Who is this? Philip Henry Niekro, the finest knuckleballer to ever knuck a ball.
What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Sweet Spot Classic, card number PN.
Where'd I get it? Champion Sports Cards.
How much did it cost? $16.
Why is this so special? The scan sucks, but the card looks great. That's supposed to be copper foil on the front but after three scans I gave up on it looking like anything but mud. The ball is white, the stitches are red and there's a nice blue ballpoint signature right on the sweet spot of course. The ballpoint is key here as anyone who has ever watched their hero sign on a leather ball with a sharpie can attest. This is my third Knucksie auto on a ball, One is on an American League ball and the other was signed in blue sharpie in person so I don't mind the smudge. Phil was my favorite pitcher when I was a kid so Knucksie autos always welcome in my house.
I got this at the local card shop today. There wasn't anything I was really looking for, if I wasn't out running errands in the area already I probably wouldn't have gone. I found a Chipper card I didn't have, picked up the Trading Card History giveaway cards for the week an looked through the wax. Topps series 2 - meh. UD series 2 - I like retail better. SPX - $19 a pack, oh joy. They had Chrome packs for three bucks each or 6 for $17. The box of Chrome was was sitting on the autograph case so I absentmindedly looked in the case. They had a Brooks Robinson auto card for $18. Shameful, concidering the Chrome autographs of nobody prospects hiding in the box will book for at least that. I saw Phil and did a double take. Knucksie apparently got promoted from the Braves ghetto into the top shelf of 'good' autograph cards. the price tag said $20 and there was a 20% off sale. Sooo... I could get a pack of SPX or a handful of Chrome and chase an auto of God knows who, or get the signature of my childhood hero. Tough choice.
You made the absolute right call on this transaction. We moved to Alabama for a couple of years when I was a kid. It was the first time we had cable and I could watch a baseball game everyday. Well, sometimes they were tape delayed but I didn't care.
ReplyDeleteOf course the games were of the Braves and I had my favorites like Phil on the team. I still collect Niekro, Phil that is today.
Great card!