I had a rather lofty goal of collecting 4,000 unique Rolen cards by the end of this year. While I did fall short of that goal, I have most certainly had a great run of adding new cards to the collection this year! Hitting that 4,000th unique card should happen at some point in 2025, but before we get there, check out what I was able to pick up this month:
2005 Donruss Diamond Kings - Framed Green #210, SN50. Any time I can add another card produced in 2005 to The Rolen Collection, it's a good month! There were so many different parallels produced back then. With this one in particular, I thought I already had it. As it turns out, what I actually had (have) is an error version of this card. The foil on the front of these Framed Green parallels should be green (like this one.) The copy that was already in my collection has blue foil on the logo on the front of the card. I'm going to do some more digging for error "variations" for these cards. I'm wondering if it has something to do with where the card falls in the serial numbering sequence. If you have any information on errors in this set, please reach out!
2023 Leaf Trinity - Steel Stars and Dots Silver #S-68. Even though there are no team logos or names present on this card, I don't really mind it too much. The overall quality of the card is there and the foil they used for these really sparkles in-hand. With all the different parallels of these, and some of them being serial numberd really low, it'll likely take me quite some time to collect them all. But I'll enjoy adding them to the collection as they surface for sale.
2023 Panini Immaculate Pink #147, SN9. I'm a big fan of the powder blue Cardinals uniforms, so the picture Panini used for this one is pretty solid. The angle of the photo could have been a little better, but I'm guessing they chose this one due to it hiding the team logo on the front of his jersey for the most part. The foil used on the front of these cards is what identifies them as a parallel - with this one being the pink parallel.
2024 Leaf Metal Hockey Legends
I added several of these to the collection last month and I was able to get these for a really good price this month. I'm not sure exactly how many different foil variations there are for these, but if I can continue grabbing them as inexpensively as I have been, I'll continue picking them up. I am a big fan of the shiny foil after all!
2024 Topps Allen & Ginter - Mini Blue Framed Autograph #MA-SR, SN50. I was really excited to see Rolen in the A&G checklist again this year and I was able to pick up the base version of this card last month. I actually purchased this one last month, but it arrived this month. The different colored frame used on these Blue parallels really elevates the overall eye appeal of the card. I was able to get the mini card lined up inside of the frame just right for this scan too, which is sometimes an issue with these cards.
2007 Upper Deck Elements - Printing Plates Cyan #79, SN1. As you may be well aware, I don't really chase printing plates. When I saw this one surface for sale on ebay, it had the "best offer" feature turned on. I sent the seller an offer and they accepted it! That was all last month. When I realized that I still hadn't received this one in the mail, I checked the tracking on it and the tracking indicated that my package was "intercepted." Not knowing what that meant, I reached out to the USPS and they told me that they had it at my local branch and there was postage due on it. I paid the postage due, received my package, and reached out to the seller on ebay. They were great to communicate with and immediately refunded me the money I had to pay for additional shipping charges. I might have to start picking up more printing plates for the collection if I can get them cheap enough!
1998 Leaf Rookies & Stars - Longevity #160 PT, SN50, PR49. One of my hobby friends, Hans, reached out to me on Instagram one night and sent me a link to this card on ebay. The seller had it listed with a buy it now price, but also had the best offer feature turned on. I shot the seller an offer and they quickly accepted and this rare card was on its way to my collection! This card is from the crazy era of serial numbering. For these cards, the first card in the print run featured a holofoil front (as opposed to the flat foil like this one). Which means, even though this card is serial numbered to 50 copies, there are actually only 49 like this one and the first one is in essence a 1/1 card. I love picking up early cards like this one and it seems the cards I still need from 1998 are getting tougher and tougher to find.
