My Hunt for a Josh Bell Rookie Card
Ok.eeay, so I got this idea in my head lately. I wanted to track down a Josh Bell rookie card. You know, he's been pretty solid, and I figured it'd be cool to have one from when he first started out. Seemed like a simple enough task, right? Well, let's see.
First thing I did was just hop online. Typed "Josh Bell rookie card" into the usual spots, those big online marketplaces everyone uses. Man, a whole bunch of stuff popped up immediately. It wasn't just one card, there were loads.
I saw a few different brands right away:
- Topps: That's the classic one, right? Saw his regular Topps flagship rookie, the one with the little RC shield.
- Bowman Chrome: These always look shinier. Found his Bowman Chrome rookie auto, too. Those are usually pricier.
- Other stuff: There were some parallels, you know, different colored borders, numbered ones. Also saw some from sets like Topps Heritage.
So, I started clicking around, looking at pictures. Some looked great, really sharp corners, nice centering. Others... not so much. Looked like they'd been tossed in a shoebox for years. Condition is a big deal, obviously. I saw some that were graded, slabbed in those plastic cases by PSA or BGS. Those give you a score, like a 9 or a 10. They cost more, but you know what you're getting.
Then I started comparing prices. Wow. The prices were all over the place. A basic, raw (ungraded) Topps rookie wasn't too bad, pretty affordable actually. But then you look at the graded ones, especially a PSA 10 Gem Mint... yeah, that's a different story. The Bowman Chrome autos were also up there, especially if they were graded high.
I spent a good couple of evenings just scrolling, comparing listings, reading descriptions. Do I want a graded one for the collection? Or just a nice raw one to have? Do I spring for an autograph? Decisions, decisions.
I almost pulled the trigger on a nice looking raw Topps Update card. The picture looked clean, price seemed fair. But then I thought, maybe I should check a local card shop first. Sometimes you find hidden gems there, or at least you can see the card in person before buying.
So, the hunt isn't quite over yet. I haven't bought one just yet. I'm leaning towards maybe a graded Topps flagship, maybe an 8 or 9, something that looks good but doesn't completely break the bank. Or maybe that clean raw one if I can find a really good deal. It's been kind of fun just doing the research, figuring out what's out there. We'll see what I end up getting.
