My First Mike Trout Auto!

Mike Trout is without question the best player in baseball and has been for years. I should have bought a handful of his autos when I had the chance but I distinctly remember deciding to wait. Idiot moves, we all make them. Fast forward to late last year and I told myself if the right deal came along I would finally take the plunge and add my first certified auto of the future Hall of Famer (I have one IP auto of his).

A lot of patience and an overseas auction combined to land me the above beauty! You always remember your first time, they say. It's numbered 22/50 and hails from the Supreme Stylings subset of 2013 Topps Supreme Baseball. I would have preferred on-card but eventually I'll add a hard-signed Trouty to the collection. For now I'm more than pleased with the pickup.

After a few eBay Bucks -- and a chunk of cash my grandfather gave me -- my out of pocket expenditure was less than $25 for a Mike Trout auto! Even if I had been in a position where I had to foot the entire bill I feel I got a steal for a certified Trout signature limited to just 50 copies.

My First Yasiel Puig Auto!

I missed out on the chance to meet Yasiel Puig in-person during his short stint in High-A ball a few years ago. I thought he'd be back the following year, even if just for a bit, and that assumption proved to be wildly incorrect. Since then I've been after an autograph of his but have not had any desire to break the bank.

A couple years of eBay patience -- and multiple hamstring injuries which derailed his 2015 campaign -- combined to lower prices on his certified sigs and I jumped on the above when it stayed within my predetermined range. This 2015 Gypsy Queen beauty combines everything I'd want in my first #ManBearPuig John Hancock: an on-card signature, a sweet swatch of jersey, a great action shot, a fantastic design, and a low-print run to boot (21/50).

This is easily the centerpiece of my modest Yasiel PC, although not the rarest card in said mini-collection. It was also a tough pull for whomever nabbed it from its pack home, as these auto-relics /50 fell at a ratio of 1:815 hobby packs.

1951 Berk Ross: Jesse Owens, PSA 4.5!

Every once in a while I stumble across a card that doesn't technically fit into any of my collections but is simply too awesome to let pass by. If the price is right I'm willing to bite the bullet and find a way to integrate it into my collection and show it the proper cardboard love my main collecting vices receive on a daily basis.

Berk Ross cards hold a very special place in my collecting soul so when I spotted the above 1951 Berk Ross featuring Jesse Owens I knew I wanted to nab it if I could. The price was very reasonable -- $22.50 delivered to my door -- and this gorgeous PSA 4.5 now calls my collection home. Owens' exploits and importance in not just athletics but history in general is well known, so adding this card holds extra meaning to me on a number of vital levels.

Here's the back for all you guys and gals who enjoy such things.

My First Cole Hamels' John Hancock!

I've been looking to add a Cole Hamels autograph to my collection for a couple of years now. The price was simply never right, and Hamels has enough autos out there that I wasn't in any particular rush to overpay for something just to say I owned one. My patience finally paid off at the end of October as I was able to secure the below beauty for a steal of a deal.

Numbered 14/25, it's a GORGEOUS on-jersey auto/relic of one of my favorite non-Dodgers, and it was had for a paltry $11.51 shipped. I think the fact that the card was coming from Japan may have scared away some potential action, but I was more than happy to take the risk and play the waiting game to finally add Cole's John Hancock to my modest PC of the SoCal native.

You Always Remember Your First Time: Matt Wieters, A Nameplate I Could Never Afford To Put Together.

I was finally able to secure an autograph of one of the game's best catchers, and a guy whose career I really enjoy following. He's been on at least one of my fantasy teams, and put up 5 WAR last season buoyed by stellar defense.

It took me forever to find an affordable signature of Matt Wieters, but I finally succeeded. I'm a big fan of these Letterman autos, and with Wieters there's not a lot to choose from, as the 26-year-old has never signed for Topps after inking an exclusive deal with Razor back in '08. It's UD, TriStar, Donruss Elite, Just Minors, or Razor when it comes to Wieters' autographs, and I'd by happy to pick up another John Hancock or two if the price were right.

You Always Remember Your First Time: Zach Lee

I think this is the beginning of a new series of posts. A series that will randomly appear from time to time. And that first time is now.

Zach Lee's autographs were out of my price range when they first hit, and as badly as I wanted one I decided it was a more prudent option to wait and let the prices drop. And drop they most certainly did. After missing out on a few auctions, I finally found one with a price I was happy with and was able to lock it down for a grand total of $7.11 shipped (five and eleven pennies for the winning bid).

Lee's expression on the card is priceless. I feel like he's thinking to himself, "I can't believe the McCourts had over $5 million to throw my way. Good thing for them I was willing to accept it over five years".

Or something like that.