So I decided today I’d finally hunt down those missing NFL cards from my Panini Select 2023 collection. Been bugging me for weeks seeing those empty spots in the binder. Here’s how that whole adventure went down, step by messy step.
Where It All Started
Looked at my checklist on the Panini website – printed the dang thing out. Marked all the ones I was missing with a big red pen. Mostly some lower-numbered rookie cards and parallels. Okay, easy, right? Just gotta find ’em. Yeah, no.
First Mistake: Checking Big Stores
Thought, “Hey, maybe those big hobby shops downtown have ’em.” Drove to three different places. Felt like an idiot walking in each time. Clerk just shook their head like I was asking for unicorn dust. “2023 Select? Man, that’s old news. We only got the newest stuff here.” Left empty-handed every single time. Total waste of an afternoon.
Panic Sets In Online
Fine, fine. Went home fired up my computer. Searched everywhere. You know those big auction places? Looked there first. Saw a few I needed… until I saw the prices. Nearly choked. People asking crazy money for base cards! Parallels were even worse. Couldn’t believe it. This hobby sometimes, I swear.
- Looked at Card Forums: Signed up for a couple big trading boards. Posted my “want list.” Got maybe two replies out of fifty. One guy wanted double value in trade. The other ghosted me after I replied. Waste of time.
- Tried Social Groups: Joined some NFL card collector groups. Posted the same list. Got totally buried. Hundreds of posts about the newest release. Nobody cared about older stuff. Felt invisible.
The Turning Point: Local Card Shows
Almost gave up. Then I remembered – small card shows! Found a schedule online. Hauled myself out of bed super early next Saturday. Packed my trade box, grabbed cash, hoped for the best.
Place was packed. Noise, people everywhere. Took an hour just to walk the whole thing. Asked every single dealer with football cards about Panini Select 2023. Most just waved me off. “Nope,” “Sold out,” “Too old.” My mood was sinking fast.
Finally, A Break!
Literally at the very last table in the back corner. Old dude with messy bins. Asked him about the Select rookies I needed. He grunted, shuffled through a box labeled “NFL RCs” – stuff looked old. Pulled out three cards straight off my list! No parallels, but rookies I actually needed! Prices weren’t robbery either. Felt like winning the lottery. Snatched them up so fast.
Mission… Half Accomplished?
Still missing stuff, obviously. The harder parallels are out there, probably costing a fortune. But getting those rookies at that show? Huge relief.
So what did I really learn?
- Big stores are useless for anything not brand-spankin’ new.
- Online places nickle-and-dime you to death.
- Finding anything specific online is like shouting into a void.
- The real deals, especially for missing cards from a set not fresh off the press? You gotta hunt dirty. You gotta hit the local shows. Dig through the bins. Talk to the grumpy old dudes at the back tables. Bring cash. Lower your expectations a ton. And hope you get lucky.
It’s a frustrating, sometimes dumb, but honestly kind of satisfying hunt. Still a few holes in the binder, but hey, that’s the hobby, right? Keeps me driving back to those darn shows next month. What a bunch of crap. But… here we are.
