Most Wanted

I'm pretty sure that I have about 99% of all non-numbered, non-autographed Ryne Sandberg cards. Base cards. Various inserts. Oddballs. Very very rarely do I come across something I don't have so that leaves the numbered and autographed cards that I will occasionally splurge on. Or at least ponder.

What do these two cards have in common? Aside from being both numbered and autographed Ryne Sandberg cards? 

Ryne Sandberg Leaf Certified Material #25/25

Back showing numbered to 25

Ryne Sandberg Marks of Greats #49/50

I picked them up in the last couple of years for a combined total that is less than a 1991 Donruss card that has been on my Most Wanted List for over 20 years.

1991 Donruss Elite Signature Series (picture from ebay)

Back with blurb and numbered to 5000 (picture from ebay)

   

The card above baffles me. This was produced during my prime as a card collecting kid. I don't even want to know how much 1991 Donruss I opened back in the day trying to pull one myself. Forget back in the day. Twice in the last couple of years or so I picked up a wax box of the stuff at a card show for less than $10 each.

Nothing but buyer's remorse.

There were 5000 of them made, so not too rare, right? Not by today's standards anyway. In addition to the two cards I showed at the beginning, I have more than 2 dozen Ryne Sandberg autographed cards, most of which are numbered to much lower numbers than 5000. Those first 2 cards have a production run of 0.5% and 1% of the card from 1991. So, in theory, I should have paid 200x and 100x the amount of the Elite card for those? I have overpaid for my share of cards but they are usually much more scarce. The supply and demand does not work out for me.

There aren't any currently individually listed on ebay although someone is selling a set of 1991 Elite with the Nolan Ryan and Sandberg autographs. And about a half dozen have ended in the last month ranging from about $109 to $225.

Call me crazy but for something sitting at the top of my list, I just can't pull the trigger on one. With the amount of 1991 Donruss I've opened looking for one, I probably should just pony up though.