2000 Finest - Gold Refractors #171. MOST WANTED CARD - FOUND! I have been looking for a copy of this card for quite some time. Ever since missing out on one in an auction several years ago, I have been looking to correct that mistake. This one surfaced on ebay this month with a strong buy it now option. And once again, this seller had the best offer feature turned on. I quickly sent the seller and offer, and after some quick back and forth negotiation, this card was mine! Truth be told, I was prepared to pay the seller's original asking price. But since they had the best offer feature on, the cheapskate in me figured that I would try to save some money to see where the seller was. Luckily the seller was quick to respond and things worked out in my favor this time. If this was the only card I added to my collection this month, I would have been completely satisfied with that. That is how much I have been wanting this card!
2024 Topps Archives Signature Series Retired Player Edition - 2002 Topps Gallery #144, SN5. Another month, another Topps Archives Signature Series card! Even though the signature is tough to see on this card, I couldn't pass it up since I got it for less than the cost of lunch. Although these aren't as good for autographs as say, an Allen & Ginter card, I still love the Topps Gallery cards. It's a melding of sports, photography, and art for which I just have a strong appreciation.
2024 Topps Gilded Collection - Topps Gallery of Gold Autographs #GOG-SR, SN50. I was really excited when I saw that Rolen was on this year's Gilded Collection checklist. He's on the checklist, not once, but twice! Which means even more cards to collect. I thoroughly enjoy the high quality feel of these cards. I wasn't super excited about the photo they used for this card at first, but it's growing on me. And you already know that I love the on-card signature! This particular copy is serial numbered to 50, which is the most common version of the card. Even though it's the most common, it would still be an expensive pull. These are inserted at a rate of 1:8 packs/boxes and at a cost of $700 - $900+ per box, it would be a rather expensive venture to attempt to pull one of these myself. I'll just stick to buying singles that I want for far less money!
2024 Topps Allen & Ginter - Mini Black Framed Autograph #MA-SR, SN25. You saw the base version last month, and the Blue numbered to 50 just above this one...here is the Black Framed version serial numbered to just 25 copies! I was a little worried about this card after I bought it. It got caught up in the US postal system for quite some time and ended up touring the country before it arrived. Much like the blue frame above, I really like the black frame on this one. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the tobacco sized cards. But this tobacco sized card, framed up to the standard size, really makes these cards pop!
2024 Topps Finest - Finest Moments Autographs Gold Refractors #FMA-SR, SN50. Patience paid off for me with this card. I nearly purchased one right after they started surfacing on ebay, but I held off. I was able to pick up this copy for a fraction of the price of that first one. The scan here doesn't do this card justice - the gold refractor really shines in-hand! And of course, you know I thoroughly enjoy that on-card autograph of Rolen's! While the picture used for these cards isn't as exciting as him making one of his Gold Glove defensive plays, I do like what the picture captures! I think a Hall of Fame induction would most certainly be the crowning achievement of anyone who has played in the MLB!
2024 Topps Five Star - Golden Graphs Green #GG-SR, SN15. Much like the card above, I practiced great patience when going after this card. I knew I had to act with some sense of urgency though as these Green parallels are just numbered to 15 copies. Even though Scott isn't featured as a Cardinal on this card, I do enjoy the small photo they used of him. As if he's admiring a ball about to soar across the left field fence just before he trots across all the bases.
2024 Panini Impeccable - Impeccable Lumber Signatures Holo Gold #ILS-SR, SN10. This is a beautifully done card. The surface of the front of the card is very reminiscent of old Diamond Kings cards and has kind of a canvas texture to it. While the photo they used for this one doesn't completely obscure the fact that they can't use team logos, it does look great on the card. And I certainly appreciate the fact that they chose a picture of Rolen swinging the bat for a card called "Lumber Signatures". Speaking of signatures, this is another beautiful example of an on-card autograph from Rolen. The holo gold foil on the front of this one elevates the overall eye appeal to the next level for me as well.
