Okay, so I’ve been meaning to get my hands on an Aaron Judge rookie card for a while now. I mean, the guy’s a beast, and his rookie cards are only going to get more valuable, right? So, I started my hunt.
The Search Begins
First, I hit up some local card shops. You know, the kind of places with that old, musty smell and display cases crammed with cards. I figured I’d start there to get a feel for the market and see what kind of prices I was looking at. I spent a good couple of hours digging through boxes and binders, but no luck. Mostly older stuff, and the few Judge cards they had were way overpriced.
Going Online
Next, I moved my search online. I checked out the usual big online marketplaces. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. So many listings, so many different versions of his rookie card. I quickly realized I needed to narrow down my search.
Narrowing it Down
I decided to focus on a few specific cards. I learned that there are a bunch of different Aaron Judge rookie cards, but some are more sought after than others. After some googling, I focused on getting Topps, Bowman, or a Panini.
- Topps Chrome
- Bowman Chrome
- Panini National Treasures
I figured these were good starting points, and they seemed to be within my budget (well, some of them, anyway).
The Bidding War (sort of)
I found a few listings that looked promising. Nice condition, decent prices. I placed a few bids, but got outbid pretty quickly on most of them. It’s tough out there! People really want these cards. There was one card, though, that I was really determined to get. It was a Topps Chrome, in really good shape, and the starting bid was reasonable.
Success!
I ended up winning the auction! I was pretty stoked. I paid for it, and the seller shipped it out right away. It arrived a few days later, and I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I carefully opened the package, and there it was. My very own Aaron Judge rookie card. It’s now proudly displayed in a protective case, and I check on it way more often than I should probably admit.
So, yeah, that’s the story of how I got my Aaron Judge rookie card. It took some time, some effort, and a little bit of luck, but it was totally worth it. Now, who wants to trade?
