Okay, let me tell you about this 2020 Topps Aaron Judge card. It wasn’t anything too crazy, just something I decided to track down a while back.
Getting Started
So, I remember it was sometime late in 2020, maybe early 2021. Things were weird then, you know? Anyway, I got back into collecting baseball cards a bit, just messing around mostly. I’ve always liked Aaron Judge, big guy, hits homers, seems like a decent dude. So, I figured I should probably have his base card from that year’s main Topps set. Nothing fancy, just the regular one.
Finding it wasn’t exactly rocket science. It’s a base card from a main set, so there are tons of them out there. I wasn’t looking for some super rare parallel or autograph, just the standard issue.
The Hunt
First, I checked the boxes I had already opened. I’d bought a few blaster boxes and maybe a hobby box of 2020 Topps Series 1 or 2, I forget which one exactly he was in. Spent an evening just sifting through stacks of cards I had piled up. You know how it is, you rip packs and then just sort of… leave the base cards in piles.
- Went through my commons box.
- Checked the semi-star piles.
- Looked in the binder where I sometimes put rookies or team sets.
No dice. Either I hadn’t pulled him, or I’d traded him away without thinking, or maybe he was just hiding really well. Happens sometimes.
Making the Move
So, plan B. I could have gone to a local card shop, but honestly, for a simple base card, it felt easier just to look online. Not for buying packs, just for singles. I found a seller who had a bunch of base cards from that set for cheap. Found the Judge card pretty quickly.
Added it to my cart. Didn’t cost much at all, maybe a buck or two plus a little for shipping. It felt kinda silly ordering just one base card, so I poked around and added a few other cheap cards I needed for team sets or player collections I was casually building. Filled up the cart just enough so the shipping felt worth it.
Card in Hand
A few days later, the little padded envelope arrived. Pulled out the cards. There it was, the 2020 Topps Aaron Judge. Just a standard photo, him in the pinstripes, maybe finishing a swing or just standing there, I’d have to look again. It wasn’t gem mint or anything, probably had a slightly soft corner, typical base card condition straight from a pack. But that was fine, exactly what I expected.
It wasn’t about value. It was just about having that specific card of a player I liked from that year’s set. Felt good to finally have it in hand, check it off the mental list.
So yeah, that’s the story. Nothing earth-shattering. Just went looking for a specific base card, couldn’t find it in my stash, bought it cheap online, and added it to the collection. Put it in a penny sleeve and then into one of those nine-pocket binder pages with the rest of the Yankees from that year. Done deal.
