2009 Topps Update Jason Marquis

Who is this? Washington Nationals pitcher Jason Marquis
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps Update and Highlights set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Marquis and asked him to sign it last month. I got it back a few weeks later.
 
How much did it cost? About $1 for the card and postage
 
Why is this so special? Jason Marquis signed a two-year, $15 contract with the Washington Nationals this off-season. I had wanted the Mets to sign the New York native to add some stability to their starting rotation, but they never showed any interest in doing so.

The Mets probably made the right call -- Marquis had surgery last week to remove bone chips from his elbow, and he won't be back until sometime after the All-Star break.

Marquis was an All-Star last season for the Colorado Rockies. He's played for five teams in an 11-year major league career that began with the Atlanta Braves in 2000. He has a 94-86 career record with a 4.57 ERA.

Marquis has an interesting signature, but I can only make out the "J" in his first name.

2006 Bowman Originals Jason Marquis

Who is this? Braves pitcher Jason Marquis.

What is this? An autograph buyback card from 2006 Bowman Originals, 2000 Bowman Chrome card number 12. The cards is numbered 14/16.

Where'd I get it? Flea market dude.

How much did it cost? Ten bucks.

Why is this so special? This is a situation where I went looking to buy an autograph card no matter what and ended up paying more than I planned for a player I don't like. It's a Brave, it's short printed and it's purdy so no big deal. Bowman Originals was a high-end product where Topps bought back a bunch of old Bowman cards, got them signed, serial numbered them, slabbed them and stuck 'em two per pack with a few base cards to fatten up the box. They weren't quite as expensive as these packs, but they weren't cheap either. There was only one card numbered to 25 or less per every 8 boxes so believe it or not Jason here was the case hit. I still got it for ten bucks and I still think I paid too much.

Jason is a solid pitcher but he's rubbed me the wrong way from his time with the Braves. He always seemed to underachieve with the team and it didn't help that he got into Bobby and Leo's doghouse frequently. Then he gets traded to the Cardinals in the JD Drew deal and immediately wins 15 games. Meh. Now he's pitching for the Cubs. Double meh. But, like I said before, it's pretty, low numbered and a Brave. Interesting choice by Jason on the signature location. He squished it up next to the facsimile signature and it looks a bit like an unkempt squiggle.