2024 Topps Gilded Collection - Topps Gallery of Gold Autographs Emerald #GOG-SR, SN25. You saw the "base" version of this one just above. Here is the Emerald parallel. Like I said before, I'll stick to picking up singles from this release to save myself a lot of time, money, and headaches. I like how the emerald part of this card behind Rolen kind of reminds me of a baseball field. I feel like the green and gold combination on this card makes it a great looking card.
2024 Panini Prizm #40. Panini has gone and done it again. Rolen was added to the checklist for this year's Prizm release and as such, has a ton of different parallels to chase. There are 29 different parallels of this one. But this one here, the base, is still a solid looking card. A great picture of Scott swinging the bat (obscuring the lack of team logos). And as most collectors of ultra modern cards knows, the parallels of these cards always come with the razzle dazzle. I'll see just how many of them I'll be able to pick up over the next couple of months. Below are the parallels I've added to the collection this month:
Silver Prizm
Ruby Wave Prizm
2024 Leaf Metal St. Patrick's Day Exclusive - St. Paddy's Day Autograph Prismatic Rainbow #SPA-SR1, SN3. I initially passed on the cards from this release when I saw them pop up on ebay. Leaf released these cards in an incredibly limited quantity. They were available online only on the Leaf website and they were multi-sport boxes. Each box only contains two autographed cards serial numbered to three or less. A quick ebay search shows that there are some boxes of this still available on the secondary market, but they're around $350 each. That's far too expensive for me, so this may very well be the only Rolen card I pick up for my collection. The card itself is super kitschy with it's St. Paddy's Day theme. It does have a little of that 90s flavor though with all of the colors!
2024 Panini Impeccable - Impeccable Lumber Signatures Holo Silver #ILS-SR, SN25. Much like the holo gold parallel I posted above this one, I really like this card! The holo silver foil used on this one is kind of hard to see in this flat scan, but trust me, it's there - and it shines! Again, the on-card autograph on these cards is a really welcomed addition. And I like how they wrote about Rolen's exceptional 2004 year with the St. Louis Cardinals on the back of these cards.
2023 Panini Flawless - Momentous Autographs Sapphire #MA-SR, SN15. Another beautifully done card by Panini with this sapphire Momentous autograph! I was able to pick this card up this month for next to nothing. Especially when considering the card is autographed on-card by a Hall of Famer! There are six different parallels of this card with this one only being the second one in my collection. But that's becuase they are all serial numbered to 25 or less. People are still asking quite a bit for these cards, and you all know by now that I'm sort of a cheapskate when it comes to cards. So as they become available for a good price, I'll add them to the collection.
2024 Topps Gilded Collection - Gold Framed Hall of Famers Autographs #HAFA-SR, SN99. If this photo looks familiar to you, it's because Topps used it on their Allen & Ginter mini framed autographed cards this year as well. Recycling photos aside, I think this is a great looking card. Of course, with a release like Gilded, it has an on-card auto. And the golden frame is a really nice touch. The one thing I wish they would have done though - used a different photo. Since this is the "Gold Framed Hall of Famers" autograph card, it would have been nice to see Rolen in his Cardinals uniform. But that's just one small nitpick. I love almost everything else about this card. The placement of the serial number seems kind of like a misaligned afterthought. But everything else...beautiful!
2024 Panini Impeccable - Impeccable Lumber Signatures #ILS-SR, SN35. Since I was able to quickly pick up the holo gold and holo silver parallels of this card, I figured now would be a great time to add the "base" version of this one as well. There isn't anything overly flashy about this version, but it is still a solid card with a nice on-card auto. I fully believe the unlicensed nature of this card saved me some money on adding another autograph of my favorite Hall of Famer!
2024 Topps Pristine - Pristine Pieces Autograph Relic Orange Refractors #PPAR-SR, SN25. Like a lot of refractor cards, this card looks so much better in-hand! I absolutely love the Pristine releases year after year. Patience certainly paid off with this one too since I decided to wait out the high prices these were tagged with upon release. Now I just need to track down the red and the superfractor. If I can do that, I would have two complete rainbows from Pristine. Come to think of it, I'm also missing the red and the superfractor from last year's release. I would really like to add all of those to my collection!
