Dime Box Heroes: It's kind of like magic

1997 Fleer #512 David Ortiz (Arias) RC

In terms of purely value, this is probably my all-time best dime box find.
 

I'm not quite sure on the reasoning behind it, but a couple of Big Papi's rookie cards list his last name as "Arias" instead of "Ortiz". I think Arias is his middle name or something. I'm not sure.

I found this card mixed in with a stack of other base cards from '97 Fleer. I've always liked that set. The simplicity of it plus the '70s-like card stock reminds me of a retro set.

Maybe the vendor who I bought this card from didn't recognize the last name and just threw it in with the other dime cards. Or maybe they just didn't check the dime box at all.

But who cares? All I know is that I found it and it's mine. And as the old saying goes, "finders keepers, losers weepers".

Actually, I should say it was mine.

Initially, I was going to keep it. I like Ortiz and I collect cards of him from his Twins days. But after thinking about it, I realized that I could probably get tons of good stuff if I were to trade it. After all, the card was worth 25 bucks.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

One minute, it's a David Ortiz rookie card. 

The next minute and POOF! Ortiz has transformed into a great batch of cards.

So basically, all these cards cost me was a single dime. (Plus the cost of a stamp.)

Dime boxes never cease to surprise me.