Bert & Ernie invade the PTR

I thought about doing a whole Jim Henson update trying to find other characters whose nicknames reminded me of Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle characters, but the truth is I'm just impatient and couldn't wait to show off another HOF certified auto of a former Pirate.

Bert Blyleven 2004 Topps Buyback Certified Auto 1980 Topps 1/12

I have been after a certified auto of Rick al"Bert" Blyleven for several years.  I know that there was a Upper Deck Timeless Teams card put out that featured Bert in a Buccos uni, but I am never fortunate enough to win them when they pop up a couple times a year.  They normally go for close to $50 and are sticker autos.  When I saw this Topps buyback ON CARD AUTO pop up on ebay I thought long and hard about the asking price.  The seller had it listed for $80 or best offer.  I took a gamble and submitted a best offer of $42 thinking that he would most likely reply with a counteroffer that I would have 48 hours to make a decision about.

Fortunately he accepted my best offer.  Once I saw that I won I was relieved.  The fact that it's already encased AND is numbered 1/12 makes it even better.

I can now cross off owning this former Pirate and HOFer off my bucket list of players I want certified autos of.  There's still plenty more that remain, but I'm getting there.

While looking over some other auctions I came across this vintage 1949 Bowman Ernie "Tiny" Bonham.  While my main collection is Topps, I will never turn my head away from vintage Bowman that can be won for $6.

So now that Bert & Ernie are added to the Treasure Room, I have to find some more Henson characters' cards so that this post can be revisited again and again.  It's a shame that Grover Alexander never made it to the Steel City during his playing career.