They Let Anyone On A Ginter Card These Days!

Or, how the HECK did I get on my own card?!

Pinch Me Moment - Truly. Somehow, I have 10 autograph cards in the Allen & Ginter set last year. With MY autograph on them! What an absolute dream come true.

How did it happen? It's not a long story but it does involve some incredible people. Tl;dr - community is everything. I'd like to thank a few of them below! I'd be happy to explain more of the story in future posts if folks are interested. Here goes!

Thanks to Jim at The Tenth Inning Card Shop who introduced me to this wonderful product 20 years ago. Without him including that Randy Johnson base card in the mystery pack I purchased this would have never happened. (Maybe I should be blaming him for this curse?)

Thanks to Jeff (@packgeek) for believing in my Instagram page from the beginning, for sending encouraging notes along the way and for being a great advocate of The Collector.

Thanks to the great Alan Narz @bigleaguecards) for his infectious enthusiasm, his ingenuity, positivity and his willingness to trade emails and handshakes with me. This man has seen everything in the hobby for decades and I'd love to visit his store one day. And let's not forget his intro to the great Clay Luraschi, a key moment in this journey.

Thanks to Ryan for being so warm and welcoming for me and my family in New York and for not getting sick of my reply all emails.

Thanks to the great punk Jeremy for the access he's given me, great conversations about cards and music, for never getting noticeably tired of my emails and for the greatest email of all-time asking me if I wanted to be in the set.

Thanks to the great Tiff for her incredible energy, generosity, thoughtfulness, positivity and advocacy for The Collector. Once you meet her she is someone you will never forget.

Thanks to the Ginter legend, Clay. Without his foresight, creativity and stubbornness 20 years ago we wouldn't have a set to celebrate at all. He's the first true Ginter Gold Pioneer. Thanks for always being open to answering questions and sharing in our collecting passion. You're the GOAT.

And, finally, thanks to ALL OF YOU! I never started my IG page to be on a card. But your support, passion, inclusivity, optimism and advocacy over the years has materially helped make this happen. That isn't lost on me and never will be. To be on a card in the set you're obsessed with is so surreal and it doesn't feel real. But your support ALWAYS does.

P.S. To the guy on Twitter who said he'd be pissed if my auto was one of his hits - buddy, I totally get it! If you find my card though I'll make it worth your while! :)

APPENDIX

Inscriptions for the card!

Only one we've seen in the wild so far!