink that Benintendi signed with, and I adore the purple and gold combination as far as the borders are concerned.

Although I don't typically stray away from purchasing cards from high-end products, I've never done something quite like this; a top tier rookie auto from a high-end set. However, I've been pondering buying a Benintendi auto for well over a year now, and I feel as if he's a consistent enough player for this investment to be worth it.

In the case of the final Five Star auto and card from Monday's show, it's yet another player who's auto I have been chasing for over a year. As of late, he's been swinging an insanely hot bat, and the dealer at the show admitted to me that he hadn't changed the prices on the player's autos following his hot streak.

So, it was at that moment in which my Dad and I collectively decided that we would be splurging and buying not 1, but 2 sensational Red Sox rookie autos from Topps Five Star, both numbered out of just 25 copies. 

This time, the card was from 2018, and the rookie was Rafael Devers who's currently hitting .325 with 7 homers, 31 RBI, and even 7 stolen bases. He's making a strong case to be a starting All-Star for the AL this season and is even putting up numbers that could, ultimately, land him in the MVP discussion.

A performance like this from Devers is not unexpected, for many suspected that he'd have a breakout year in 2019. As of now, that is coming to fruition and as a result of his recent performance, we felt it was time to invest in a Devers auto as well.

Certainly, both of these rookie Five Star autos are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm a huge fan of both Benintendi and Devers as they are incredibly different yet talented stars. 

Now, more so than ever, I'll be cheering for Benintendi and Devers as individuals in addition to the team as a whole. Although I cherish the cards simply because of how stunning they are, it wouldn't hurt for Devers and Benintendi to continue playing at a high level for years to come.