Saturday PC Report: Bryce Elder Auto Slides into the Rotation Project (Andruw Nostalgia Double, First MHII, and a Vaulted Blue Robin for the Kid)
Elder, Andruw, first MHII, and a Blue Robin vault pull — the PC stayed disciplined while the kid stayed hooked. Clean week.
The PC logged another clean week.
No late-night eBay spirals. No “I’ll just bid one more time” moments that somehow turn into a mortgage payment. Just three intentional adds, one killer gift from the hobby family, and a vault pull that made Friday night feel like Christmas in May. It was one of those weeks where the Front Office side of the brain high-fived the collector side — no drama, no hype-chasing, just steady execution that actually moves the collection forward.
My Personal Collection
The 2020 Bowman Draft Bryce Elder Refractor Auto landed exactly where it belongs — right next to the Strider pickup from a few weeks ago.
Elder’s been solid in the Braves rotation all season: 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through eight starts (49 IP, 45 K). He punched out nine in his latest outing against the Mariners and keeps delivering those quiet quality starts while half the staff was banged up. The card fits the project like a glove. I’m not chasing every shiny pitcher who throws 95 and lights up the highlight reel; I’m building the actual Atlanta rotation that shows up on the big-league roster night after night. One targeted refractor auto at a time. That’s how the rotation lane stays disciplined instead of turning into a 47-card mess that looks great on Instagram but tanks your liquidity when it’s time to move on.
And because 90s nostalgia never sleeps (and honestly, it’s cheaper than therapy), I grabbed a 2020 Topps Archives Signature Series Andruw Jones 1997 Bowman Scouts Honor Roll.
This may not be *the* Andruw Jones card I’ve been hunting for the PC, but it was one I couldn’t pass up — a clean on-card auto of one of the greatest center fielders to ever wear the tomahawk. Sometimes you take the solid double instead of waiting for the home run. The PC doesn’t mind. Neither does the bankroll. It’s the hobby version of skipping the Disney churro line because you already packed the good snacks.
Then came a gift that still has me grinning like I just found a Lightning Lane pass I forgot I had: a 2023 Bowman’s Best Michael Harris II Shellacked Auto in PSA 10.
This is the first MHII in the PC — and what a way to break the seal. MHII is the real deal — speed, power, defense, and that quiet swagger the Braves love. Having this makes the core Braves PC feel less like a collection and more like a front-office portfolio with actual depth. Thank you to who sent it. You know who you are. Moments like this are why we fund the hobby with the hobby — the community vibes are truly real.
Side note: I had my son open this up and his eyes light up like he just hit a secret rare Charizard. There may be some hope to add the Braves as his second favorite team…
Son’s PC & Friday Rip Night: Blue Robin Division Stays Undefeated
While I was quietly adding to the grown-up side, I remembered something hiding in my PSA vault that needed to move to the kid’s collection immediately: a 2023 Topps Chrome Action Stars Gold Refractor of Vladdy Jr. in SGC 9.
He’s wrapping up preschool any day now, and this one just felt right. We’re calling it the “Blue Robin” around here — doesn’t matter that he’s a Blue Jay on the front; it’s a gold refractor that sparkles like Atlanta night-game lights when the kid holds it up (SGC 9 and all). He’s already asked three times if we can take it to show-and-tell, and I’m pretty sure he’s planning to sleep with it under his pillow like it’s the new family heirloom.
Friday Rip Night stayed loose and fun, exactly the way it’s supposed to. We cracked open a Bowman Draft Mega box because… well, retail boxes exist to remind you it’s about the memories made and not the potential money inside the box. I pulled a base Chrome Prospects 1st of Briggs McKenzie — nothing to write home about, but it still counts as a Braves prospect sighting. My son, on the other hand, went full victory dance when he scored a double rare Pokémon along with a few other solid rares. He was absolutely stoked. Pokémon may still be winning the volume war in our house, but the Blue Robins division is putting up points and building memories that don’t come with a 20% eBay fee. All is good.
The Kind of PC Week That Actually Feels Good
Rotation project: +1 (Elder).
90s legend: checked off with a smart nostalgia add.
Core Braves star: first MHII lands via a gift.
Next-generation PC: one very happy soon-to-be-kindergartener with a shiny Blue Robin SGC 9 (and fresh Pokémon bragging rights).
No hype. No overpaying. No treating the PC like a casino floor. Just steady, intentional moves that make the whole collection feel like it’s actually going somewhere — the kind of week where discipline beats buzz and the bankroll stays happy.
The Braves are still rolling, the kid is still ripping (or at least admiring like it’s the Holy Grail), and the hobby paid us back in cardboard and smiles — exactly the way it’s supposed to when you stop treating the PC like an emotional impulse buy and start treating it like a business with heart.
-Have fun in the wax, stay sharp in the market, and let it pay you back.