5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Redemption Card

I’m not a fan of redemption cards. Exceptions exist why they might be used — like when something is too big to fit in a pack of cards — but they often end up being a headache for all involved. Even in a best-case scenario, there’s a letdown when a promised autograph becomes an IOU.

Because I don’t like redemption cards, I try to avoid them. But it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. Sometimes I will go out and buy one and wait. But I run it through some rough criteria first to minimize the risk on my end.

A few weeks back, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a Kris Bryant autograph. They’re already getting out of reach of my general card budget. And it October played out like I expected (it has thus far), there was a good chance they’d be out of reach.

I like Bryant but I’m by no means a hardcore fan. I could get by without a signed card, so if my personal rules weren’t met, I’d move on and not worry about it. For my personal collection, if I’m buying something that’s big to me, the signature had to be on-card. That ruled a lot of options out right away. But a few remained that were in my budget and came hard-signed.

At that particular moment, one of the cheapest come from 2016 Topps Strata. Not only was it signed, but it was an autographed jersey card. Normally, the jersey part doesn’t excite me much but I really like the use of MLB Authentication with Strata (and any other set it’s used in).

But there was a catch — the card was a redemption and not the live card.

What to do? I took a bit of time to ponder things before deciding on whether to commit.

1. Signing History

Including the Bryant, I’ve bought all of two redemption cards in the past couple of years. Both times, the first thing that ran through my head was the signer’s habits and history. Do they sign very often? What’s their history with the company?

In Bryant’s case, both of these bode well. Bryant has signed regularly for Topps products the past couple of years. I see and hear stories where he’s an active signer at the ballpark and being gracious with fans. He is busy right now, and for good reason. So it’s not likely to arrive in the next few weeks or even before Christmas.

But all signs point to Bryant not being one of those athletes that take years to get their cards done. He could change habits, but past history suggests the opposite.

So, it might be a few months. Am I okay with that?

While no guarantee, it could actually be sooner. Bryant getting a 2016 Topps Now autograph could point towards a sooner signing session if both parties are going to play catch-up at the same time. That said, this wasn’t a consideration at the time as the Topps Now autograph is a recent development.

If an athlete hasn’t signed before or it has been a few years since their last cards, I’d personally be much more cautious. There’s no way of knowing how much of a priority signing cards is to them. It may have seemed like a good idea to them at the time to commit to signing, but when the time to actually signed arrived, the same incentive may not be there.

Another part of this is the signer’s age. While there may be the perception that retired players have more time, sometimes their health isn’t always the greatest. And while I’m sure we’d all love to have our cards back, someone’s health is much more important.

2. Autograph Backlog

It doesn’t take long for a player to clear out their outstanding redemptions. At least it shouldn’t.

That said, before I consider a redemption, I do a quick look on eBay and see how many sets they’re being promised for. If the list is long, there’s a strong chance the wait could be even longer. It might take multiple sessions to get things done. And if schedules are tight, it could be months between sessions.

3. Is It a Multi-Signed Card?

Sometimes the wait on an autograph card has nothing to do with your favorite player. It’s someone else.

If your redemption is for a multi-signed card, all it takes is for one person to hold things up. Then you have to run through all those previous thoughts on their past history and habits.

And this is probably a big reason why a lot of multi-signed cards today use stickers.

4. The Seller

It’s sad to think that the seller always has to be a consideration. But when you’re dealing with redemption cards, what’s to stop the seller from scratching the code, redeeming the card themselves and selling the physical redemption. People do. And that’s fine — if you’re clear and up front about it.

Check the seller. If you’re on eBay, look for a good feedback score like you always should. Also be sure to read the full description, not just the title. And if you’re still interested and things aren’t 100 percent clear, ask and get clarification. It doesn’t take long and it’ll ensure you don’t get taken advantage of.

After weighing these things, I went for the Bryant. It fit my budget, it’s going to be on-card and I’m a fan of the set it comes from. Now the wait begins, which I’m prepared for, at least for a little while.

5. Worst-Case Scenario

What’s the worst that could happen?

What if the player decides they’re not going to sign and my redemption is sent to replacement hell? Am I okay with that? Never, but it’s always a possibility.

It’s certainly a factor when I go to determine what I’m willing to pay for a redemption autograph. What I paid for this card is probably as much as I’d pay for a redemption card, personally. And while a Kris Bryant autograph is never a bad thing, this particular card isn’t exactly top-of-the-line in the value department. To me, it wasn’t cheap but even a worst-case situation wouldn’t come close to some of the redemption horror stories I’ve heard.

Even if I had the budget, I wouldn’t want to be in a position where I’d end up waiting several months or years for what I thought would be a collection cornerstone and ended up being something I didn’t like or couldn’t justify the expense.

Do you buy redemption cards? If so, do you have any criteria you look for?