Jun 4, 2010

Are Printing Plates Worth It?

This ends within the next two days on eBay.

Dustin McGowan is my favorite player now with Halladay on the Candy Stripers and Marcum being a hard player to collect.

This is the first ever 1/1 McGowan I have ever seen, but I just cannot manage to consider it a true 1/1. I don't even consider it a real card, honestly.

Of course, I put a bid on it, mainly just a shot in the dark. It looks good for a printing plate (much better than the cyan and magenta plates will look) but still, printing plates are just not my style. I may up my bid and see if I can pull it off, but I just don't see it happening. Maybe I'll be lucky and a black one will come around.

But honestly, if I had to choose between 4 1/1 printing plates and true 1/1 parallel like a Carolina Brights, I'd take the true 1/1.

Thoughts?

Blogger is having some problems, so click the link to see the card.

13 comments:

  1. MY stance has always been that I hate printing plates, BUT as a player collector like you I buy them. I bid when I see them, but never go above 10 bucks. Sometimes it works out, most often it doesn't. I have quite a few now. I am trying to get the Carl Crawford rainbow from 2010 Topps and Bowman right now. For some players I collect, like Willy Aybar for instance who doesn't have relic or autograph cards the printing plates are the ONLY premium card I can get. I hate em, but I still chase them, I just don't go crazy spending on them. Good luck on winning!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I consider the printing plates like a rare insert. I figure if it comes inside the pack, it's part of the set like any other insert. I pulled one myself out of a 2006 Heritage box I busted and bought 2 nobody players real cheap just so I could have some 1/1's. I haven't scored any Mets or Yankees because they get too expensive but I hope to get some someday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I kind of like them, and agree with BA Benny that they are like a rare insert. I grabbed a lesser known Met for cheap when I could, but probably won't ever be able to get my hands on any of my favorite players'. I'd like to though. I actually do like these better than a lot of the parallels out there even the Carolina Brights. In a sense these are not just different because of a serial number or a different back, but there really are only four of these made and they help make the rest of the cards.

    Then again, maybe I just like them because they are an "alternate" material card.

    ReplyDelete
  4. All three of you have made excellent points.

    Troll, I will have to agree with you on the Willy Aybar thing. One of the toughest parts of collecting (well, the only tough part) Dustin McGowan is that there are NO relics of him, and only a few inserts (Peak Performance, Career's Best, Future Attractions.)

    Lucky for me, he signs out of his mind and I've built a solid auto (on card and sticker) collection.

    Maybe I can be swayed by pulling one out of a pack, like Benny said or with the feel of the alternate material BrooklynMet mentions.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I actually consider them as industry-used cards which means more to card collectors than to hobby outsiders which helps explain why superfractors and red refractors generally sell better than their printing plate counterparts. That and often times the visual appeal just isn't there because they only hold one color in the printing process. That said, I think it's pretty cool to be able to own a printing plate of your favorite cards.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really like them, actually. No, they're not particularly valuable, and they're not 'true' 1/1s, but I like the concept. I don't think I'd spend more than $10 on one, though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like the printing plates better than the 1/1 parallels, even though they're not very pretty.

    I'd rather have the relic from the card manufacturing process than a "true 1/1" that's only different from the base card because of a serial number & a border or back change.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey I read your a Mcgowan fan I have a 2009 Topps Career Best Auto that I would love to trade to you any good Orioles cards you might have let me know thanks you can email me at crawfordjim41@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry Craw, that auto was the one that started my McGowan auto collection.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 2009 topps murad cyan plate 1of1 what's it worth

    ReplyDelete
  11. 2009 topps murad cyan plate 1of1 what's it worth

    ReplyDelete