LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - A Very Special Addition

Storytime!  And this one might just be one of my favorites this year.

For the past year or so, I've been noticing more 'show' cards or 'expo' cards of Linden's being released than I have in a long time.  Many collectors don't chase these cards as they are not true pack-inserted pieces of cardboard.

Fair enough.  But to me, these cards sit right in the wantlist with all the others.

Coming across a show card didn't have the excitement like it once did.  A little oversaturation will do that (even if the cards are 1/1's).  But a month or so ago, I came across a show card on ebay that made me jump.

2003/04 Be A Player

In The Game Action

#583 Montreal Expo SHOW /10

A show card from almost 10 years ago is virtually impossible to find these days.  They rarely pop up.  When they do, I've got my radar set to 10.

So I keep tabs on this ebay auction and for the next week I am literally counting down the days before auction end.

I knew the precise time that the auction would finish up and set my alarm for 5 minutes beforehand so I could casually place my bid.  The buzzer rang and I made my way up to the computer.  I fired it up and double-clicked on the internet icon.

No connection!  Something was up with my network signal.

So I start cursing.  I restart my computer and by the time I get the ebay page up on my screen - the auction was over.

I was beside myself.  Sick to my stomach.  Not only would the card be going to another person, it went for a fraction of what I was willing to spend.

For the next while, that miss was all I could think of.

But rather than give up on the card (which I would have done if it were pretty much any other card), I decided to keep pursuing it.

I found out who the winning bidder was and decided to contact him out of the blue.  I asked if he would consider selling the card as I would gladly pay over and above what he shelled out.  Of course I did it respectfully and without trying to be invasive.

Not long after, I received a reply from the winner of the card.  It turned out that he was a Linden collector.  He didn't really have a huge attachment to the card and said that he would be happy to work something out.  I was thrilled.

Over the next few days, my new Linden collecting friend and I worked out a trade that I think was a win-win.  He was able to pick up some nice parallels and I was able to snag a card that would probably never be seen again.

The cards were mailed off and I sat back and thought about the whole chain of events.  A huge smile on my face appeared.

The card arrived today and it's a real fave of mine.  If it hadn't been for that computer glitch, I might never have met this generous Linden collector.  As much as I will be enjoying this show card, I have no doubt that I will enjoy the friendly banter that the two of us will shoot back and forth over the days, months and hopefully years to come.

Thanks very much Glenn for your generosity.  It was a blast to meet another Linden collector.