I sent a picture to one of my buddies and said I just paid $10 for a Joe Randa card. His response was something like this, bwahahshahahhahaha. It is the right response. Randa had a long career, but really nothing justifies paying that much for a card. "The Joker" as he was called should be dime box fodder.
As many of you know I have a weird obsession with finding obscure cards of forgotten Pirates. I love obtaining autos of the likes of Cutch and Cole, but the satisfaction of finding those hidden gems are what I find the most fun.
Joe Randa Fractal Foundations Fractal Materials Z2 Axis Diecut /20
Do you remember the Leaf Fractal Foundations set?.........Neither did I. In short it was basically a parallel brand of the regular Leaf set. The Z2 Axis cards were the diecut parallel of the base set. Some more obscure parallels exist that were nylon and wood.
Like many parallels during this time pricing can be all over the place. The David Ortiz version of the /20 card sold for over $300 as did the Griffey wood card. Thankfully no one on the Pirates during this time would come close to those huge numbers. I've been watching a Jason Kendall that has been sitting on there for a few months with a BIN price of $24. I'm hoping the seller decides to put it up for auction, although these cards are impossible to predict. It may sell for $5 or $40, neither would be surprising.
So yes, I spent $10 on a Joe Randa card. You can leave comments making fun of me below.
I remember them! I have a few of the Tinos. I definitely don't know how the system works. The rarer ones are tough to find though.
ReplyDeleteI only saw a handful of the /20 versions on eBay. Most are BIN. I think long story short was that the whole set is a parallel of the main Leaf set.
DeleteI was very fond of this product when it came out, and am still to this day. Ten dollars doesn't seem like too much for that card at all, especially considering things serial numbered to under 50 from that time period can often be scarcer than todays 1/1's.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the numbering. I just found it funny that I paid that much for a Joe Randa card. That is more in the Gerrit Cole/Starling Marte range. I'm glad I made the purchase though as these are pretty rare.
DeleteObscure cards are the best cards.
ReplyDeleteThat is the beauty of collecting. I'll be looking through checklists in the late 90's and will often see a card I had no idea existed. Al Martin had a fractal materials card ='s mind blown.
DeleteIt's a great find. No judgment here friend
ReplyDeleteI don't let crazy people pass judgment on me... ;)
DeleteI need to search for one of someone now lol. I don't care who. Cool card
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few "commons" sale in the $5 range.
DeleteI think you should be making fun of me... I had no idea these fractal cards were a thing. As a math teacher, who really likes fractals, I should be all over this, but somehow the world has managed to keep it a secret from me until now.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you could find some obscure Cubs. That is your homework over break :)
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