Autograph Offering: Bo Jackson

For Thanksgiving, etopps will be offering 25 Bo Jackson Baseball Classic and 25 Football Classic cards at $39.99 a pop. Unless there is a mistake in the listing, the Baseball Classic will be offered at 1PM EST and the Football Classic at 3PM EST.

I was surprised an autograph offering would occur this week because of the holiday. Mark either forgot or shrewdly knew that this would be a great day to offer these cards because no one's day job would get in the way, only the distance from your dining room chair to the computer.

But what about the ones like myself who are traveling and will be guests at someone else's home? This is when the fun begins. Luckily, I'm not going after either card so I don't have to think about this. I'll be stuck in traffic somewhere in NYC while both are being offered.

But besides me, what's a good excuse to use the computer at someone's home that's not yours? You're in a social situation where computers and the internet are more for topics of conversation than sitting online and clicking the refresh button in your Sunday-best clothing. The more you're observed hitting the F5 button, the more addictive you look for knowing what you're doing.

You have two approaches, depending on how sports-minded the room full of people or hosts are. If they've never heard of Bo Jackson or couldn't care less about football or sports just say you need to check something online. You could say email but if they walk in the room that you're in with the computer, they'll know you were lying.

If they've heard of or like Bo Jackson, be honest and tell them what you're doing. If you get one of the 50 autos, let them be happy for you...after all, it's Thanksgiving.

Aside from this potentially awkward situation, ebay hasn't been the most kind with etopps autographs of late or the hobby as a whole, considering the reported fewer views last month and the current economic unraveling taking place in this country. It's no wonder we are more selective in our gotta-have-it buys on ebay.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that Bo Jackson's autos are going for under $100 as of late unless it's something special, whether a low auto run or with another retired athlete or something more than a card such as a jersey or a framed flat.

If you're considering flipping this, the question you may be asking yourself: will this auto be deemed special enough to sell more than $100?