Box Break: 2003 Fleer Authentix Hobby (In Which The New York Yankees' All-Time Hits Leader Plays A Prominent Role)

I'll be the first admit to admit that the base cards in Fleer Authentix are, well, not very attractive. But I didn't get this box because I wanted to put the set together, I got it because it guaranteed 3 hits and was only $26 with shipping off eBay. I enjoy opening boxes from the early 2000s because they're usually much cheaper than current releases (I couldn't afford them when they first came out) and it's always fun pulling cards of players that have long since retired or hold a special place in your heart from days of yore (we hardly knew thee Ellis Burks). I wasn't going into this box with high hopes of a big hit, but I managed to beat the odds and was very pleased with my break. Here's what I got:

Ticket to the Majors RC (serially # to 1850): Termell Sledge #1659/1850 (Great name, mediocre player, crappy looking card. He did finish 19th in slugging in the Eastern League during the 2002 season for what it's worth.)

Ticket Studs (1 in 6 packs): Pedro Martinez, Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter (The Ticket Studs are a cool insert design as they fold out to the size of a MLB ticket. Unfortunately, I'm not really a fan of any of these players.)

Ballpark Classics (1 in 12 packs): Derek Jeter (Another insert of El Capitan, this one die-cut...will it be the last time Jeter shows up in this box???)

Balcony Parallel (serially # to 250): Jim Thome #229/250 (At one point in his career Thome had 229 career HRs making this a true eBay one-of-one!)

Club Box Parallel (serially # to 100): Jorge Julio #9/100 (I'm not sure if there was a less exciting player to pull as a parallel in this set...any O's fans interested in this clunker before it goes in my commons bin?)

Authentix Jersey Cards "Ripped" (1 in 8 packs): Josh Beckett w/teal pinstripe, Eric Hinske blue jersey swatch (It's always nice to get jerseys that are different from the usual grey or white swatches and that Marlins' teal is tough to top. I get the ripped ticket concept, but does anyone really want a card that is 3/4 the size of a standard one and has a serrated bottom edge?)

Autograph (1 in 576 packs): Derek Jeter 3rd Row #171/250!!!! Sweet jumping jehosaphat I almost had a heart-attack when I saw this beauty staring right back at me! This card came in the final pack of the box and instantly became the best card (or at least most valuable) that I have ever pulled from a pack. I noticed that Jeter had signed a good number of autos for Authentix, but at those astronomical odds (1 in 24 boxes), I never really believed I would get one in the box; I think I still have goosebumps from this card. While I have never been a fan of Jeter, and I wrote a rather tongue-in-cheek article about how overrated he is on my baseball blog (look at some of the vitriol in the comments section, people either really disagree with me or simply don't understand sarcasm), I respect the way he plays the game and his cards are always in high demand. Unless someone wants to trade a PSA 10 1989 Ken Griffey Jr Upper Deck RC for it or offer to pay of my college loans, this card is going right on eBay in order to fund future box breaks.

Needless to say, I loved opening this box. Two sweet jerseys and a Derek Jeter auto, I'll have a tough time topping 2003 Fleer Authentix for quite a while, but that won't stop me from trying...

UPDATE: The Jeter auto sold for $107 on eBay!!!! Success!!!