For as long as any baseball card collector can remember, retail boxes and packs have always been an option that doesn't present much chance to get mind-blowing pulls. That honor belongs to the hobby format where rare and exclusive bangers can be obtained easier than their retail counterparts. But while it's pretty hard to get that life-changing pull, it isn't impossible at all. Case in point, a fortunate hobbyist who found a very valuable One of One card of the Tampa Bay Ray's star Wander Franco in Walgreens.
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In a post shared by Slabstox, a 2022 Topps Series 1 Platinum One of One Wander Franco rookie card was pulled directly from a Walgreens retail pack by a collector who goes by jesusjunkies on Instagram. While there is no direct anecdote detailing the exact events, it can be surmised that this individual went up to his local Walgreens, purchased a pack of baseball cards, and found the potential hit of the year for the hobby featuring the Tampa Bay Rays' star.
To put things in context, scoring a One of One card featuring Franco, one of the most promising stars in the MLB today, from a retail pack is very, very hard. The sheer volume of cards produced by Topps for retail packs and boxes far outnumber those they offer in their Hobby products, which increases the odds of getting a massive baseball card, like the Franco pull that recently went viral.
Meanwhile, Slabstox discussed how massive this pull is and what this card means for the hobby. In their podcast, Aaron Nowak asked whether this insane Wander Franco rookie card can go beyond $100,000 or not. Lou Geneux, a guest of the podcast, said that this pull won't make it. For his part, Nowak's co-host, Nate Rodebaugh, believes that it will reach that mark.
“I think what you're looking at here is the opportunity to buy Juan Soto in 2018. And I think there's gonna be a few people out there that really want this card. That's gonna be enough to drive that price up and I think it might get over 200k,” Rodebaugh explained.
While it remains to be seen how much this Wander Franco card can go for in the market, there's no denying that the way it was pulled deserves praise. It isn't everyday a massive banger can be obtained from affordable retail packs like this one. In the end, this move just brings the fun back to baseball card collecting by ensuring hobbyists that there is a great reward out there, even in cheap products.
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