At long last, a Jeter autograph is mine

As a Yankee collector, one of the biggest holes in my collection has been the lack of a Derek Jeter autograph.

I've never been fortunate enough to pull one from a pack. I've never had worthy enough trade bait to make a swap for one. I've never spent enough money on a card to buy one.

The closest I ever came was with a mail order catalogue as a kid. I had the option of buying a Ruben Rivera or Derek Jeter signed hat. I chose Ruben Rivera. At the time it was before either player made his debut, so it wasn't that ridiculous of a choice. But still, I certainly regret that. Then again, I have no idea where the Rivera hat is today, and maybe the Jeter had would have had the same fate.

This past fall, I had the fortune of winning my fantasy football league. My team wasn't particularly good, but I got lucky the last few weeks, and somehow came out on top. First prize in my league is $600, and I won another $75 through weekly high score bonuses. For an entry fee of $100, making $575 profit felt good.

Once I got to the championship, I told myself that if I won, I was going to finally buy a Jeter autograph. I watched nervously through the games on December 23, but when all was said and done, I came away victorious.

I started shopping and kept my eye on a few Jeters. I saw one over the summer I really wanted, but haven't seen it since, and I didn't want to wait around forever for it. I will say that I had a few rules while I was shopping:

1. On-card autograph was a must.
2. Nothing from pre-1996, as his signature looked a little different than it does now.
3. Unless it was a Donruss/Leaf Signature, nothing from the mid to late 90s, as many autographs have faded or have severely chipped sides.
4. Get it now before prices possibly sky rocket ahead of his HOF induction next year.
5. Budget of $275.

Eventually, after a few weeks of shopping, I finally made the purchase:

Beautiful!

There were a few reasons I decided to go with this.

1. Obviously, the autograph was on card.
2. It was a newer issue, and less likely to fade or have worn edges. Also eliminates the chances of a counterfeit.
3. I like this it featured what draft pick he was, as five teams famously passed on him.
4. It has a refractor-like shine, something I really like.
5. I got it for well below my budget, and negotiated the seller down quite a bit.

Outside of some autographs of the greats of the '50s and '60s, I really feel like my collection is a lot more whole than it was before. It's by far the most I've ever spent on a card, but I felt like I was playing with house money to begin with, and had plenty left over to put into my savings and pay a few bills.

All in all a big success, and now I officially own a Derek Jeter autograph!