The First (and Only) Auto That I've Ever Pulled In A Pack

As I mentioned in my previous posts (all two of them), I have never had great luck with packs of cards. Probably because I buy low end packs and cheap blaster boxes. Once in the mid-90s, I pulled a redemption card for a Collector's Choice Basketball Platinum 30-card Update set, which was cool because it had Magic Johnson in it. Odds were around 1:1000, so I was rightfully pretty pumped at the time.

Other collectors may find this hard to believe, but I have only pulled one, yes one, autographed card in a pack before. And it was in 1999. I have a decent-sized TTM collection - over 200 I'd say, and a few Autos I've bought on ebay. But this is the only one I've ever gotten in a pack. Here is the card I pulled:

Nothing special. A 1999 Upper Deck MVP Chris Gomez. I'm proud to say I still have the card. For a kid who only spent a few dollars on cards at Target, this was a sweet pull. Sure, it wasn't the sexiest name and I'd be luck if it fetched a buck on ebay, but it was cool to actually pull a signed card in a pack.

Now, autos are a lot more mainstream. Some are common. Some are super rare. But even if I never pull another auto from a pack, I'll still remember the drive home from Target when, sitting in my Mom's Chevy Suburban, I pulled my first autographed insert card.