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Monday, April 22, 2019

My Lowest Numbered Kimbrel Card Yet

Have no fear, I'm still somewhat actively super collecting Craig Kimbrel and tracking down as many cards as possible of the 7-time All-Star. With that being said, I've been a little hasty to acquire valuable cards of Kimbrel ever since he became a free agent following the 2018 season. 

It never appeared likely that Kimbrel would re-up with the Boston Red Sox after the 2018 season came to a close. Rather, both sides seemed content to move on without the other, and it hasn't worked out great for either party. 

The 2011 NL Rookie of the Year remains unsigned, and the Red Sox have been shaky and inconsistent since this season began. Though Boston appears to have turned things around, one can assume that they'd benefit from adding Kimbrel to their roster.

Admittedly, while I've still been picking up inexpensive Kimbrel cards, I've stayed away from low-numbered cards or autographs over the last few months. I'd rather wait and see where he's going to sign before investing in a Craig Kimbrel autograph on the Boston Red Sox.

With that being said, I'm always open to trading for any Craig Kimbrel card that I don't already have. Whether it's a standard base card or a 1/1 parallel, I'm certainly willing to trade for any Craig Kimbrel card not already listed in my inventory.

Recently, Greg of The Collective Mind reached out to me regarding a Craig Kimbrel relic from 2013 Topps Triple Threads that he had available. Of course, I was immediately interested, so I replied back and worked out a trade. 

The card arrived in the mail today, and I quickly changed my posting schedule for this week in order to show off the card today. There it is at the top of this post, serial numbered 31/36.

I must admit that I'm not usually a fan of plain white jersey relics, especially in a high-end product like Topps Triple Threads. However, when paired with Kimbrel's bright red jersey and the extravagant set design, the plain color doesn't bother me quite as much. 

It's also an added bonus that the memorabilia is game-used, something that not every Baseball card relic guarantees. Typically, high-end Baseball card products, as well as Topps Heritage, feature game-used jersey swatches, but the same cannot be said for all sets. 

The game-used vs game-worn jersey swatch issue is even more profound in Football cards where Panini is notorious for using the latter for most of their cards, even those from high-end products.

Although the jersey relic's usage, or lack thereof, isn't a huge concern for me, it's always a plus when the relic is game-worn. The card definitely has a lot going for it, from the relic being game-used to the fact that this is my lowest numbered card of Kimbrel to date.

Beforehand, the lowest numbered Craig Kimbrel card in my collection was 50 copies, a mark that has officially been usurped by this Triple Threads relic. 

After receiving this card in the mail today, The Kimbrel Collection now has 127 unique cards.

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