2011 Top 20 Under $25 - #20 - Bob Feller Auto

One (very common) problem that I have when it comes to the blog is that I simply never seem to have enough time to show off all of the cards that I'd like to. With every month that goes by, some interesting items just get neglected due to lack of free time. I came up with what I hope will be an interesting idea to correct this problem and let some of these great cards get the attention they deserve on the blog...

I keep pretty meticulous records on where my hobby money goes. I can tell you what I spent each paycheck, and what I got in return. Now that October is coming to an end, I thought it would be neat to look back at my favorite 20 pickups of 2011 that didn't get a blog post the first time around. After all, everyone likes a good series of countdown posts, right? Aside from being purchased between January 1st and October 31st, 2011 and not being shown on the blog before, the only other rule is that each card or group of cards had to cost me $25 or less. This didn't really exclude many purchases given my relatively small budget. I hope you enjoy!

Today we'll start things off with #20 in the countdown:

What is it? A 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Epic Signatures Bob Feller Auto.
When and where did I get it? Way back in April, at the local hobby shop.
How much did it cost me? $20 even.

This was a fitting card to start off the countdown because it highlights an area that I really only started getting into over this past year...on card autos. When I saw this card at the hobby shop for the cost of a blaster I knew I had to have it.

Feller was a World Series champion, an 8-time All-Star and first ballot Hall-of-Famer. Bob threw 279 career complete games, including 3 no-hitters and 12 more 1-hitters! He's widely regarded as one of the best right-hand arms in baseball history. I could go on and on about the man Ted Williams claimed threw the fastest ball he'd ever seen, but I'm sure you've read it all before.

Feller's autograph itself is aesthetically pleasing as well. I like the contrast of the large, bold, blue auto against the black and white card. The back uses the same recycled photo from the front, otherwise this one may have placed higher in the countdown. Sadly, Bob passed away last December at age 92.

There will be at least a couple of other on card autos later in the countdown, more posts coming soon!