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Bob D’Angelo

Bob is a longtime member of the Florida sports media, having served as a reporter and copy editor for more than 30 years. His true sports passion, however, is the history of the various games, exhibited by his in-depth book reviews and hobby of collecting cards and other sports memorabilia. He blogs for TBO.com on both subjects, transferring his work for the Tampa Tribune to the realm of cyberspace.

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Price of Rally Squirrel variation card soaring

Posted Jan 30, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Jan 30, 2012 at 08:12 PM

Wow, this is insane. Or, given that it’s about the Rally Squirrel card, kind of nuts.

With Topps Series 1 hobby boxes coming out on Feb. 1, and with retail packs already in some stores, the quest for the Skip Schumaker/Rally Squirrel card variation (card No. 93) has begun.

Already, there is a card up for auction on eBay. As of 6:30 p.m. Monday, there have been 31 bids, with the top bid at $631.99. The auction ends on Jan. 31 at 4:35 p.m. EST. Can it break $1,000? Should it break $1,000?

There is always that early season flurry to grab the hot variation cards.

I can see the folks at Topps rubbing their hands with glee. If the price of this card keeps soaring, or even maintains a high number in the hundreds, then it stands to reason that more people will buy hobby boxes and retail boxes, hoping to find the card and perhaps make a quick turnaround sale.

Yes, I am feeding the publicity machine here also, but I do find it fascinating that this card has become such a darling among investor/collectors. I am using the same photo I used last week, which appeared on the www.beckett.com site.

The eBay seller with this card has a 100 percent rating with 5,996 positive comments (and more than 2,300 over the last 12 months), so he is definitely not a fly-by-night guy. I think he is rubbing his hands with glee, too, especially since he apparently has 30 hobby boxes on order from Topps.

Now, for the bidders. The lead bidder as of 6:30 EST Monday has bid five times on the Rally Squirrel card. In the last month, he has bid on six items. This is the only sportscard-related bid. The others? One smartphone, two different bids on women’s vintage clothing, two bids on a pair of jeans, and two bids on a laptop/netbook.

Can you spell “speculator”?

Want my advice? Buy your own box, or get some packs, and see if you get lucky first before jumping into bidding wars. But if you pull the card, well, it’s up to you to decide whether to sell or keep it. No telling what the cost could be a month from now.