2014 eBay purchases: F$!k yeah Friday! OR A Very Brady Christmas

Waaaaaaaaaay back in January--almost exactly 11 months ago, actually--I made a huge purchase in picking up a Charles Woodson auto/jersey, and I declared it my odds-on early favorite for pickup of the year.  Who cared that 2014 was only 21 days old?  How the hell could I top that?  Dude's won a Heisman, NCAA championship, and a Super Bowl ring, and he's been a sure-fire HOF ballhawk turnover machine in the NFL.

I'm here to announce that things change.  Despite having a nice amount of fun last month, especially thanks to COMC's Black Friday, my spending the last few months was way below average, and that left me with a nice amount left in my yearly budget.  I wasn't going to spend for the sake of spending, but I decided to get a bit more creative about how I might put that surplus to good use.

Things moved pretty quickly from there, and after an eBay best offer and a couple counteroffers, I landed my hands down pickup of the year, and it's not even close.  Sorry, Chuck, you've got a special place in my collection, but good luck topping THIS:

Tom Brady 2000 Fleer Tradition Autographics auto

"I really want a Tom Brady autograph," I thought, "but I'm not spending $500 for one.  And why shouldn't I hold out for one of him in a Michigan uniform?"  "You're right!" I responded to myself in this fictional account, "And let's make it an on-card signature too."

I don't really feel like saying how much I paid for this grail of a whale of a card, but I will reveal that it cost me less than my $200 monthly budget, though I had plenty more than that to work with for this month.  That means I met all my requirements, and oh by the way, I'm the proud new owner of a TOM FREAKIN' BRADY AUTOGRAPH.  You know what, this is too much space wasted without a scan of it, so here it is a few more times:

Yeah, I'm just gonna go ahead and bask in the glow of owning a Michigan uniform on-card auto of three-time Super Bowl champ and two-time Super Bowl and league MVP TOM BRADY.  Specifically, this card:

I guess I'll wrap things up by mentioning that this is my fifth hit of Tom Terrific in my football collection, and while the other four are jersey relics, this one is my favorite because it's an autograph.  An autograph of TOM BRADY!  Here it is one more time just in case I didn't post it enough:

A card of Tom Brady.  That's autographed.  A Tom Brady autograph, you might say.  That I own.  Meaning I own a TOM BRADY AUTOGRAPH

Merry early Christmas to me!  And for my fellow Michigan fans, I hope you all find a Jim Harbaugh under your tree!