Let me preface this by saying that I never have luck. Of any kind. None. I rarely pull anything worth anyone’s time, and up until this point, my biggest pull was maybe 100 dollars. To be honest, 100 dollars may be stretching it.

That changed today after a visit to Sports Cards Plus here in San Antonio, as I had some absolutely ridiculous luck. The kind of luck that you read about on message boards and you cant understand how its possible. Ill start from the beginning and let the pictures speak for themselves.

I had to pick up some supplies to send out some recent sales, and so I made the trek after work to the shop. Charlie, the owner, has become a frequent commenter on the site, and I like to support his terrific establishment with periodic trips to satisfy the itch to bust. The problem was that as of late, there has been little to nothing worth buying. I have bought a ton of Chrome this year, but true to my luck, pulled close to nothing, so that was out of the question. I was debating a purchase of a few SPX packs, but NCAA cards are not my bag. As I walked up I actually came to the realization that maybe I would just get my cases and leave to avoid spending money on something that I dont collect. Charlie has an incredible selection of wax, but usually limits pack purchases to boxes he already has open or newer products that can easily sell. Therefore, if the itch took hold, I would probably have to settle for a Panini product that I really dont like.

I saw a few fresh boxes of Certified on the back shelf, and Charlie offered to give me a great price on a few packs if I wanted them. I said I would think about it, and instead chatted it up with a customer who has definitely had some incredible luck buying stuff at the store. After hearing of all his amazing pulls, I knew I had to buy something. Because Certified is the newest stuff and would easily sell, I decided to buy a pack just to see how bad it really was. I had one of those Visa gift cards that I won in a sales contest at work, so I figured it wasnt a big deal if I didnt get anything. I pulled a pack out of the middle of the box and hoped for the best, not expecting what would come next.

Once the wrapper was off, I knew there was a patch card inside because it looked different than the decoys I was used to seeing in Panini packs. When I shuffled through the base cards in front, I saw it was CJ Spiller’s name on the back of the card.

“OOOH, pulled a patch!” were the first words out of my mouth. Then I saw the serial number and my heart stopped for a second. As I flipped it over, here is what greeted me:

Honestly, I hate this product so much that its only fitting that I would pull a card like this out of a single pack.Its up on eBay as we speak, feel free to make an offer. I want it gone so I can buy a nice single of something that I actually collect. Personally, Im glad it was at least someone marketable, as this rookie class is pretty weak. This easily could have been Mardy Gilyard, and though CJ is having a disappointing year, he is still a top pick with some potential to do well.

Shout epithets at me all you want for being a complete flip flopper on buying, but I think many of you will identify with that need to bust after hearing war stories from a seasoned box buster. Who knows, maybe ill finally get some money to buy that Peterson Exquisite I always wanted.