I got my Stadium Club Beam Team Claudio Vargas card today. The card cost $1.30 on eBay, for the curious folks who are still wondering if those $20 Stadium Club hobby packs are worth gambling on.
I wanted this card because it is likely to be the only one that will ever picture Vargas as a Met, but I wasn’t very impressed by the scans I’d seen online.
These Beam Team cards are beautiful to see in person. I didn’t realize that they are printed on clear plastic — you really do get the stained glass effect they were going for.
I know a lot of folks don’t like sticker autographs, but they are integrated nicely with the design. (I’m also sure that Vargas would never have gotten a Mets card if Topps didn’t have a bunch of signed stickers to use up.)
I think this is the one case where a sticker autograph is the only option. How would an on-card autograph look on that stained-glass design? It’d probably take you 10 minutes to find the auto.
By: night owl on November 29, 2008
at 9:39 pm
Thanks for the great scan and notes on what the card is made of. That is a sweeeeet design. However, like you, I think it’s not worth gambling on $20-$25 packs when all you really want is something like a Claudio Vargas autograph. (And you’d be the one person who wouldn’t complain about getting a Vargas autograph.)
…and thanks for giving me the reminder to look up the Stadium Club checklist. Wow, all those rookies with tiny tiny service time in the set and Mark DiFelice still doesn’t get a card?
By: morineko on November 30, 2008
at 2:47 am
There actually was a bit more demand for those Vargas Beam Team cards than you’d think. It took me this long to get one because I was trying to win one for $5 or less shipped.
I love the card, but it is Claudio Vargas that we’re talking about here.
I’m with you on Mark DiFelice, by the way. I was disappointed that he and R.J. Swindle (Philadelphia Phillies and Newark Bears alumni) missed out on getting Major League cards. This is why we needed another ‘52 Rookies set instead of Heritage High Numbers.
By: Paul on November 30, 2008
at 11:32 am
I agree with Night Owl that this may be one of the few instances in card history where a sticker auto actually looks good.
By: Patricia on December 1, 2008
at 12:59 am
[...] not sure what the designer at Upper Deck was thinking about when this design was pitched. Like the 2008 Stadium Club Beam Team cards, these are printed on clear plastic. Unlike the Beam Team cards — which look extremely [...]
By: Autograph of the Day: 2006 Upper Deck Clear Path To Greatness Rich Hill « Paul’s Random Stuff on December 2, 2008
at 7:52 pm