1954-55 Parkhurst Harry Howell - Auto

When it comes to card buying, I have a few simple rules that I try to follow to help ensure I get the best bang for my buck, so I don't get scammed and so I can maximize my enjoyment. Well this post and the next post are examples of when I throw all those rules out the window and still have as much or more fun than following my silly rules.

Harry Howell is a Hall of Fame defenseman who played for the New York Rangers, Oakland Seals, Los Angeles Kings and a few other pro teams. He won the Norris Trophy as top defenseman in 1967 and won his first and only Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1990 as a scout. Harry wasn't an offensive defensemen and his 94 career goals in 1411 games tell you so. But he was a smart and reliable player who made a career of shutting down the other team's top guys.

This card popped up on eBay as a "buy it now". I almost never do these because usually the asking price is a little silly and even when it isn't silly, I try and negotiate a slightly lower price. However, this was priced to move and I know this because it had only been posted for a few hours and I was salivating at the price it was listed at. This is his second year card and if you look at the condition, there are two bad corners and a slight crease on the upper right of the card. The surface, apart from the slight crease is flawless. This card's surface almost looks like it came out of the pack yesterday. The crease on the front doesn't appear on the back which I must tell you is flawless.

1954-55 Parkhurst Harry Howell #70 BV$50

There is one other flaw on this card and that is someone wrote on it. At first glance it certainly doesn't look like Harry Howell was the culprit. I have never bought an autograph on-line that was not an insert from a card manufacturer. However, something about this auto make me think it was legit. So I immediately did a quick search and sure enough I came across this:

                                 
This gave me the confidence to believe the auto was indeed legit and there are no incorrect starts and stops in my auto.

So, I did the buy it now and even bought a second card from the seller and he was kind enough to save me money on shipping (yes I know I am cheap). When the card arrived, what I thought might be too good to be true, turned out to be the real McCoy in my opinion. I was so glad I took a chance. This card is easily worth 5 times what I paid for it to me, and if it came graded I am sure I would have paid it no questions asked.

I think the only question left is would I break all my rules again, and for now I am going to say no. I think that if it is too good to be true on eBay it most certainly is! But the seller (his name is Ralph) was more than fair with his prices and was just pricing his IP autos (both he and his father accumulated over the years) to move fast and I am glad I found it before someone else did!