In-person letdown

Have you ever had your eye on a card for a really long time, finally pulled the trigger, and were let down when you actually got the card?

For the past few years, I've seen this Tino Martinez 2002 Upper Deck Game-Worn Gems pants relic on eBay. It was never expensive (usually about $5 including shipping), but I just never pulled the trigger. I always envisioned the card to be super shiny and cool, with the designs really jumping off the card.

Unfortunately, the card arrived, and I couldn't believe how "flat" it looked. I'm not sure why, but I was expecting the card to be something like HoloGRFX. Something like this, with shiny graphics that give you a headache to look at:

I was disappointed. For years, I had thought this card was a lot better looking than it ended up being. To make matters worse, the card was listed as "mint/nearly new", but it was anything but. It had surface scratches, and the whole left side of the card was jagged...you know, like when someone pushes too hard forcing a card into a top loader.

I did actually complain to the seller about this and was refunded and told to keep the card.

A fitting end for a disappointing card.