Well, it's the last day of the IPP showoff victory tour, and as promised multiple times, we're absolutely ending with a bang today! No buildup needed, so let's just get to the two biggest (and definitely most expensive) pickups of this purchase:
Desmond Howard 2006 Press Pass Legends Gold red auto (#027/320)
Well here's a reason to be excited! While I already had a few relics of Des, it had been a dream of mine to grab at least one of his autos. My #1 wanted card in that regard is his Topps All-American version, but that's either been difficult to find or way too expensive. Enter the IPP guy, though, with this beauty. Really I couldn't ask for anything better, what with its sweet photo of Howard in his signature Heisman pose and its gorgeous red auto. I had to make the guy an offer he couldn't refuse, but I think we both left the deal satisfied with how it turned out.
Bo Schembechler 2002 TK Legacy auto
If the Des auto demanded a small ransom, Bo's auto required a little more, though no pounds of flesh were exchanged. The seller was actually fairly hesitant to part with either this card or another version he had, but sometimes everything has a price
I hope you enjoyed this multi-episode trip through one of my largest (in terms of money spent) purchases ever. Stay tuned for a couple more small eBay pickups, then another massive COMC haul that mainly resulted from my success in selling through them. For now, if you're a Michigan fan, go out and do something in honor of Michigan Man Bo Schembechler. GO BLUE!
Remember how on Day 6 I said you probably wouldn't see any more TK Legacy for a while? I LIED. This was easily the most significant pickup of the whole group, and it's now one of the signature (pun intended) cards of my collection. Bo embodied everything, good and bad, about the program (not to mention "The team, the team, the team!") from the moment he set foot in Ann Arbor. This Michigan Man--the ORIGINAL Michigan Man--ran a tight-knit, clean program that won and lost with dignity and class, played with heart, and made everyone proud to say how great it was to be a Michigan Wolverine. Volumes have been written about the man simply known around here as "Bo," and many more will, despite the fact that he never won a national championship with the Maize and Blue. For a guy named Glen from Ohio, he sure did right by himself and the greatest football program in college history.
If the Des auto demanded a small ransom, Bo's auto required a little more, though no pounds of flesh were exchanged. The seller was actually fairly hesitant to part with either this card or another version he had, but sometimes everything has a price
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| Yeah, you just got old-school WWFed |
and again, I like to think everyone walked away happy, because he got more cash in the deal AND got to keep a Schembechler auto, and I got one of the best Michigan cards I've ever seen. Words can't express how excited I am to have this card, especially given the events since his heartbreaking death in 2006. That said, a return to some of his values (the best, of course) in the form of Brady Hoke has many fans once again looking through Rose Bowl-colored glasses these days; a return to the top of the college football world and a championship would truly honor the original, and greatest, Michigan Man. Welcome to the collection, coach: my 86th different football subject and second coach/non-player (Bo's successor and Lloyd Carr's predecessor Gary Moeller).
I hope you enjoyed this multi-episode trip through one of my largest (in terms of money spent) purchases ever. Stay tuned for a couple more small eBay pickups, then another massive COMC haul that mainly resulted from my success in selling through them. For now, if you're a Michigan fan, go out and do something in honor of Michigan Man Bo Schembechler. GO BLUE!
Lol I loved the Ted DiBiase reference. BTW, do you read Deadspin? They have a killer reoccuring story thing based on Virgil, Ted DiBiase's bodyguard from the WWF.
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah man, back when wrestling was ridiculous but still awesome, not like it is today. I generally don't read Deadspin, but I did see Virgil at a card show one time, and I felt bad for him because literally nobody was there to get his autograph.
ReplyDeleteThose are some awesome cards, truly awesome. Some sweet additions to your collection. I am jealous every time you post cards that I want but now I'm truly jealous. I didn't even know Bo had an autographed card.
ReplyDeleteThanks--I'd be hard pressed to find someone that appreciates these as much as you do. Yeah, I didn't really know what Bo had signed until I saw the pair this guy had. I don't think he really did much outside of the TK stuff except for Press Pass.
DeleteYou might wanna see if you have anything to flip on COMC so you can start nabbing more Wolverines there!