What eBay Hath Wrought 96: Dickey Tier One Autograph

I snagged this nice-looking, low-numbered silver ink signature of R.A. Dickey from eBay for a pretty low price compared to what I figured it would go for. I like to put in low-ball bids on stuff like this from my favorite players, as every month or two something slips through the cracks and falls to me. Looking at the Sold listings on eBay, I got this one at the low end of the range for his 2014 Tier One autographs. Dickey's 2013 wasn't that great, especially coming off of the year he had in 2012, and so far his 2014 has been about the same, so prices on his cards seem a little soft. That's good for me, as it means I can get decent deals like this. This card is numbered # 05 / 10, and I think it looks pretty good with the black background, color accents, and silver signature. Dickey made sure to fill the whole signature panel with his name, so it isn't one of those tiny little signatures placed awkwardly in the corner of the box.

The back of the card acknowledges Dickey's struggles in 2013, but also makes note of a few of his highlights from the year. I think the team logo may have made more sense if placed up in the corner next to the player name and position or something, but who looks at the back of these hit cards anyway, right? I'm surprised that Topps took the time to even put a snippet back here. I'm happy they did, though.

The card arrived in a nice one-touch magnetic holder, which made me feel a little bit bad for the seller. I would imagine that if they have spent any time at all collecting cards they probably shouldn't have expected this card to go for over $20, but those magnetic cases cost a couple of bucks and once you account for shipping, a nice magnetic case, eBay and Paypal fees, and whatever they paid for the card there wasn't a whole lot left over from my bidding price. I like to think that it all evens out eventually. I know I've overpaid for my share of stuff on eBay at times, and I've lost money on things I've sold plenty, too, so the bargains that slip through are just the universe's way of maintaining balance.