White. Whale.

2011-12 ITG Between The Pipes Dual Autographs - Jhonas Enroth/ Tom Barrasso (SP) /5

 Last week, I was getting some things at Tim Horton's of all places when I had some great hockey card fortune come my way. I usually don't go in there during the day, but I wanted to do something fun and surprise some coworkers of mine with some coffee. I don't drink the stuff, but everyone could use some to help them power through their workdays sometimes, and lending a helping hand always feels good. 

After receiving my giant order, I decided to sit at one of the nearby tables for a second before heading out the door to continue my day, but I decided on a whim to check eBay... And I'm sure glad I did.

Immediately at the top of the Newly Listed Enroth items was this 11-12 Between The Pipes dual autograph with Enroth and Barrasso. It. Was. On.

Before even taking a closer look at the picture or lookiing at the Item description (I just quickly eyeballed it) I had already bought the card and was logging in to pay for it, that's how fast I mashed the Buy It Now button. At this point, who knows what I was buying haha. The listing could have been for one of those hilarious magnets with a card printed over it or a stock image used for a group break or something, but to me it didn't matter. I saw this card listed on eBay and I'm not letting this one go for another second. 

After confirming the payment and all that jazz, I went back to the listing to get a closer look at what I was buying. Honestly, I couldn't believe this dual autographed card was coming home. This card was burning a hole in my want list for some time now, being one of just two non-1/1 Enroth cards I needed from the 2011-12 year in my collection. With all of the Barrasso collectors out there in the hobby world, I just knew I'd have to pay up for this dual autograph (considering what kind of card it is) once it surfaced, but I'm happy to have crossed this one off the want list once and for all. 

After the disappointment that was a few weeks ago (Losing out on a 1/1), the timing couldn't have been any better to land this 'white whale' of a card that was released way back in 2011 and that I have only seen a single picture of to date. When it comes to my collection, non-1/1's do take priority over 1/1's, as those cards, while uber-nice, are widely considered bonus cards among player collectors like myself, so it was a fantastic feeling crossing off a pre-2014 Enroth card off the list. Those cards from that time period are becoming harder and harder to locate.

This card is unnumbered, but only 5 copies exist. I know where two are located and they are both deep inside two Barasso collectors' collections and will never see the light of day. I have heard of a 3rd copy selling a long time ago that another Barrasso collector let me know about. I have no idea where it ended up (I can only assume another Barrasso PC), but it was beginning to look like the market would be forever cornered on this dual autograph card, but luckily for me timing was on my side and I was able to hit the BIN (Buy It Now) buttom fast enough. 

white whale delivered to my collection after all these years!

So next time you're at a Tim Horton's, please check eBay in the process. Who knows, you might end up leaving with more than a coffee or two. :)

Happy Collecting,

- Crease