2011 Topps Finest Mike Trout Orange Autograph

I rarely buy into the value of high end rookie cards.  I collected Albert Pujols cards for more than 10 years and I have yet to add a 2001 Topps Finest or SPX auto to my collection.  Why?  Both cards used to easily sell north of a thousand dollars.  Currently they actively trade around 300-500 depending on the condition of the signature.  The 2001 Finest autos have aged poorly.  However, I have always maintained that if I backed into one cheaply I would trade for it or buy it.

I have also seen much more value in making sure that my high end additions to my collections are established players whose value has clearly had time to settle in the hobby.  For example, my two biggest additions to this point this year have been a Koufax and Mays autograph.  Value has clearly been established in both cases.

Which leads me to my card today.  I recently had a friend who owns a shop call me desperate to find a card.  He offered to buy it, which I didn't feel like selling.  So, I asked if he had anything good.  This was my answer:

2011 Topps Finest Mike Trout Orange Autograph

There really wasn't much else to choose from and I didn't want to puzzle together 10 cards to equal one high end card.  So, here I am drinking the Mike Trout Kool-Aid.  I saw him earlier this year at a Tigers game and was really impressed, so hopefully I won't kick myself in a few years.