2013 Blowout purchase #3: a Michigan BIPPing, part 1

So here's a quick backstory before we get down to things today:

A few weeks ago a guy on Blowout posted a whole mess of TK Legacy Michigan autos.  As it turns out, a relative of his who collected them had just passed away.  Considering how large the set is, I didn't have the vast majority of them, and I thought to myself how cool it would be to add that many to my collection--but that's all it was:  a thought.  After all, this wasn't posted in the buy/sell/trade area, but the general football section, because the guy was interested in showing them off to fellow Michigan enthusiasts (he's from somewhat nearby) and trying to get an idea of their value and whether or not he could sell them as a lot.  They were very cool to see, especially the bigger ones like Bo, Braylon, and Jack Lousma, who'd go on to be an astronaut, but eventually I forgot about the whole thing.

Maybe a few days later, Tim of the GSNHOF (where have you gone, man?) alerted me to the fact that this same member had created a thread in which he was selling the lot all at once for a price I simply couldn't justify--I believe it was even more than my $300 absolute monthly spending limit.  Still, I thanked Tim, hopped into the thread and on a lark decided to see if he'd break up the lot at all since there was a number of cards I already owned.

This guy proved to be a very accommodating seller who not only agreed to break up the lot, but also quickly negotiated a VERY fair price for a total of 28 cards, 27 of which I needed (spoiler alert, Jeff--you're getting the dupe, but at least you don't know which one).  The pile didn't include any of the big guns like the three I mentioned above, which were simply out of my league at this point, but I'm still thrilled with how I did.  He did a quick run through on eBay, figured prices based off of those, knocked off a bit, and knocked off even more for a lot discount.  He mentioned multiple times that he was happy these cards were going to a good home and not getting flipped, and I assured him that would never happen--obviously I need as many as I can get!  And since he was so easy to work with, I helped save him shipping costs by meeting up in Ann Arbor somewhat halfway between our offices since he works here too.

In the spirit of trying to keep things transparent here, I'll tell you right now I paid a total of $125 for those 28 cards.  That pretty much maxed me out for this month (I'm almost exactly at $200 already) and I'm averaging a bit more than $200/month through April, but this was completely worth it.  These are hard enough to find at reasonable prices that I will pay roughly $4.50 for just about any one of these autos I don't have all day.  ALL DAY.

So much for "quick," but regardless, today you get part one of a three part series that'll show off nine cards (all Michigan uni autos, a.k.a. Jeff's favorite series EVAR) per post.  Since these came via a Blowout In-Person Purchase, please to enjoy the results of my Michigan BIPPing!

Anthony Carter 2002 TK Legacy auto

And who's THIS scrub?  Seriously, I was pretty stoked to pick another AC for so cheap since I consider him the best player out of today's group, and one of the top ones in the lot.  Carter's got a pretty nice signature, too, of which I'm well aware since I now have six signed cards and an autographed poster of the former #1.

Bill Dufek 2002 TK Legacy auto

Dufek is one of today's player's that's new to the PC, not to mention one of three Bills.  This Bill was an OT for the Wolverines from '74-'78, and hails from a very Maize and Blue family--his dad Don Sr. starred for Michigan in the '50s while his brother Don Jr. was a team captain a few years before Bill arrived.  Bill's got a beautiful signature, no?

Bill Yearby 2003 TK Legacy auto

Bill #2 is Bill Yearby, who was a DL for Michigan from '63-'65.  Originally from Alabama, he attended high school in Detroit before becoming a tough All-American DT for the Wolverines.  He was then chosen in the first round of the '66 draft by the Jets, but knee injuries derailed his brief career.  And here we have another fantastic signature of another welcome new member of the PC!

Bob Ptacek 2008 TK Legacy auto

Remember the good old days where everybody played like five different positions?  A new PC member NOT named Bill, Bob Ptacek was a QB/DB/LB/HB--pretty much if the position involved being in back of something, he was there.  Ptacek was with Michigan from '55-'58, primarily as a QB in his final season, then was drafted by the Browns.  He ultimately enjoyed a pretty solid career in the CFL and according to Wikipedia, "was inducted into the Saskatchewan Roughriders Plaza of Honour in 2001."  I'm betting a "plaza of honour" is a lot like a plaza of honor, but with poutine and curling or something.  Ptacek keeps the incredibly legible autograph streak alive and, like many others in the set, includes his jersey number.

