Incredible Sale

On the eve of Albert's second multi-homer game of the year, there was a huge sale on eBay.

2001 Bowman Chrome 141/500, Raw condition $7,000 4/11/2010

The seller has only 68 (100% +) feedback and doesn't have any previous card sales in the 90 day history.

Here's the description:

"You are bidding on one the hottest cards out there. This autographed card of Albert Pujols is numbered 141/500. Albert Pujols is one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game and this is his best card!

As you can tell in the picture, this card has perfect centering and razor sharp corners. I have taken very good care of this card. It should grade out very good! Insurance is including in the shipping and handling.

Good luck with the auction!"

While there could be some shenanigans going on, the bid history looks relatively legitimate. I believe this is a substantial new all time high for a raw copy. Even in spring 2006 they only reached about $4,000. This is an exclamation point on a gradual uptick in this card's price. For the second straight year, these have dipped significantly over the off season only to rebound as soon as the season starts. Could it be related to concerns about Albert's elbow? He has had a procedure done each of the past two offseasons. Whatever the reason, if you are in the market for one of these, it's probably best to buy during the offseason.

2001 Bowman Chrome 5/500

There are certain members of the hobby that will do anything to make an extra buck on a card. In the old days, dealers could use Sharpies to touch up the borders on their black-bordered cards. Today, trimming is one of the worst problems with the hobby. There are certain cards that no educated consumer should ever buy raw (Pujols SPx, ARod SP, etc). Some sneakier dealers have taken to rubbing off signatures or serial numbers and redoing them to their liking (There are rumors that many Pujols SPx autographs have been subject to this). Serial numbers are another issue. Luckily most are machine stamped, but hand numbered cards present a problem. Unfortunately, Pujols's 2001 BC autograph has hand serial numbering. On the old Beckett boards, Colorado Rockies Fan (first name: John) had an extensive listing of all Pujols BC copies he had seen on eBay. He listed the certification number, grade, and serial number. It was very complete. No one knows where he is today and I unfortunately deleted the file at some point over the years. Someone on the PSA boards saved the portion dealing with the 5/500 copies:

5/500 Topps sticker #3040260 PSA 9 PSA serial #40002731
5/500 Topps sticker #3040227 BGS 8
005/500 Topps sticker #3040244 BGS 9.5
005/500 Topps sticker #3040359 PSA 9 O/C serial #30119083

As you can see there are multiple copies. There is no way to tell which is real. This one is currently listed on eBay.