Enter Promo Code Here

Sometime last week, while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I was made aware of a special promo code that had been discovered for use on Ebay.  Although, judging by how many members of the card collecting community and the blogosphere were talking about it, this probably isn't news to you, but it did catch me off guard.  Of course, it's not as though that's particularly surprising. 

Naturally, being the bargain hunter - aka cheapskate - that I am, I immediately ceased what I was doing, switched apps and began to furiously scroll through the saved searches on that other account.  The deal that I was so furiously trying to take advantage of was that any purchase using the four-digit code at checkout would knock off three dollars from the transaction.  If one could find an item that was exactly $3.01 and included shipping, that's basically free cardboard baby!  Seeing as my saved items are mostly $2 to $5 cards that rarely pop up anywhere else, this was potentially a major development for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

Of course, finding a card that totaled exactly three dollars and one cent (not a penny less), included free shipping, and fulfilled a need in my collection proved to be much more difficult than I initially expected.  Many cards that I wanted sat at three dollar mark, but shipping proved to be a major hurdle - many still wanted five bucks to mail any auction winnings, which is why I haven't pounced on these purchases previously.  Call me stubborn, but I don't want to pay more than the value of the card just on shipping alone - I'm not buying vintage tobacco cards here.  That kind of kills the fun of making a deal in the first place.

Luckily for me, after some diligent scavenging, I was able to come across a deal worth putting the promo code to use for:

I've sung the praises about TCMA and their nostalgic, team-based sets that focus on baseball's golden years so much that it would make a Bruce Springsteen set-list seem fleeting.  So, with that in mind, I'll try to tone it down for this particular post.  However, do keep in mind that without these ultra-focused and comprehensive oddball checklists, my CATRC binder would have more gaps than a kid who was never weened off of their pacifier.  Topps and the rest of the big boys only covered so much ground and, to make matters even more difficult, most of the pre-Topps era has spottier coverage than T-Mobile.

With that in mind, when I came across this Bob Logan card, a guy who only appeared in 18 total games with the North Siders waaaaaay back in 1937-38, I knew I had to pounce..  The only problem was that Bob alone would not be quite enough to fill my $3.01 quota.  Luckily for me, the seller had more stuffed in his coffers that called to me:

As it turned out, this particular seller was breaking up a full set of TCMA's 1976 release dedicated to the Cubs pennant winners of 1938.   Better still, there was still one other card available that would be quite useful to my most treasured three-ring.  Carl Reynolds was a semi-star player in the 1930's, but his three-year stint to end his playing career with the Cubs is often forgotten due to the more significant time he spent with that other Chicago club.  As such, cardboard options which show in Cubbie Blue (or Cubbie black and white, in this case) are few and far between.  This discovery paved the way for another welcome "Cubgrade" for my collection.

In fact, both of these cards served as "Cubgrades," which are Cubs cards that replace non-Cubs representatives in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection for the players in question.  While I hold no ill-will towards that South Side baseball team nor the Dodgers, I certainly prefer my cards to show Cubbies as Cubbies:

In case you were curious, my new TCMA's were replacing this pair of fellow oddities.

All told, the pair of "Cubgrades" did end up totaling a tad more than three bucks and a wheat back - $3.38, to be specific.  Plus, there were some shipping charges to be factored into the equation as well, although this vendor was only asking for a quarter to send both together.  Being completely unable to find an item or card that I wanted for $3.01, this was by far my best option to burn the promo code on.  I'm quite content with having only had to cough up 63 cents on a couple of cards that I needed for my CATRC.  That's the kind of deal that I'll take every day and twice on Sunday.

Did anyone else reading this catch this promo code in time to use it?  If so, what did you choose to apply your free, three dollars to?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below - lord knows that I'm curious to see how everyone else capitalized on the coupon.  I encourage you to take this opportunity to brag about your bargain hunting skills.

At any rate, I don't think it's much of a stretch to state that we card collectors can appreciate a good bargain.  These Ebay promos are always a welcome sight and here's hoping that word of another such code escapes to social media again sometime soon - I have plenty more openings to fill... on a budget!