Chris Howard 2005 TK Legacy auto

Ok, cool, now we're moving on to someone who played AFTER I was born.  Howard was a running back from '94-'97, which means he teamed up with Anthony "A-Train" Thomas for the '97 National Champs, and led both teams in rushing yards during the title game.  There's also this little tidbit:  

"He was also the North MVP for the 1998 edition of the Hula Bowl, an invitational college football all-star game. He rushed for 116 yards on 14 carries and was involved in the culminating score in the North’s second half comeback. He handed off to Joe Jurevicius on a reverse play which ended with Jurevicius passing to Brian Griese for a five yard touchdown pass."

That's one of the greatest college football plays I've ever heard of since it included two Wolverines and Jurevicius, who owns one of my favorite football names ever.

Anyway, like almost everybody here, Howard is making his football PC debut, and I welcome him and his not-quite-as-legible signature.

Dean Dingman 2005 TK Legacy auto

Dingman, whose first name reminds me of Dean Pelton of "Community," is a another PC n00b and was relatively unknown to me despite being a fairly recent Wolverine.  He was part of some typically dominant Wolverines O-lines from '87-'90, teams that experienced a whole lotta wins.  My favorite fact gleaned from Wikipedia was that he was part of the offensive line that helped Michigan dominate Ole Miss to the tune of 715 yards and a 35-3 final score in the '91 Gator Bowl.  The Steelers drafted him late that season but injuries held him back from getting an NFL shot.  Still, he was cool enough to rock that mustache and sign his name, "Den...Dry?"  Still, not bad for one of the big uglies up front, right?

Don Peterson-Tom Peterson 2003 TK Legacy Michigan Mates dual auto (#55/200)

Here's the first of three cards that feature a pair of players.  The subset includes duos (and even trios) with something in common, and while some of them are based on something like the position they played, a good number focus on relatives that suited up for the Wolverines, like this one here.

Don Peterson was a HB/FB from '48-'51, not to mention team MVP his senior season.  His older brother Tom also played FB in Ann Arbor, in '44 and '47-'49 (I'd imagine due to the war), meaning they got to be teammates for a couple seasons, which is awesome.  Each of them is brand new to my PC, and each has a pretty nice autograph!

John Kolesar-Bill Kolesar 2004 TK Legacy Michigan Mates dual auto (#80/150)

John Kolesar was a Michigan WR from '85-'88, and while he's not famous enough to have his own Wikipedia entry, he had some pretty big games for the Wolverines, including helping secure another Big Ten title over John Cooper's Buckeyes his senior year.  His dad Bill was a stalwart on the UM offensive line from '53-'55 as part of Michigan's outstanding OL tradition.  Bill is new to the PC but I actually already had John's solo TK Legacy auto, and he signed his jersey number there as well.  It looks like Bill went with a nickname, "Koly," which is still pretty cool, along with his own number.

Paul Jokisch-Dan Jokisch 2005 TK Legacy Michigan Mates dual auto (#002/150)

Another pair of brothers, Paul played WR from '84-'86 (which means he had Jim Harbaugh throwing to him) while Dan was a TE from '88-'90.  Again, I actually had one of these guys in my PC, in this case Paul.  They both have pretty interesting autographs so I'll call this one a tie.

Today's post may have included nine cards, but thanks to the duo autos, it features 12 different players.  Better yet, an amazing total of nine of those guys are brand new to the PC, meaning I've hit a major milestone (and 2013 goal) by surpassing 100 unique members in the football collection!  To be exact, as of today I'm at 106, with more to come especially thanks to this BIPPing.  I always had a feeling the TK Legacy set would be my ticket to achieving 100 since it presents so many opportunities for the more obscure players who either didn't make the NFL or just didn't get hits in pro sets.  So here's to 100, and hopefully many more Michigan Men!

I'll be back soon with a few other purchases as I mix the other two posts in this series in at some point.  GO BLUE!