2024 Leaf Press Pass Premium - Retro Base Reflector Prismatic Blue #RB-83, SN20. It really is unfortunate that the licensing for baseball cards is cornered. There are some great unlicensed cards being produced these days. And this Press Pass Premium is no exception. They know how to make cards. I love the picture they used for these cards. It's a classic Rolen, charging a ball, pure grit showing all over his face! This particular card is the blue parallel and, like most cards released by Leaf, there aren't many of them made with this one being limited and serial numbered to just 20 copies.
2023 Panini Flawless - Signature Prime Materials Ruby #SPM-SR, SN20. Another unlicensed card that still looks pretty incredible! This Ruby parallel is limited and serial numbered to 20 copies. And look at that patch! Now, if I was being nitpicky, I would much rather have a patch from that powder blue jersey that Rolen is wearing in the photograph. But, it's still a solid patch piece and not just a plain white napkin swatch. And, as I've pointed out before, the autograph is on-card!
2024 Topps Allen & Ginter X - Mini Black Framed Autograph #MA-SR, SN25. Topps has another winner on their hands with the release of Allen & Ginter X. These were once again offered as an online exclusive with autographs falling one per box. This autograph is absolutely stunning! The silver Sharpie against the black card stock looks amazing. The autograph is a bit small, but such is the nature of having it on a tobacco sized card. The purple and grey frame they used for these separates it quite a bit from the regular Allen & Ginter versions of this card. I hope, if they put Rolen in the checklist next year, they feature him as a Cardinal.
2024 Panini Prizm - Hall Heroes Autographs Prizms #6. Typical of these Prizm cards is the shine that just isn't captured well in these flat scans. This card really shines in person! The photo they used for this card of Rolen jacking a ball is a pretty solid picture. You almost don't even notice the lack of team logos here. I also like the little blurb on the back of the card that ties into the theme of this card: the Hall of Fame.
2024 Panini Prizm - Hall Heroes Autographs Blue Shimmer Prizms FOTL #6, SN8. I liked the card above this one so much that I had to pick up this Blue Shimmer parallel when I saw it pop up for sale. This particular parallel comes only from First Off The Line boxes, which makes it unique insofar as it isn't available in regular hobby boxes or retail blasters. And the card is extremely limited and serial numbered to just eight copies!
2024 Topps Allen & Ginter - Autographed Relic Book Card #ARBC-SR, SN10
This is the first booklet card in my collection. I'm not a huge fan of oversized cards because they don't fit neatly in my storage solution (BCW card bins). But when I saw this card, I knew I wanted one in my collection! They're serial numbered to just 10 copies, and I know of at least 10 collectors who wanted this card. So I knew I'd have to strike soon.
This one popped up on ebay with a buy it now with the best offer turned on. I shot the seller an offer and they quickly countered. I didn't want to tempt fate too much and miss out on this card, so I accepted their counter offer. Sure, the signature is on a sticker. And the game used bat piece may not even be from a bat that Scott used. But it looks great and has some wonderful eye appeal that will keep me looking at it for years to come!
This card is going to push me outside of my norm. Typically, when I get a card, I scan it, add it to this website, and then put it away in the card bins. This one though, I ordered this magnetic one-touch for it. Now that I have the card and the one-touch, this card is proudly displayed on my desk for everyone to see and enjoy.
That's it for this month, and for the year! I ended the year with 3,904 unique Rolen cards in the collection! Looking back on all of the new additions to the collection, I can safely say that I'm quite happy with how this year has unfolded. Looking forward to 2025, I don't think I'm going to create any hobby goals or anything like that. I will just continue focusing on collecting what I like. I'd love to add some more rare 90s greatness and continue to pick up the newer stuff that companies seem to keep making. Here's to the new year, new friends, new cards, and maintaining our youthful exuberance in the hobby!
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