What is your White Whale

Mike

TP9 | VC15
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I saw this question posed on Twitter today and thought it was an interesting enough question to ask here.

What is your White Whale? The card you obsess about, but never seem to be able to obtain.

To take it further, why haven't you been able to obtain it? Too rare? Too expensive?

For me, it's an easy one to answer. The card is a 98-99 SP Authentic BGS 9.5 Vince Carter rookie. I've wanted the card since the days of Yahoo! Auctions. I tried, and tried, to trade for one back in those days. To this day every time I find one for trade, I inquire about it. The problem isn't that they're so hard to find. There are plenty of them on eBay. The problem isn't that the card is too expensive. It's high, but not so high that I wouldn't pull the trigger if I wanted to. The problem is that when I first started collecting all those years ago I didn't buy cards. I bought packs/boxes and traded. I still don't like (I will, I just don't like) buying cards, and I can probably count on my hands (maybe one hand) the number of cards I've ever sold. Because of that, I've always wanted to trade for one. No other card brings up this absolute refusal to buy in my mind, which is strange because it's the main card I wanted to trade for as a kid, before I could even afford to buy cards. So that has followed me all these years. I want one, but I only want to trade for one. THAT...is the problem. It's so rare to see one for trade. In fact, it's been many, many years since I've seen one for trade. Combine the fact that they're hard to find for trade with the fact that the person who has it also has to want/need something I have, and it's just a recipe for nothingness. Regardless, though, the search will continue. One day, maybe me and this card will cross paths. Until then, I'll keep fishing.
 
1993 Finest Rickey Henderson REFRACTOR - $$$$$

Interestingly I own several cards FAR scarcer and rarer and significantly cheaper than this This card has a print run of 241 which is a HUGE print run by today's standards. Yet this card is stupid expensive.
 
For me it's easily this!

2006 Ultra Target Exclusive Rookie Autographs #203 Reggie Bush SP
995387C5-FBA6-430C-88BC-CFFA6E5102C1_1_105_c.jpeg



This is the retail version that the ONLY way I knew it existed was through the official Beckett listing & it is supposedly SP'd to 10 or less. Someone actually graded one, so at least I know they are in circulation. His stuff was so nuts the first few years, it was dang near impossible to collect him.


Example of the Hobby version of the card. (I own) 😁🙌
2006 Ultra Lucky 13 Autographs #203 Reggie Bush/25 BGS 9.5/10
66CD3F2E-FC4F-4BFC-9A15-BB28BA5C6E23_1_105_c.jpeg
 
My white whale is 2003 Timeless Treasures Gold Roger Clemens serial to only 10! A member on the Beckett Message Board had 8 of the 10! I asked if he would sell the worst one to me! He said only if that was the last one that I needed to finish the set......I offered a Derek Jeter 2003 Timeless Treasures gold serial to 10 in Trade...Jeter's is worth more....and he said no! So here I sit waiting the last 15 years waiting for one of the two to show up! Best regards, David
 
My White Whales unfortunately are expensive. For my least favorite sport basketball is a Michael Jordan RC. Next is for football a 1976 Topps Walter Payton RC. Finally a 2012 Topps Archives Baseball Bryce Harper RC the regular stupidity stupid short print not the impossible SSSSP auto.
 
I'm just getting back into collecting after a decade away from the hobby, but I think my white whale is still the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF error rookie card. Way too valuable to buy or trade for (with my modest collection). I was/am obsessed with the idea of pulling one from a sealed pack. I've got a box of 1990 Topps on the way, gonna be fun to relive the thrill of the hunt.
 
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