Wish it Want it Do it

Just the other day I posted a printing plate of Sean Casey where I mentioned that I thought a few autos existed featuring him in the Pirate uniform.  Welp.....!!!!!

 2006 Flair Showcase Sean Casey Auto

I don't always search for Casey on eBay, but I think I had mentioned him so many times lately that the searches became more prevalent.  Sure enough the timing was perfect and an auto popped up with a BIN price of $3.99.  I instantly purchased it. 

Cards like this hold a special place in my heart.  I love when players that have short runs with teams get represented with cardboard.  At the very least your hope is an Update card, but every once in a while you get lucky with a relic or auto from some of the more obscure sets.  Thanks Flair! 

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A Rare Tradition

I always slow my card purchasing down during the holidays to keep spending in check.  Some years I've even halted purchases in December all together. This year that wasn't as necessary as I saved a good bit of money by avoiding retail packs and high end singles. So while purchasing has been limited, I've continued to do my usual browsing.  This allowed me to find a hidden gem that in years past I would have missed.

2006 Fleer Tradition Sean Casey Printing Plate

I've never went all in on printing plates over the years.  I'm not a player collector so the need to have every card under the sun was not there.  Also, they are just not that attractive.  If I come up with a top ten favorite card list in my collection a printing plate wouldn't crack the list.

With all that being said I do have a decent amount of plates in my collection.  When I do spend money on them it is for a player that has seen little cardboard love as a Pirate.  Such is the case with this Sean Casey. 

I spent $10 on this card which is the top end of my comfort zone for these type of cards.  Truth be told I would have probably even gone a little further because I really wanted the card. Casey spent only half a season as a Buc so the Bucco cardboard portfolio is light.  This is now the most unique card I have of him in my collection. I do believe one or two autos exist as well, but they rarely pop up and sell surprisingly high.  

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Ensembles

2006 Ultimate Ensembles Casey/Perez/Bay/Paulino/Mclouth Auto

I have a few variations of this card, but this combo is the newest to my collection. Boy does this card have a lot going on. Each guy has an interesting story. 

Sean Casey is from the Pittsburgh area, but he didn't stay long as he was traded to Detroit during the 2006 season. His Pirate career was pretty uneventful, but his trade was unpopular do to his hometown status. It didn't really bother me that much as his best years were behind him. That auto is pretty wild too. 

Perez came on quick for the Pirates and flamed out just as quick. The Pirates released him and he was picked up by the Mets. He regained some of his early magic in 2007 with Mets and parlayed that into a long term contract. Unfortunately for the Mets his production fell right back off and the contract immediately turned bad. After the Mets Perez balanced around for a while, but has recently reinvented himself as a reliever. 

I talk about Jason Bay all the time. He is one of my all time favorites and my main reason for buying this card. 

Ronny Paulino looked like he was going to be a productive major league catcher after putting up better than average numbers in 2006. During the 2007 his defense began the suffer and the Pirates pretty much washed their hands of him. He balanced around several years but hasn't seen MLB action in almost three years. 

Nate Mclouth wasn't much of a prospect for the Pirates but he produced at every level of the minor leagues and forced his way onto the big league club. He was given a full time gig in 2008 and had a big year which included an All Star appearance and a gold glove. In 2009 the Pirates shocked their fan base by trading Mclouth to the Braves. Mclouth was signed to a team friendly deal and was coming off a huge season so the deal was very unpopular. It turned out to be a shrewd move by the Buccos as Mclouth's production dropped off the table for the Braves and both Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton are still active Pirates. Also, the trade opened the door for that McCutchen guy.

I like cards like this as they can tell a lot of stories. This card back in the day would have been pretty decent money as both Bay and Perez were popular. Today this card cost me less than $20. 

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