2021 Year in Review-Best Pulls

 I'll preface this post by saying this is strictly related only to autographs I pulled from sealed products I bought throughout 2021.  I'm not counting any non autographed cards.  I don't usually buy a whole bunch of sealed product, so my list won't be as grandiose as some others you might see in the hobby.  Most of my autograph collection (at least the more recent additions) comes from doing through the mail requests or by going through signings.  That being said, it's always fun to look back at some what I pulled.  I'll list these in reverse order of what I believe are my top 5.  You can click the name to see the original post.

#5. Bayron Lora

I was debating between this card and Luis Garcia (numbered to 499) but went with the Lora card, since I still think the long term upside is higher with this.  It's his 1st Bowman auto and was pulled from an expensive Bowman Chrome box.  We will see how this pans out long term but for now I think it slides into my fifth spot.  The cost of the box it came out of kept this hit from being higher up my list.  Ungraded versions of this card are selling around $100 and graded 10's for a few hundred dollars.  

#4. Dylan Carlson

I liked this card because it came out of some sealed product I bought off of Target.com, so it was cheaper than the Lora card.  Even though he did not have a great year, Carlson was solid as a rookie and still appears to have a bright future.  This was an on card auto from the "Scorching Signatures" inserts of 2021 Topps Fire.  It's also numbered 120/199.  I'll be keeping an eye on Carlson's progress in the future to see if the card gains in value.  Currently it's ranging between $60-$100.

#3. Luke Kuechly

This was a fun card to open, as I found it in some retail mega boxes of 2020 Panini Chronicles Football.  This was the first box on the list in which an autograph was not a guaranteed hit, which moves this up my list.  I will always have an affinity for Hall of Famers over other players, and Kuechly is a slam dunk future Hall inductee.  The value is easily the lowest on my list ($15-$20 currently) but I like that it's also numbered to 99.  To me, it was a cool hit despite the lack of monetary value.

#2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

In terms of finding a great card at a low cost, this card ends up in second place in both regards.  I recommend clicking the link on his name because the story behind getting this pull was fun.  I waited around Target during the height of the scalpers getting product, ended up settling for three $20 Topps Heritage blasters, and ended up pulling one of the best young players in the game.  I was ecstatic to have pulled a Vlad, and later on ended up adding his dad on a rookie card via a private signing.   The Jr. card is sitting between $120-$150 currently. 

#1. Julio Rodriguez

Even though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the better player, the best pulled card for me this year was kind of a no brainer.  This card came out of the cheapest pack of cards I pulled all year, on a whim, on a supply restocking trip to Walmart in the middle of New Mexico during our family's road trip.  My son and I saw two value packs of 2021 Bowman sitting on a shelf, the last remaining product the store had, and bought both for $10 a piece.  When we got back to the hotel, I was stoked to find this card.  It's not a first bowman, but it's a green prospect auto numbered to 99.  This card is valued around $200 but has the potential to sky rocket if Rodriguez hits his immense ceiling.