I’ve decided to change things up a bit and call this segment, “Tales from the Bargain Bin”. I had a busy weekend and really didn’t have time to blog, but today I hope to get not only this post up but maybe a few more.
Player’s Name: Mike Lieberthal
Position: C
Team: Philadelphia Phillies (Currently Retired)
Set it’s from: 2006 Upper Deck Sweet Spot
Beckett Value: $8.00
Price I paid: $1.04
Career Numbers: 0.274/150/610 with 1155 hits over a 14 year career
Awards: 2 time All Star (1999 and 2000)
Best Season: 1999 – 0.300/31/96
Why This Card?: I have always liked underdogs and I always felt that Mike lived under the legend of Darren Daulton. Daulton was a great player, but I think Mike lived up to and exceeded what Daulton had done for the Phillies. Mike’s single best asset was the way he controlled his pitchers. He was always a pretty solid hitter which helped him state his case as a starter but it was his personality which made him a fan favorite. His numbers, when compared to other catchers during that time frame were not as outstanding, but still if you could have him in your clubhouse and have a solid catcher for a decade would you want him? Of course you would!
My Thoughts on the Set: I have a love / hate relationship with Sweet Spot. I do actually love the product, but I can’t understand the price. For about $100 on eBay shipped, you get:
12 packs of 5 cards per pack
1 Sweet Spot Auto per box
1 Over sized swatch memorabilia card
To me, that’s ridiculous. You are in essence paying $50 for the autograph and $30 for the memorabilia, with about $20 going to the base cards. Can you imagine the poor sap that pulled this card out as his autograph? I would personally go down to Upper Deck and throw the card in Richard McWilliams’ face. Seriously though, how pissed off would you be? Sure there is a chance (slight) that you might pull an Arod or a Jeter, but you could also pull a Lieberthal or Jenkins easily enough as well. This is why I would never ever purchase Sweet Spot as a box. Let the other saps of the world buy it and put their bad hits in the the bargain bin, where I swoop in and collect them all for a hundreth of the price of the box.
Will it ever gain value?: Nope, but that is OK with me!
I’d have loved to get that Lieberthal card but then I’m a Phillies fan. I did a little tribute to Lieberthal a few weeks ago when he retired. But like you, I never bought any Sweet Spot product because of the expense. I’ve been inspired by your finds that I’ve been looking for cheap hits on eBay and am currently waiting for a 07 Sweet Spot Signatures of Jeff Karstens for $2.25. I don’t even know who this guy is but at least I can say I’ve got one of these cards and didn’t pay too much for it.
I’ll trade the Lieberthal, especially to a Phillie fan email me and lets work out some kind of trade. The bad part about showing off these bargains is now I will have some competition to win the autographs and game used on ebay.