How much would you spend on a Stephen Strasburg autographed baseball card? Would you shell out $10? Maybe $20?
There’s an ongoing eBay auction for a Strasburg-signed rookie card. The sale won’t be final for another six days, but 108 140 people have already placed their bids.
So what’s the card going for? Only $38,500, at the moment. Update: As of 8:40 a.m. Wednesday, the bid has grown to $100,300!
That’s right, the “Original, Serial Numbered, Bowman Card” can be yours – until someone outbids you tomorrow – for more than many teachers principals make. But hey, shipping is free! And you’re even guaranteed to get the card within six days from when the purchase is finalized.
In years past, kids put baseball cards in their tire spokes so that their bicycle sounded sort of like motorcycles. Today, you can trade them for a really nice, new car.
So, $38,500 $100,300 and counting for a baseball card. Really?
The guy selling the card – soon to be on a major shopping spree or a tropical island – said that he “pulled this card a few weeks ago after buying a jumbo box of 2010 Bowman baseball cards.”
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He tells potential bidders that "only one other card comes close to this.” That card, also auctioned on eBay, sold for more than $16,000. But it wasn’t autographed.
As for what makes the card worth buying for the same amount of money you could spend on an in-state college education? The seller, jp151920 on eBay, said that his Stephen Strasburg card is “the best on the market.”
He also includes the rookie pitcher’s statistics on his listing. Which makes us wonder what would have happened if Strasburg would have struck out 35 batters, not 32, in his first 19.1 innings of major league work? Would the card be worth $50,000 $250,000 already?
Remember, you still have time to bid. Empty your piggy banks and sort through your couch cushions. Then take out a loan, maybe sell your car, and borrow the rest from a good friend.
And remember: Shipping's free!
