In an effort to gain momentum and show a bit of reader appreciation heading into the autumn months, the folks here at Think Blue Planning Committee decided it would be a great time to conduct our third official giveaway—another set of two Clayton Kershaw Bowman rookie cards.
For those of you who don’t remember or are new to our blog, our initial giveaway last summer was highly successful when one lucky reader—@mash831—scored herself a Majestic Corey Seager replica home jersey. Later during the winter months we gave away the first set of cards in our second contest, when @4Ev3rblue walked away as the winner. This time around, we decided to award another reader a duplicate set of the most valuable rookie cards of one of the greatest arms in the team’s history.
The first card in the two-card rookie set is the 2007 Bowman USA Rookie #BDPP77. It’s the third mainstream card of the three-time Cy Young Award winner to ever hit the presses. While there doesn’t seem to be any shortages of this card, it still remains popular with collectors and dealers alike. These cards are generally perfect for grading, having been centered nicely with exceptionally sharp corners. The picture on the face of the card depicts Kersh on the bump for USA Baseball’s Junior National Team in the 2006 Pan Am Championship. In mint condition, this card ordinarily retails somewhere around the $15.00 range.
The second card is the 2008 Bowman Rookie #BDP26. It’s one of the first commonly recognized rookie cards for CK, appearing in circulation during his first year of major league service. The photo on the front of the card shows Kershaw in uniform for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers, just before he was promoted to Great Lakes in 2007. In mint condition, this card is valued in the $20.00 vicinity, while some of these cards are actually selling for $75.00 – $100.00 graded in Gem MT 10 condition.
Once considered a lucrative investment many years ago, baseball cards overall have become a not-so-valuable form of collecting in today’s antiquing arenas. While there are plenty of stories about fans who bought baseball card sets in the late 80s and early 90s who can’t get pennies on the dollar today, many of the Kershaw cards, including this pair in particular, continue to increase exponentially on an annual basis.
Even if you’re not into baseball cards or collectibles, this little set always makes the ideal gift for the avid Dodgers fan. They are perfect to pass along to children or to even simply place in a safety box while letting their value increase with each passing season.
In order to enter our giveaway, we ask that you retweet this article and follow @thinkbluepc, @DodgersAndyInPA and @SarahManinger on Twitter. Or, if Twitter isn’t your cup of tea, simply like our page on Facebook and share this article to your timeline. If you decide to meet both the Twitter and Facebook criteria, you will be entered three times, tripling your chances to win the cards. One lucky reader will be chosen at random during Friday evening’s game against the Washington Nationals.
All of us here at Think Blue Planning Committee are constantly reminded that this blog would have fallen flat on its face years ago if it wasn’t for the continuous support of our readers. To show further appreciation, we intend to conduct a subsequent giveaway during the winter months after we remodel the website. In the meantime, thanks for reading and good luck in the contest.