Well, That Was Fast

The brief suspense has officially ended, and a whopping 3 days after I redeemed my Jim Palmer autograph redemption following Sunday's Baseball card show, the prized pickup officially arrived in the mail on Wednesday afternoon.

To recap, I purchased this redemption for an autograph of Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer for roughly the price of a blaster box at Target a few days ago, a bargain that will likely be remembered for years on end. 

However, before I sprang for it and purchased the card, I searched online for what the autograph would look like. I was very fond of the pictures I spotted online, but seeing is really believing. Therefore, I'm pleased to say that the card looks even better in person, and Palmer truly could not have signed the card any better.

Because the autograph set is called Topps Rookie History, all of the cards in the set are reprints of their original rookie cards. In Palmer's case, the usually stagnant 1966 set appears far more exciting when paired with an iconic card such as the 3-time Cy Young award winner's rookie.

Other than the unnecessary Topps Rookie History stamp, I wouldn't change a single thing about this card. The card also confirms that I was correct not to purchase a hobby box of Topps Archives, for I highly doubt I could've landed a better card in an expensive box of this product.

Better yet, the autograph is serial numbered on the back, 42/125 copies, to be exact. The back of the card isn't exactly thrilling, but it does its job of informing and congratulating the collector on the card.

When I spotted this redemption card, especially for the low price, the primary question to ask myself was "why not?" rather than "why?" The price was within my budget, the card features a player I collect and a Hall of Famer, and I've already amassed a respectable collection of Orioles relic cards and autographs of guys that played alongside Palmer, like Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell.

Better yet, the card's from one of my favorite sets, Topps Archives, and maximizes the potential of utilizing a past Topps Flagship set. Really, besides the stamp, there's nothing to fault this card for.

It feels awesome to have this card in-hand for the first time, and I was incredibly impressed with how fast Topps shipped this card out. I might have to start factoring this card into the category of some of the best cards in my collection. That's how crazy I am about this autograph.

It's not every day that I add a new Hall of Fame autograph to my collection, and it's all thanks to the unpredictable wonder that is the Baseball card show.