I've been fortunate to have a local sport card legend living and working "right around the corner" from where I live. Mike Jaspersen is the owner of Jaspy's, a brick-and-mortar store in Hermosa Beach, CA which also has a very successful and popular breaking business, Jaspy's Case Breaks. Coincidently, they just broke a box of Panini Immaculate and landed a 1-of-1 Logoman of Lebron James a few days ago that has been making its way around news wires across the country as this likely is a 6-figure card. Mike runs a great business and just opened back up after having been closed for a while due to COVID. I was in there the other day and noticed an autographed card of himself that had been issued in the 2017 Allen and Ginter product. Mike explained that he had signed 10 of them and he talked briefly about the Topps representative stopping by for him to sign before moving on to other people in the area. I did not have an opportunity to ask why he was featured on the card, but I picked up a copy for myself and plan on swinging by here shortly to inquire. It does state on the back that he was the "A&G Las Vegas Party Winner", so excited to get more information on that. Mike has a very interesting history in the hobby and here is an interview from several years ago by Sports Collectors Digest.
Anyone else ever get to meet someone who was featured on a trading card besides an athlete?
He only signed ten cards... and you have one of them? That's awesome! I met Dan Aykroyd. Pretty sure they produced a Ghost Busters set. I feel like there might be some other television/entertainment celebrities that I've met... but I'm drawing a blank.
ReplyDeleteBy the way... happy four day weekend! Hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteHe has one and I have one so we have 20% of the market right now. Ha! Pretty cool on Dan Aykroyd!
DeleteThanks, you too! Need this 4-day break for sure! Happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteI was fortunate enough to be able to interact with a number of folks (non-athletes) who've been on cards over the years at my uncle's comic book shows way back when. The only bad thing is, I was very young at the time, and am in possession of a terrible memory, meaning that I can't remember like 99% of the people that I've met. I do remember Todd McFarlane though, he was a very approachable, and seemed genuinely surprised by the hundreds of people that came to get his autograph (this took place less than a year into the original Spawn run).
ReplyDeleteOh cool....the stories. Would love to work at a card store again someday!
DeleteNeat!
ReplyDeleteIf they have now expanded the field of people who appear on cards to include even card shop owners, this suggests the beginning of an exponential growth curve that within five years could result in all 7 billion people on the planet being featured as subjects on limited edition signed cards.
So while I don't think I've ever met someone who has been on a card, I expect that in the near future we all will have!
Ha, I am curious on the backstory here on how he got on the card. More to follow. Mike worked at Beckett as well as Topps and his father was very instrumental in growing the hobby so I expect that had a lot to do with it.
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