A Decade In The Hobby

 Some undefined time this year (think like late-August) I'll officially have been in this hobby for 10 years. The starting point for me is the day I decided to walk into a card shop in Japan called Match-Up one summer day in 2011. I don't remember what day it was.

Fast forward to 2021, I'm kind of the same but also kind of a different person I guess but still somewhat in this hobby. For the most part this blog has served as a journal/log for my journey. There's a solid three years of content missing but those weren't particularly interesting beyond me opening way more boxes and packs than I should've been. Also Sega Card Gens.

Still, 10 years. Part of me shudders at how my high school years are now that far behind in the mirror. Knowing that none of us can really beat father time doesn't make it better I've got to say.

Anyway to mark the occasion I thought I'd pick up a card that's significant. And because I'm impatient I decided to do it in February instead of August (also y'know, had to take advantage of the eBay bucks extra 5% promo too). Something that really brings me back to 2011. Something on the pricier side.

My "dream card" has always been the 2011 Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper autograph. It was the hottest commodity of 2011 and I still remember the hype and excitement for it. If it were released today I wouldn't think twice about it, but because it was the it card when I was just starting out, it's always been something to reach for.

But it's also expensive. Especially now that we're currently in some weird collecting bubble that's made cards far more expensive than they're worth again. Maybe some day it'll fall a bit down to a more reasonable price than from the "at least $500" mark it's at now. But in the meantime I opted for the next best thing.

Boom.

A 2011 Bowman Draft green auto (it's basically a paper auto) of Bryce Harper. This and the Bryce Harper auto in 2011 Bowman (also a paper auto) were the next best options for me personally since they both have the 2011 Bowman design, and they're both Bryce Harper autographs.

I did own another Bryce Harper auto once upon a time but it was traded for an A-Rod autograph when I deemed that it was a trade chip more than something I really wanted to keep. The previous Harper auto I had was one of his Team USA Upper Deck offerings which wasn't bad, but it wasn't from 2011. This time I'm hoping this doesn't turn into a trade chip in my eyes. 

Seeing the 2011 Bowman back for the first time in a while is nice too. I forgot how sleek it was. I dare say it looks better than Bowman's more recent offerings though I probably can't say much since I'm heavily biased.

In some ways it's fitting that the first Harper I'd have in my hands again came from a Bowman Draft offering. Although I've come to be really disinterested with it, there was a time where Bowman Draft was my favorite product because it was my first introduction to so many fresh faces that were completely new to me. Nowadays I'm likely already in possession of cards featuring the newest Yankee draft class before Bowman Draft even comes out. I realize that that's not Bowman's fault, but it doesn't make me think spending $44.99 plus tax on a single jumbo pack of Bowman Draft is any more justifiable (I miss Chameleon and its dime boxes so damn much).

A lot has changed in the past decade. For both Harper and myself. Neither of us even live in the same cities as we did in 2011 and we're both holding onto what's left of our 20s for dear life. Hell, the "dream card" of mine isn't even the most notable or valuable card that was released that year now (thanks a lot Mike Trout). But he's always been around. Every baseball game, every baseball rumor, every card set, every product release. Harper's been a steady presence in my collecting world even without me having to pay attention to him. He was there when I started. He was there when I was really getting hooked. He was there when I moved back to NYC. He's still there now. He'll never be "the guy" for me as I love having a much more focused Luis Torrens super-collection, but he'll always be somewhere, and I find comfort in that. Comfortable enough that I'll still keep the 2011 BoChro auto as a goal to obtain for another day. Maybe one day I'll even start seeing if I can look into maybe nabbing a few more cards of his from 2011 that I don't have.

10 years of collecting, 10 years of Bryce Harper. What a ride both have been.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care.