(LOT 5)
Remarkable 2009 Mike Trout Bowman/Topps Chrome Gold Refractor “Draft Prospects” Signed Rookie Card - #48/50 (BGS/Beckett Gem Mint 9.5 Card Grade w/a Pristine 10 Autograph)
For roughly fifteen years, Memory Lane has offered some of the finest vintage cards in the hobby. Our esteemed auctions have included T206 Wagners (with the #1 Lot in this auction portraying another T206 Wagner), 1916 Babe Ruth Rookie Cards, T206 Planks, Goudey Lajoie’s, an abundance of 1952 Topps Mantles, and even the ultra-rare 1914 Baltimore News Ruth. Over the past several years, the hobby’s delicate demographics have slightly changed with regard to the classification of “world-class” cardboard collectibles. While the aforementioned cards will forever be considered the “Mona Lisa’s” of our illustrious hobby, there is now an additional collecting “craze” with regard to pursuit of some of our National Pastime’s most recent limited edition cards. Rookie era cards for future Hall of Famers such as Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Jose Altuve, etc. have achieved an incredible popularity among both old and new enthusiasts, with the hopes that these limited issued cardboard treasures will escalate in value over the next decade. Justifying this notion is a recent sale of a 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani signed rookie card that realized an unfathomable $184,000 price tag! No doubt, the 21st century card market is hotter than ever, with one of its most revered cards now available for the taking, a breathtaking 2009 Mike Trout #48 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor “Draft Prospects” signed rookie marvel reflecting a pinnacle BGS Gem Mint 9.5 card grade and Pristine 10 autograph assessment! Considered by many as one of the “Holy Grails” of the “21st Century Card Market”, its “Gem Mint 9.5” assessment proudly stands tall as the finest of its kind. Indeed, no BGS “Pristine 10” card currently exists, with the renowned Bowman/Topps Chewing Gum Company only issuing 50 of these highly coveted Trout mementos.
It is no secret that California Angel’s superstar Mike Trout is on a steady path towards Cooperstown enshrinement. Often dubbed as the ‘Modern Mickey Mantle”. Therefore, it should come as little surprise that intelligent collectors are anticipating a continuous pricing escalation of Trout’s most popular cards, with none of them more coveted than this inaugural 2009 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor “Draft Prospects” gem reflecting the highest graded BGS 9.5 assessment and Pristine 10 Trout signature. Issued two years before Trout made his MLB with the Angels, clearly its technical attributes all support the supreme grade. One look at this immaculate-like offering and you feel as if it was just “pulled’ from a 2009 Bowman Chrome pack via its virtually perfect aesthetics. A richly hued Trout batting image, crystal clear clarity, blistering sharp corner tips, pristine surfaces and vivid registration all combine to justify the pinnacle assessment. In fact, Beckett’s detailed grading system substantiates that notion with its technical breakdown including a “9” Centering; 9.5 Edges; 9.5 Corners; and 9.5 Surface. The final exclamation point is the BGS “PRISTINE 10” autograph grade that has been neatly inscribed directly below Trout’s hallowed batting pose. Own it!!!!