I had decided at the NSCC this past August that I wanted to go after all color variations of the 1934 Batter Up # 57 Hank Greenberg. I bought and graded this one a few years ago, and was a fan of this issue ever since. At the National, with this in mind, I found two Batter Ups that I pondered, and passed, and pondered, and passed, and offered and counter-offered several times on both cards. I had to pass on a blue version (shown in this link) because of back damage, and the fact that the dealer's price was too high for the card. I think I might have already explained this story once here before, but I'm not remembering so I'll just continue.
The second of the two cards I was much more interested in. A black tinted, raw, sharp card. Guy was asking $300 for it, but $250 if I decided to pay in cash. I mulled the buy over, and over, and over the three days I was there. I finally gathered up the stones to withdraw the money (with trouble I might add, Wells Fargo didn't take kindly to me withdrawing large amounts in Chicago, Illinois without telling them in advance.)
I was at the table. Took the card out of the book that I found it in, and heavily inspected it. I found a slight tear where the end of the bat reaches the top edge of the card, and I was immediately turned off. It created a tear in the card, and for $250 I couldn't warrant spending that on a card I know didn't meet the grade for the price.
I passed.
So, present day, I found the card on eBay, and like I said, I knew I was going to have it. I placed my bid with 6 days and change left and carefully watched the auction, padding my bid twice once the activity came from other bidders. I won the card easily, and now it's a day away from arriving, and I can't wait to own it.
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